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Rosario Iluminado en las escalinatas de la Catedral de La Plata, Buenos Aires Illumined Rosary on the stairs of the Cathedral of La Plata, Buenos Aires Lichter-Rosenkranz auf der Treppe der Kathedrale von La Plata, Buenos Aires |
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Una vela y una rosa para cada Ave Maria A candle, and a rose, for each Hail Mary Ein Licht und eine Rose für jedes Gegrüßet seist du, Maria |
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Acompañamiento: banda de música A brass band accompanied the ceremony Musikalische Begleitung durch eine Blaskapelle |
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La Auxiliar de la Campaña del Rosario de la Virgen Peregrina The Auxiliary of the Schoenstatt Rosary Campaign, presiding the rosary Die Auxiliar der Kampagne der Pilgernden Gottesmutter in der Mitte Fotos: Antonioli © 2003 |
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ARGENTINA, Raquel Antonioli. On a cold and windy day, but with plenty of blessings, the Illuminated Rosary was offered on the steps of the Cathedral of La Plata. While the vehicles circulated on the nearby road, hundreds of people gathered around the Auxiliary to pray the Rosary.
A gigantic rosary made with candles – white for the Avemarias and red for the Paternosters – spread on the steps of the Cathedral of La Plata, in whose shadow the Schoenstatt Shrine is located, the Shrine of Liberation, where an important part of the history of Schoenstatt took place.
While a band was playing, the people was invited to pray one Avemaria of the rosary and to light a candle and put a rose on the rosary as a sign of their faith.
The patron of the Cathedral is the Virgin of Dolores so on September 13th, people prayed the rosary in her honor asking for her help and also in memory of the anniversary of Father Kentenich’s death and for all the intentions and needs of the diocese, of the country and of the Church.
Uniting the dovotees of Mary
At the end of the Year of the Rosary and meditating on the success of the Illuminated Rosary – born from one of Father Kentenich’s Lectures in Villa Ballester, Argentina, in 1949, when he mentioned the Rosary being like a crown made of living roses; and as an idea that stems from the Rosary Campaign of the Pilgrim MTA in Argentina -, Hector Antonioli intends now to form a Marian Commission in La Plata, with all the Titles of Our Lady, working with all the parishes, in order to promote the illuminated rosary and gather larger crowds once they are offered. In this year of the Rosary, Raquel and Hector Antonioli made more than 2500 rosaries of macramé, praying for the persons who would receive them while working on them. They were used by the Professional Women's Branch to promote the rosary in Germany, but were also given to Italy, Burundi, Senegal, South Africa, Paraguay, Switzerland, England... Even the Pope received one and gave thanks for it in a letter send through the Nuncio in Germany.
Translation: Carmen Barruel, Belgium/Marlene Peter, Harare, Zimbabwe