Like on each 18^th... in Schoenstatt, Londrina, Brif, Cebu, Goya, Corrientes, Burundi, Dachau...

Encounters in Schoenstatt and further around Covenant Day in Schoenstatt

SCHOENSTATT, mkf. Like each 18^th, this morning the Schoenstatt members participating in the Mass at the Original Shrine in Schoenstatt renewed their Covenant together with many others who do the same in Shrines and wayside shrines in the 85 countries where Schoenstatt is present. As in every 18^th, countless rosaries, covenant masses and pilgrimages together in Mary’s hands join in a great prayer of love and gratitude for the changes experienced by so many people’s lives through the Covenant of Love in that October 18^th which transformed the old chapel into a Shrine, place of grace for millions of people who feel at home and transformed into one big family. Such is the attachment of thousands of people to the Original Shrine that for them just a little piece of this place – like a roof tile – is a valuable treasure.

In the new 18^th, the Family of Schoenstatt in Londrina, Brazil, rejoices with the deacon ordination of a young man of its city, member of the Fathers of Schoenstatt. In Valais, Switzerland, the Schoenstatt Family gets together today for the first time after receiving a definite green light for the construction of their Shrine. In Cebu, Philippines, the Schoenstatt Family celebrates their last Covenant day without a Shrine... anticipating happily the blessing on Sunday 20^th.

The Capital of Grace of her people in Goya

In Goya, Province of Corrientes, Argentina, like every 18^th and like in many Shrines and wayside shrines, the missionaries of the Rosary Campaign pray the thousand Ave Maria. They do it with generosity and special love because it is the last 18 before the 5^th anniversary of the Campaign in Goya next August 18^th. That August 18, 1997, the bishop of Goya Monsignor Luis Stockler and father Rodolfo Barboza blessed in the wayside shrine of the MTA the first five pilgrim images that would go around visiting the families in the dioceses. Maria Delia y Juan Carlos Ferruchi planted the seed of this great Campaign, with their big hearts placed in the MTA’s service they started the basis for Her to have an important place in Goya. Today there are 30 pilgrim images, 3 of them with the children.

This week, Esteban, one of the missionaries, displayed a big poster announcing that on the 18^th is the 5^th anniversary of the wayside shrine and soon he will be placing the base for the cross that the Campaign is donating to stay next to the shrine. They will crown the MTA on August 18^th as Queen of the Campaign in Goya as an expression of gratitude for all the blessings received from Her.

This July 18^th, starting at 3:00 pm they prayed the thousand Ave Maria in the wayside shrine of the MTA; 20 rosaries to the Mother of God for her Son’s kingdom on earth.

Since they promised to help a Home for the Aged in need, they ask to those who can bring disposable adult diapers, toiletries and other cleaning products to the Home. "If you can join us in a rosary or Ave Maria, that will make the MTA very happy," writes Ines Petiti in a letter of invitation, "because She takes this capital of grace of her people in Goya to help with God’s work on us." The great joy of the missionaries in Goya is a gift they have received in advance for the anniversary in August: a roof tile of the Original Shrine that shall be placed at the base of the cross in the shrine.

From Corrientes to Schoenstatt and New Schoenstatt

A roof tile of the Original Shrine arrived also on July 18 to Corrientes, the capital of the province where the Schoenstatt family has been preparing with a capital of grace for their future Shrine. The roof tile of the Original Shrine will be there to win the Shrine but before that it will go on a pilgrimage to different areas and dioceses: Ituzaingo, Formosa, Obera, Chaco, Goya. It will be carried in a special handcrafted leather case with an engraved MTA and something to protect it "from the love of the people" when touching it.

Elena Hack, missionary of the MTA in Corrientes and her daughter Claudina arrived in Schoenstatt on July 11^th on a trip to visit their relatives in Darmstatt. They stayed two and a half days in Schoenstatt. They brought photos of the missionaries of the Campaign in Corrientes, photos of friends and family members, and letters to place on the tomb of the Father and in the Original Shrine. Corrientes is the place where the Campaign for babies at risk, "the little campaign" had been started by Martha Liotti, a friend of Elena – who was amazed about the growth of that seed that now has spread in Mexico, Portugal, Angola, Germany and South Africa. "I had no idea that it was so important in the Schoenstatt world," said Elena.

