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Rosario Iluminado en la Iglesia de la Adoración, Schoenstatt Illumined Rosary in the Adoration Church, Schoenstatt Lichter-Rosenkranz in der Anbetungskirche, Schönstatt |
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Simon Donnelly, de Sudafrica, ahora estudiando en Roma, ofreciendo su rosa y vela Simon Donnelly, from South Africa, now studying in Rome, offering his rose and light Simon Donnelly aus Südafrika, zur Zeit in Rom im Studium, bringt sein Licht und seine Rose |
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Alegrías, dolor, preocupación, gratitud... Joys, pain, sorrwos, gratitud... Freude, Leid, Sorgen, Dank… |
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Las protagonistas: Profesionales de la generacion joven Members of the younger generation of the Women's League organize the rosary Der Lichter-Rosenkranz war Teil des Teamtreffens des Nordkreises der Berufstätigen Frauen |
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Hora privada en la tumba del Padre Private time in the Founder Chapel Rückblick und neue Zusammenhänge bei der Stunde in der Gründerkapelle |
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Renovación de la Alianza de Amor Renewing the Covenant of Love Erneuerung des Liebesbündnisses |
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Misa en la Capilla de Monte Sion, con el Padre Angel Strada Mass in the House Chapel of Mount Sion, with Fr. Angel Strada Messe in der Hauskapelle des Vaterhauses, mit P. Angel Strada |
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Encuentro de misioneras Missionaries' meeting and sharing Austausch und Verbundenheit in der Pilgernden Gottesmutter |
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La Peregrina en el restaurante The Pilgrim MTA in the restaurant Die Pilgernde Gottesmutter im Restaurant Fotos: POS Fischer © 2004 |
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SCHOENSTATT, mkf. Pope John Paul II, on the first Sunday of October, the month dedicated in a special way to Our Lady of the Rosary, offered an invitation to say this Marian prayer. "To become a living rosary it is necessary to see every pain and every happiness in the light of faith," said Father Kentenich in 1949, in a talk in Villa Ballester, Argentina, that some years later was a source of inspiration for the Rosary Campaign in Argentina, for the Illumined Rosary, a real "crown of living roses", a way of praying, living and personifying the rosary. On October 2, in the Adoration Church an Illuminated Rosary was offered, with about 100 people present, the majority of them coming from Koblenz, Vallendar and the nearby cities.
"On this first Sunday of October, the month dedicated in a special way to Our Lady of the Rosary, I invite you to recite this beautiful prayer," said the Pope on October 3. The same day, during their convention, after thinking about the Illuminated Rosary offered the previous day, the Professional Women decided to continue with this apostolate, and will offer the Illumined Rosary several times throughout 2005, both in Schoenstatt and in Dachau, and if possible also in Cologne, as preparation for the World Youth Day 2005.
Pope John Paul II wanted to stress again the importance of this Marian prayer on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of his papacy and recalling the time from October 2002 until October 2003, the Year of the Rosary. It was a few days before the proclamation of the Year of the Rosary in 2002 that in a parish in Kleve, the first Illumined Rosary was "opened to the public" in Germany. This first Illumined Rosary in Germany was presided over by the Third International Auxiliary of the Rosary Campaign. This Third Auxiliary. in 1987, in the context of World Youth Day in Buenos Aires, accompanied the Holy Father in his private Chapel in the Nunciate, where it was blessed by him, and recently was present in Rome at the procession in the Gardens of the Vatican and the Mass of Sending Forth in Castel Gandolfo. This picture of grace was also at the Illuminated Rosary this October 2, 2004, linking this rosary with all the rosaries said in the Campaign, with Rome, with the World Youth Day, and with the Pope.
The rosary of macramé as "password "
"This is the third time we take part," mentions a lady from Koblenz, accompanied by her husband and her sister, and to prove it takes from her bag, a rosary of macramé, similar to that which two of the Professional Women, organizers of this Rosary, sell or give to those who come. There are approximately 4,000 rosaries of this kind, which throughout the two years have been distributed in Germany, and beyond into South Africa, Burundi, Nigeria, Ghana, Italy, England, and Switzerland. Each of these rosaries was made in La Plata by Héctor and Raquel Antonioli, who are praying them as they make them, praying in particular for the one who is to receive it. Several persons pull these rosaries from their purses and pockets entering the Adoration Church this afternoon, as if it was a password and symbol of the community. Many have already come several times to the Illumined Rosary. A lady, who for the first time was taking part in the Rosary, and for the first time in Schoenstatt, too, received a rosary as a gift. A few minutes later she returns and says, " I want to buy some more. I was thinking of taking a candle to my relatives, but better to give them a rosary, this way they can do something that is valuable!" A few minutes after the beginning of the rosary, a couple comes with their two, three and five-year-old grandsons. The small ones place the rosary around the neck, touching it with happiness and pride, their desire to go forward to where the candles and the roses are is obvious, but they don't have the courage, and neither do the grandparents, this time. Next time, probably, they will dare to take part.
