Preparing for the great feastday in BangaloreA new Schoenstatt Shrine in India will be blessed on Sunday, February 15, 2004 |
INDIA. The Schoenstatt Fathers in India are preparing, along with many others in India and elsewhere, for the dedication of the Schoenstatt Shrine by their Formation Center (Novitiate, Students) in Bangalore, India, scheduled for February 15, 2004. The Schoenstatt Fathers' website (www.kentenich-gdw.de) gives an insight into the long road leading to the dedication of the Shrine: The new year, only a few weeks old, was marked by the question as to in how far the shrine would be completed by the 15 February, both materially and spiritually. At the beginning of January – the weather was still cool and somewhat cloudy – the shrine was still dressed in its dark colours. Working on the ShrineIn the barn, the carpenters are still very busily at work. They work squatting on the floor. Gradually the individual parts of the altar can be seen. The dome above the altar is particularly complicated. Once it was finished it had to be demolished again because it didn't have the right measurements. For a long time the gable was open. However, the workers were eventually ready to do the roof. All the materials were passed from hand to hand up a ladder, and in the end the tiles were painted red. Both house communities – the students and the novices – accompanied the building work with a variety of undertakings, among others night adoration, many visits to the developing shrine, and special sacrifices. These included three days of cleaning the house thoroughly – the student's way of preparing for the big feastday. The Shrine will be ready…On 2 February, the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, began with a candlelight procession according to the Liturgy. This was a particularly appropriate occasion to include the developing shrine into the Liturgy. The candles were blessed and lit in a still empty room and then all went in solemn procession to the house chapel for the Eucharistic celebration. At that time the shrine was still completely framed by scaffolding and surrounded by brown earth. Will everything be finished by the 15th? At just some days before the dedication, all the parts of the altar for the shrine are now completed. The paving around the shrine has also been almost completed. The shrine will be ready, the feast can be celebrated. That same day, the corner stone will be laid for the Shrine in Brig, Valais, Switzerland. More: www.kentenich-gdw.de |
Zurück/Back:
[Seitenanfang / Top] [letzte
Seite / last page] [Homepage]
Last Update: 13.02.2004
Mail: Editor /Webmaster
© 2004 Schönstatt-Bewegung in Deutschland, PressOffice Schönstatt,
hbre, All rights reserved, Impressum