They stayed in Schoenstatt July 12 and 13^th, the same weekend when a group of families of Corrientes was going on a pilgrimage to the national Shrine (1200 kms away) "we want to conquer fruitfulness and a decisive instrumentality to generate as families, new men and women for new communities. We started with only three – Pablo Roux, Guillermo Lombardero and Melba Lopez and their spouses – now we have Fr. Guillermo Carmona as mentor and we are broadening the circle of research and work reaching 15 members full of enthusiasm for the Schoenstatt Pedagogy.

From Burundi to Chile via Schoenstatt

At Sonnenau House Elena and Claudina Hack met Schoenstatt people from Mexico, USA, Rumania... From Burundi came a Chilean seminarian, Miguel Rocha from the Schoenstatt Fathers. Before returning to Chile on July 16^th, he was showing some "unknown places" to a group of volunteers from Mexico. On Saturday July 12^th, he was with the group in front of the Adoration Church when they met a group of Professional women from the North of Germany who were about to leave on their pilgrimage to Dachau. That is how to the already numerous requests and intentions they were taking to the former concentration camp, they added the fights of Burundi and the prayers for peace as well as prayers for the growth of Schoenstatt in Chile and Mexico. At the Father’s tomb they asked for his blessing and met some pilgrims from Munich... which happens to be the dioceses Dachau belongs to!

Over 1,000 kilometers just to pray the rosary in Dachau

"We will be with you in Dachau spiritually on the week-end and will join you in your prayers," had written Melba Lopez from Corrientes when she heard about the pilgrimage of the Professionals. The impulse for this pilgrimage had been an "open shrine" experience: to open their previous year pilgrimage to all those who wanted to join with requests. Their prayers for a boy with a brain tumor and witnessing the faith those people showed when asking for "just an Ave Maria on that place where the father suffered so much for his family," and later learning that the boy had recovered after a heart failure, "it touched us deeply and we were changed for ever," says Gabriele Sudermann. "I think that from then on we believe... We are grateful to the missionaries of the Campaign for their faith and to the Father for giving us the opportunity to pray with child faith." When we were told about new health problems of "our boy", I thought: we must do something special," commented Martina Rasch. " The wild idea of a pilgrimage to Dachau to pray another rosary there. A thousand kilometers, it took a few days to organize but is a gift for those of us going." Loaded with a Pilgrim MTA, pictures, rosaries, several symbols, letters and requests from some professionals who can only go spiritually, as well as from many people who knew about this pilgrimage because of the internet, they arrived in Dachau on July 13^th at 9:30 hrs. After an hour of personal meditation, they got together at block 26, the place where the Father had been the longest time during his stay in Dachau. "We were profoundly touched when noticing the stone cross we had made the previous year when we did the luminous rosary, like a sign of the presence of Christ in this place of suffering..." A group of priests and young Italian men came closer when the professional were praying and a large rosary was taking shape with candles and red roses. When the priests heard about Fr. Kentenich’s story and about this rosary, they blessed the rosary of live red roses and "the people behind them." A gentleman from Brazil now living in Rome joined the group and asked to place a rose for Schoenstatt. He had known about the Campaign and was moved when he saw the pilgrim MTA. Many visitors were taking pictures of the rose rosary and asked questions... others, joined their hands in silent prayer.

On Sunday at 19:00 hrs when the professionals were back in Schoenstatt they thank the MTA and the Father for a "marvelous wild idea". One of them tells: "the next day, in a meeting with colleges, one of them asked: What is it with you? You look different, you sing and you smile and that shine in your eyes... Tell me, did you fall in love this week-end? - And to my own surprise I answered: Yes, I have fallen in love!

Translation: Carmen Barruel, Belgium