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Afonso Wosny (der.) con un grupo de señoras en el Santuario de Bangalore Afonso Wosny (left) with a group of ladies at the Schoenstatt Shrine in Bangalore Afonso Wosny (re.) mit Frauen vor dem Heiligtum in Bangalore |
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Oración en el Santuario; al costado, la imagen de la MTA que pueden tocar... Prayer in the Shrine; at the side, the MTA picture that can be touched Gebet im Heiligtum; auf der Seite das MTA-Bild zum Anfassen |
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Unas de las señoras son misioneras de la Virgen Peregrina Some of the ladies are missionaries of the the Pilgrim MTA Einige der Frauen sind Missionarinnen der Pilgernden Gottesmutter |
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Schoenstatt crece en India Schoenstatt is growing in India Schönstatt wächst in Indien Fotos: Wosny © 2005 |
BANALORE, Afonso Wosny Filho. It is a day of a normal week and many voices are heard from outside the Shrine of the Father Kentenich Major Seminary in Bangalore, India. Several ladies from the same parish have come to the Shrine to pray and to spend the day with the Blessed Mother, some of them are coordinators for the Pilgrim MTA Shrine, others receive the Pilgrim Shrine and they feel united to the Shrine, and others do not know anything about Schoenstatt, but they are loyal daughters of the Blessed Mother. Since I belong to the same parish they do and I do apostolic work, I approached to greet them and to take some photos.
I was impressed by the faith and devotion that they demonstrated as they prayed. Several cover their head with colorful saris as a sign of respect for being in the presence of God and all of them without exception enter the Shrine barefooted, also as a sign of respect for a holy place, according to the custom that exists in India. The Shrine does not have pews and they pray sitting on the floor, it was a gesture that made me think about the beauty of the inculturalization of Schoenstatt. The picture of the Blessed Mother is above the altar of the Shrine, there is also a statue of the Resurrected Christ. Floral garlands of jasmine, roses and other beautiful flowers are hanging from the side:of the altar another sign of devotion that is customary in a supernatural place.
She is the great missionary
I join them in praying the Holy Rosary and I notice that some of them are holding a little prayer book with the picture of the Blessed Mother written in the Indian language in their hands. I think: truly the Blessed Mother is quicker than anyone of us and she goes to the most diverse homes and cultures that anyone could imagine. The prayers are said in three different languages: one decade of the rosary is prayed in Englilsh, another in Tamil ( the language of southern India that is spoken by many people in Bangalore) and another in Kannada (the local language in Bangalore along with English) and so they continue....
On another occasion, I went to the Shrine and I met some youth praying and there was another garland of flowers, but this time it was on the picture of Father Joseph Kentenich that is kept in the Shrine. All of a sudden, a young man approached the pictures of the Blessed Mother, Father Kentenich and the statue of the Resurrected Christ and he touched each one three times. Then the young man also touched his face three times: without speaking aloud, surely he was saying the consecration prayer, his gestures were saying: I consecrate my eyes, my ears, my tongue...
The 18th of each month are days of encounter and prayer with the family
On the 18th of each month, the community of the Father Kentenich Major Seminary joins the community of the Sisters of Mary of Bangalore and the pilgrims that come for Holy Mass and they all celebrate Covenant Day in the Shrine of the Sisters, which is some minutes away from the seminary Shrine. At the end of the Mass they burn the contributions to the Capital of Grace and everyone renews the Covenant of Love, that surely, will conquer more and more hearts in this land of people who are profoundly religious and open to the world of God.
During the Year of the Eucharist, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on Sundays
Every Sunday afternoon there is a group of families who go on pilgrimage to the Shrine to participate in a time of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, organized by the novices of the Schoenstatt Fathers. After an hour of prayer, they gather in front of the Shrine to converse and to share how their week went. In this manner, without a doubt, they will begin the new week with renewed energy.
Translation: Celina M. Garza, Harlingen, TX, USA