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Manrique y Lourdes Gutiérrez, desde Costa Rica, con su bandera nacional Manrique and Lourdes Gutiérrez, from Costa Rica, with their national flag Manrique und Lourdes Gutiérrez aus Costa Rica mit ihrer Landesfahne |
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Ricardo y Pochola, de Rio Tercero, Provincia de Córdoba; ella es misionera de la Campaña y llevó la Auxiliar de Rio Tercero a Roma y Schoenstatt. Ricardo and Pochola from Rio Tercero, Province of Cordoba; she is missionary of the first hour, and brought the Auxiliary of Rio Tercero to Rome, and Schoenstatt Ricardo und Pochola aus Rio Tercero, Provinz Córdoba; sie ist Missonarin der ersten Stunde und brachte die Auxiliar von Rio Tercero nach Schönstatt und Rom |
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Prisca durante sus "diez minutos mirandole a la Mater" Priska during her "ten minutes looking into the eyes of the MTA" Priska während ihrer "zehn Minuten Blickkontakt mit der MTA" |
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P. Marcelo Gallardo (der.), invitación a renovar la Alianza en el Santuario Original Fr. Marcelo Gallardo (r.), inviting to renew the Covenant of Love in the Original Shrine P. Marcelo Gallardo (re.) bei der Einladung zur Erneuerung des Liebesbündnisses im Urheiligtum |
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Encuentro, por sorpresa, con Sr. Fernández, artista de la estatua del Padre en Nuevo Schoenstatt Surprise encounter with Mr. Fernandez, artist of the Father Statue in Nuevo Schoenstatt Überraschende Begegnung mit Herrn Fernandez, der die Vaterstatue in Nueva Schoenstatt gemacht hat |
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El grupo en el Santuario Original, para las fotos... The group in front of the Original Shrine for the obligatory group photos Gruppenbild vor dem Urheiligtum |
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Juventud Femenina de Fulda, Alemania, en Sonnenau Girls' Youth from Fulda, Germany, in House Sonnenau Mädchenjugend und junge Frauen aus Fulda in der Sonnenau |
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P. Marcelo Gallardo: ¡gracias, Hna Lisann! Fr. Marcelo Gallardo: thank you, Sr Lisann! P. Marcelo Gallardo: danke, Sr Lisann! |
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Tumba del Padre con sobres, fotos, y muchos signos de la vinculación Founder chapel with envelopes, photos, and many signs of attachment Gründerkapelle mit Umschlägen, Briefen, Fotos und vielen Zeichen der Verbundenheit Fotos: POS Fischer © 2003 |
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SCHOENSTATT, mkf. When someone wants to find God it is enough to look at the faces of the pilgrims arriving in the Shrine... Ani Pangrazio’s comments about her experience of the 18th of October in Tuparenda can be applied also to those who witness the unforgettable moments of that "first visit" or new visits of the pilgrims to the Original Shrine and the Tomb of Father Kentenich in Schoenstatt... Like in the last days of October when 51 pilgrims arrived from Cordoba, one couple from Costa Rica, couples from Chile, Paraguay, Mexico, a priest from Philadelphia, USA...
Back in Cordoba and in the neighboring areas in Argentina, their footprints remained visible in the Founder Chapel for some more days: the carpet - which shows the place where Father Kentenich died – was covered with little bags, photos, documents, many envelopes decorated with flowers and ribbons, envelopes full of letters to Father Kentenich, to the MTA, sheets with contributions to the capital of grace, not only from the pilgrims but also from their communities, groups, friends. The first sodalists, when away from the Original Shrine (before it was called 'Original' as there was only this one) started a trend that today still fills the Original Shrine, Father Kentenich’s tomb with letters, photos and – during Christmas – paper stars carrying the names of the loved ones: the sodalists during the battles of WWI, sent their photos to Fr. Kentenich to be placed in the Shrine to feel close to the MTA’s maternal look. They sent personal letters, spiritual flowers, notes with their contributions to the capital of grace and sometimes names of comrades who wished and needed to be near that place of Grace that gave peace and security to this young men. The same happens today, except that the signs of confidence and the offerings come from Rio Tercero, Goya, Viale and Cordoba.
