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Una señora rezando en polaco
A young woman praying in Polish
Eine junge Frau betet in Polnisch |
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„Dios de salve Maria...“
„Hail Mary, full of grace...“
“Gegrüßet seist du, Maria...“ |
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Jovenes de Argentina, a cargo de las meditaciones
y canciones
Youth from Argentina,
in charge for the meditations and songs
Jugendliche aus Argentinien bereiteten die Meditationen
vor und gestalteten den Rosenkranz musikalisch |
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„Jesus Christ, you are my life…”
„Jesus Christ, you are my life…”
„Jesus Christ, you are my life…” |
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María, dales serenidad y confianza a los que sufren
en New Orleáns...
Mary, give tranquility and confidence to those suffering
in New Orleans…
Maria, gib den Menschen in New Orleans Vertrauen und
Frieden...
Fotos: POS Fischer © 2005 |
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SCHOENSTATT, mkf. "Inés, That is so beautiful that it brings
even more tears to my already weeping eyes.Thanks so much for passing
that on to me. I will tell my family," writes Cathie Eustis a resident
– or better said, evacuee – from New Orleans. She writes this to her friend
Inés Monsegur from Buenos Aires. "This" is referring to the news
regarding the Illuminated Rosary which was prayed last Saturday in Schoenstatt
for the victims of the hurricane in New Orleans, Biloxi, Waveland, Gulfport,
Mobile….. This was the fruit of a spontaneous decision to offer the Rosary
especially for the victims of the hurricane – in addition to offering
it, it had been planned beforehand in thanksgiving for WYD. The meditations
which were prepared by youths from Argentina combined the joyful mysteries
of the Rosary with WYD experiences. Providentially, they helped in an
extraordinary way to give light to the happenings in New Orleans.
What if we all pray together for the people in New Orleans? This was
proposed by Inés Monsegur via email on Friday afternoon. "I know
the Eustis family which, thanks be to God, went to Houston with their
whole family which included brothers, sisters, mother, children, nieces
and nephews. Today I received an email letting me know that they are fine
but very sad because of all that is happening there. Additionally they
have not had news from some of their friends, it is total uncertainty…..they
do not know what is left of their homes." Upon learning about the Illuminated
Rosary, she was able to send the news to her friends -- therefore, those
who gathered on Saturday at 3:00 PM at the Adoration Church for the Illuminated
Rosary were made aware that at least one family from New Orleans knew
of this Rosary….. "It is incredible how everything came about. I have
no words to describe this Rosary. It was just something simply marvellous,"
comments Birgit Brommel from the Professional Women’s Branch. Along with
some girls from Argentina, she and two companions from her Branch prepared
the Rosary that day. At the beginning, Carolina from Córdoba, Argentina
and Martina from Meerbusch, Germany took the Auxiliary Shrine to the altar
so that She could preside at this Rosary prayed in Spanish, German, Portuguese,
and Polish. The Auxiliary Shrine had recently returned from the encounter
with the Pope and the youths from throughout the world at Mary’s Camp.
Each of us there felt blessed among these youths…..
The girls from Argentina accompanied the Rosary with songs which had
been sung many times throughout the month of August in Schoenstatt. In
the meantime, the expressions of gratitude, the petitions, the worries,
the sufferings, the anxieties, the joys, all reflected in the roses and
candles after each Hail Mary slowly began to form a beautiful crown of
roses in the Adoration Church. In spite of two articles published in different
regional daily newspapers, some 40 posters distributed in Vallendar and
Schoenstatt Houses, an article on the schoenstatt.de and a great deal
of propaganda, not many people from the area or from the pilgrimages and
meetings in Schoenstatt attended. Without a doubt, not only was it the
most youthful Illuminated Rosary which was ever prayed in Schoenstatt
with young people from Argentina, Ecuador, Brazil, Germany, and Chile
present, but it was also one of the most intense and most moving Rosaries
ever prayed in Schoenstatt. The Rosary was prayed for the anniversary
of the wayside shrine in Ituzaingó, Argentina, for the procession
from La Plata to New Schoenstatt, for the victims of the fires in Portugal,
for the victims of the flooding in the Alps and Baviera, for a friend
who is about to get married, for friends and others who are unemployed,
for sick relatives….. and not only the youths but some ladies from Koblenz
also expressed gratitude for the WYD experiences. "May the joy of faith
which was transmitted by the youths remain in us." "During the encounter
we received many messages from different angles: a friend, someone from
another country, an image, a song," was the meditation which introduced
the first mystery….. during the encounter there was always the possibility
to be helpful, to be of service, like Mary with Elizabeth. Inasmuch, each
one of us who attended felt we were blessed among the youths who were
not able to attend and thus we also said our Magnificat because the Lord
did marvellous things in each one of us," this was the inviting reflection
of the second mystery. "As in Bethlehem, during the encounter, Jesus was
born in each of our hearts – being before Him in the Bread – we offered
ourselves as we are and with what we have, we then exclaimed: We have
come to Adore Him!" Connected to the third mystery: "During those encounter
days we were on fire to offer to Jesus all those persons from our place
of origin who are in need of Him….." During the fifth mystery they asked
themselves: "How many times during the encounter did we feel lost? How
many times did the multitude, the trips, the heat, keep us from finding
ourselves?" evoking with these words in the memory and in the hearts of
all the thought of New Orleans. This is a reality much more difficult
and much harder which is being experienced there today….. "How often did
Mary take care that we would find God reduced to a piece of bread, opening
up to us the doors of the Churches, and bringing us closer to her maternal
hearts?" Yes, Mother. Take care of all those who suffer, take care of
all those who feel lost or find themselves displaced and be present in
the heroes who are always ready to help…..
I can only say that it was something extraordinary
One of the most intense moments during the Rosary was when a woman from
Poland came up to pray her Hail Mary in Polish. She had arrived late with
a group which obviously was not aware of the Rosary. After a while she
"learned" how the Rosary was being prayed and she offered her Hail Mary
for Blessed Mother’s crown…..
At the end of this moment of prayer, all were invited to consecrate themselves
to the Blessed Mother and to also consecrate all those who had been named
in the Rosary. Also, all who had prayed the Rosary were offered to take
a rose to their homes. This was an offering which was a united and "radical"
response – magically, almost all of the roses disappeared. Meanwhile,
a lady from Koblenz asked for a guitar and sang: "Jesus, You are my life,"
which was accompanied with the clapping of hands by all of the youths
present…..
"I do not know how to describe it," said Birgit. "I only know that it
was something extraordinary."
Translation: Carlos Cantu, LaFeria, TX, USA
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