"It is not only a question of suffering, as the painful mysteries teach it, but also of joy as the joyful mysteries show it."
"It is not only a question of suffering as the painful mysteries teach it, but also of joy as the joyful mysteries show it," expresses Father Kentenich in a talk of 1949. After a brief meditation, Gabriele Sudermann, a leader of the Professional Women’s branch, introduces the mysteries, praying then the Lord's Prayer together with a special petition. Thus, remain 53 Hail Marys - 53 possibilities of depositing happy moments and sufferings in the rosary. The first mystery is almost completely for babies: for babies close to being born and newborns, for premature babies and sick babies, for Maria de la Paz - granddaughter of Anna and Guillermo Echevarría, initiators of the Illumined Rosary -, a bright four-year-old suffering from a cerebral tumor; gratitude is expressed also for pregnancies. In the following mysteries there are petitions for work, for friends and sick relatives, for vocations, for light in a relatives' life, for the victims of the hurricane in Haiti, for the blessing of Schoenstatt Shrine in Nigeria, for World Youth Day, the visit of the Cross and the icon to Schoenstatt... It's impressive and goes on and on. A young seminarian from South Africa, for the first time in an Illuminated Rosary, struggles to maintain his composure having prayed loudly, looking closely at the picture of the Blessed Mother... A deep personal meeting takes place with Her, while the rosary of roses and lights is growing at the steps of the altar.
A "trilingual" rosary said in German, English and Spanish, but fundamentally said in the language of the heart, where all can understand what each one who goes forward to pray was saying in his or her heart, without understand the words. The gestures, the expressions, the tone of voice, said everything, speaking about the pain, the worry, the happiness, the gratitude, the expectation, before diverse moments and experiences of life.
Making the Church present in today's world
The Illuminated Rosary was a part of a day of reflection of the Professionals Women. Next year is the 10th anniversary of the "Dachau Shrine": as worldwide branch, the Women's League in 1995 promised to the Blessed Mother and Father Kentenich, to build the Dachau Shrine: one day in Dachau and, right now and each day, in daily life, where ever love, home, justice, dignity, happiness are missing… It is a promise and it records the fact that every "Dachau" can be transformed into a Shrine. It is, as they discovered after having studied in depth texts of the Father Kentenich on the new image of the Church, "to make the Church ... Schoenstatt ... present in the world". This is what happens with the Illuminated Rosary, when the needs, happy moments and sufferings of the daily life "enter" the Church! Father Kentenich says, "The motto is not therefore, ‘The people must go to Church’ bu instead ‘The Church must go to the people.’ Now then, who is the Church? I am the Church. There where I am and act as member of the Church, there the Church is present. We, you and I, each of us, we are here to make the Church present in this world. If the Church is not alive in me, the world out there that lives and acts as if in the middle of a stormy sea, will move away more and more from Christ. The salvation of the world depends on me. Me, as a living testimony of the Church in this world, Christ's living testimony."
How can we make the Church present in the world? "A singular way of doing it is through the Rosary Campaign," answers Inge, remembering that for two weeks already the Pilgrim Mother is visiting the restaurant Schützenhof, where the professional women often meet to eat. One of them simply dared to offer her Pilgrim MTA to the proprietor, who enthroned her solemnly in a place where all the visitors can greet her.
In a private hour in the Founder Chapel, the Professional Women expressed their gratitude for everything they have received as gift throughout these years since they promises to construct the Dachau Shrine.
Translation: Vera Gamez, Austin, Texas/ Paula Dudgeon, Minnesota, USA
Faith in the existing Schoenstatt
As a climax, on Sunday at 11 a.m., Father Ángel Strada gave a sermon during Mass, which summed up everything they had been discussing and showing them the various ways of faith. He spoke of the Catholic faith that one declares each week in the Creed, which is not enough to renew the church and the world from within. What is necessary to have is to have faith in God who is a person, who loves me and whom I love, who gives me my personal mission and the talents to carry it out. It is this faith that moves mountains. It is also a question, at a lower level, of the faith in Schoenstatt, but not only of a faith in the charisma of Schoenstatt, but a faith in Schoenstatt that really exists, with the limits of people and doors closed because of human limitations.
"In me the Church" - in my Schoenstatt - "has to be awake, has to be alive! The destiny of the Church, depends on the destiny of Christianity, the destiny of Catholicism" and the destiny of Schoenstatt depends on this