"No matter what, I must take the Auxiliary to Schoenstatt"
The group came from Rome, where they attended the beatification of Mother Theresa; on a pilgrimage organized by "Anunciar", Cordoba, to participate in this event in Rome... but: "Once in Europe we go also to Schoenstatt", the pilgrims thought and thus they arrived in Schoenstatt - an important Shrine of Mary, for the majority of them, a place of longing, of spiritual pilgrimages, place of origin and spiritual cradle of all the Schoenstatt members among them. "For us, the Schoenstatt members, it is a heavenly day to be able to celebrate the Holy Mass in the Original Shrine and to renew here our Covenant of Love with the same words all the other Covenant brothers and sisters use; for those of you who are not members of Schoenstatt it is surely good to renew your love for the Virgin and, who knows..." says Fr. Marcelo Gallardo with a smile, a young Schoenstatt Father who came with the pilgrims, during the Mass at the Original Shrine on October 25th, "who knows... maybe it is the starting point to the sealing of your Covenant one of these days with the MTA." Priska, a Belgian teacher who lives in Argentina for years, was sittin on the floor during the homily, looking to the Pilgrim MTA in her hands – a Pilgrim MTA that a missionary of the Campaign gave her to take a picture. Fr. Marcelo shared an experience he had in the Shrine of La Loma in Parana when "I experienced my worst pastoral failure, after giving an excellent and well prepared lecture to a group of young people called "rebels". His lecture about Schoenstatt and the Shrine had not much success, but a simple comment of a girl had a big effect: "You go to the Shrine and look at the MTA for ten minutes, to Her eyes, and you become holy". Priska looked at her eyes and after the Mass decided to stay in Schoenstatt instead of going with the group to Cologne; to "continue looking at Her". "I’m not a member of Schoenstatt," she says, "but I meet the MTA often, the Virgin of Schoenstatt. She has something special"... Something special. With tremendous love, but not without sacrifices and risks, many of the pilgrims brought their Pilgrim MTA to Rome and to Schoenstatt. And more even, Pochola with her husband Ricardo brought the Auxiliary from Rio Tercero. "No matter what, I had to take the Auxiliary to Schenstatt," she said. "She deserves it."- "The missionaries never retire," referring to her age and the fact that she is responsible for over 80 Pilgrim MTA's in different places around Rio Tercero.
"To join in the spirit of Schoenstatt with our whole being"
The pilgrims from Argentina who returned to Argentina on Sunday October 26th (some of them via Paris), were not alone during these days in Schoenstatt. In Sonnenau, some girls of the Girl's Youth of Fulda gathered for a meeting and also to prepare a camp for young girls the following week. Like each year on the last week-end of October, some pilgrims from Suabia who as they do each year, visited the tomb of Sister Emilie in Metternich and the Shrine in Mount Moriah to sing to the Mater for one hour. "During this time of the year there are not many people coming there", they explained, "and we can sing without disturbing anyone." The Mothers of the diocese of Rottenburg had their retreat in House Marienland, and the Biys' Youth of Eichstatt had a gathering at the Youth Center; three of them made their Covenant of Love on Wednesday. There were also couples from Chile, Mexico and Paraguay and again after a long absence, Fr. John Reardan of Philadelphia, USA. Years ago, when he was working in Germany, he learned about Schoenstatt and he not only took his love for the MTA with him but also took the Pilgrim MTA to his new work field, a parish in Philadelphia. "We have a group of 15 persons," he tells us in his visit to the Press Office together with a relative who just arrived from a job in Saudi Arabia. "We don’t have much contact with the other centers of Schoenstatt, we are very far... but there is schoenstatt.de, that makes us feel connected to a large family. It is always a joy to see the articles, the pictures,’ he says and adds: "I forward them to my family and friends of Schoenstatt." "Even to Saudi Arabia," his relative adds smiling. -
"It is not only the first Shrine," says Manrique Gutierrez from Costa Rica. "It is our first Shrine." "Yes, the first Shrine that we see, we touch, the first one we enter," adds his wife Lourdes. "Until now we only knew them through the postcards and photos! It is really exciting..." It’s been three months since they sealed their Covenant. "And since then we knew that we had to make this business trip to Amsterdam", they say. "We prepared ourselves to visit the Shrine for the first time – the Original Shrine as our first Shrine!" In the less than 24 hrs, that they have, they visit Father Kentenich’s Tomb, his room in Schulungsheim and pray very much. "Schoenstatt in Costa Rica is growing, step by step, in a profound way. Not with speed, not in great numbers, but with much longing for joining in the spirit of Schoenstatt with our whole being"...
Translation: Carmen Barruel, Belgium