Marlene Peter con la "Reina de África" Marlene Peter with the "Queen of Africa" Marlene Peter mit der "Königin von Afrika"
"Santuario Altar" en una casa en Harare, Zimbabwe "Altar Shrine" in einem Haus in Harare, Zimbabwe "Alter-Heiligtum" in einem Wohnhaus in Harara, Zimbabwe Fotos: Peter © 2001

Zimbabwe, Marlene Peter/mkf. In a desperate socio-political situation of their country, the small Schoenstatt family of Zimbabwe on past May 30, 2003, once again crowned the Mother Thrice Admirable "Queen of Africa". Never before, they said, they felt so close to what Father Kentenich did when crowning Mary in Dachau.

The crowning took place on Friday 30th instead of the 31st because Fr. Michael Hagan could only come up from South Africa on that day and had to be back there on the 31st for a meeting in Johannesburg. As usual, the Schoenstatt family gathered in St. Francis Xavier parish church for the mass at 7 p.m. A delay of half an hour followed as the crowning ceremony and mass sheets had been left behind at the Arnold’s by mistake. "This was providential since it gave us time to pray the Glorious mysteries for all our intentions in preparation for the crowning," Marlene Peter said. "A holy time helping us to get into the right frame of mind. There is a great amount of stress and concern at this time and I think our MTA wanted us to relax and put our worries in her capable hands and realise just what we were about to do and what we were asking her to do by this crowning."

"This year we truly felt what it must have meant to crown Our Lady in the desperate situation of Dachau"

Three priests were concelebrating, Rev. Fathers Peter Meiring and Lesley McKenna who on nearly all the other occasions has done the crowning. Fr. Michael gave a very good homily and likened the present situation in Zimbabwe to the one in Germany in Fr. Kentenich’s time. – The hope and  trust Fr. Kentenich had even in the darkest hours, in Dachau, and in exile. He spoke of the importance of hope and trust  if we are to survive. It is important that we as Schoenstatt family become messengers of this hope. We have crowned Mary Queen of Africa twenty three times here in Harare and she has taken perfect care of her children in Africa in so many ways. We need her now as our situation worsens.

"This year I think we truly felt what it must have meant to crown Our Lady in the desperate situation of Dachau", Marlene Peter shared. This past week saw the stay aways of the people from work and the planned peaceful protest marches stopped by strong government forces.

She will be a Pilgrim Mother…

Some weeks before the crowning, the Schoenstatt family of Zimbabwe had to face another challenge. Their "altar shrine", as they call the room at the home of Pat and Stella Arnold, where the altar for a future Schoenstatt Shrine in Zimbabwe is placed "ever since Schoenstatt began here", might soon no longer be there, as the Arnold's due to circumstances are having to consider selling the house and moving to a smaller and more secure place. So another home is needed for the tentative shrine.

"It would be sad if we had to put the altar (even temporarily) in storage," Marlene said. "Fr. Kentenich always looked for the open door and listened. I think Our MTA if her shrine is to move will be a Pilgrim Mother linked to all the other that are travelling all over the world. I believe there is a purpose and a plan in all this, just as there is one in our present unstable situation in this country. She is standing with her homeless displaced children. Our motto "In our covenant of love with faith hope and trust we renew our 'Yes" must be our guiding light."