I want to be a star in the manger of Jesus

Hundreds of stars are arriving in Schoenstatt speak to Jesus and his Mother of joy, confidence, hope and of faith

Santuario de La Loma, Paraná: entender el pesebre Shrine in La Loma, Paraná: understanding the manger Heiligtum in La Loma, Paraná: Begegnung an der Krippe Foto: Ríos © 2005
En la capilla en Salto de Cristo Rey, Brasil In the chapel in Salto de Cristo Rey, Brazil In der Kapelle in Salto de Cristo Rey, Brasilien Foto: Sinhorini © 2005
Día 18 en Mar del Plata, Argentina Covenant Day in Mar del Plata, Argentina Bündnistag in Mar del Plata, Argentina
Piedra de José Engling en Mar del Plata, bendecida el 18 de diciembre Joseph Engling stone in Mar del Plata, blessed on December 18 Josef-Engling-Stein in Mar del Plata, am 18.12. eingeweiht Foto: Frías © 2005
Fuego en la nieve, en Schoenstatt Fire in the snow, in Schoenstatt In Schönstatt fielen Schneeflocken ins Feuer Foto: POS Fischer © 2005
Mi estrella en el pesebre, en el Santuario Original My star in the Original Shrine, designed by Paul Jentz Mein Stern an der Krippe, im Urheiligtum Foto: Jentz © 2005

SCHOENSTATT-INTERNATIONAL, MKF. "I want to be a star in your manger, Jesus", reads one of the 269 emails that have arrived to date. The emails contain the names of loved ones or friends, acquaintances, colleagues at work… They come from Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Brazil, Panama, El Salvador, Germany, Austria, Switzer, United States, Uruguay, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Italia, Spain, Puerto Rico, Paraguay, Costa Rica... "May my name be a star in our Bethlehem", writes another, and Maria, from the Mothers Branch from Tandil, Argentina, adds after writing a long list of names: "There are so many names, but if there is space for them in my heart, they will also fit on a star."

On the 17^th, one person sent the name of a German archaeologist, Susanne Ostheimer, who had been kidnapped in Iraq for several weeks. The person asked that her name be placed on a star for her liberation. The night of the 18^th after the Covenant celebration in Schoenstatt, all the TV channels and radio stations announced the news: She has been freed, she is alive! Now many stars appear with the name of Felipe Arizu, 23 years old, son of a couple of the Family Federation in Spain: "We ask that you place a star in Bethlehem for Felipe Arizu, a young man from the Boys’ Youth who had an accident last Thursday and is in a coma. He was going to seal his Covenant on Friday, December 16th", wrote Mar Diez Leon. "A web site has been created asking for prayers for Felipe Arizu". www.cadenaoracion.com And there is a "star" asking for healing of a family breaking apart as they cannot cope with the sexual abuse that her daughter suffered from someone they all trusted…

Preparing for Christmas

All of Schoenstatt is preparing to celebrate Christmas: every afternoon the Adoration Sisters sing the "Christmas Novena", with the traditional antiphons, many people participate. Christmas trees and mangers can already be seen…In a few days we will celebrate the 40^th Anniversary of what many in Schoenstatt know as our "Miracle of the Holy Night": Father Kentenich’s return to the Original Shrine after 14 years of exile. He came from Rome to offer the Church the unconditional collaboration of Schoenstatt in the way marked by the Holy Spirit through the Council. As has been communicated earlier, the Schoenstatt Family will gather in the Original Shrine on the afternoon of the 24^th, to thank the Blessed Mother for all her gifts and to offer ourselves to carry out Father’s mission. On the 7^th of January 2006, the Sisters of Mary invite everyone to unite with them in their traditional Christmas celebration to recall the marvels that God worked in 1965.

Mary, ally of the Trinity in the Miracle of the Holy Night

The last Covenant Day of the year, the 18^th of December, always has a touch of Christmas. At daybreak Schoenstatt had some heaps of snow, when we gathered around the fire where the papers with the Capital of Grace were burned –gathered in the different

Schoenstatt Shrines – more snow fell, to the joy and complete surprise of some young men from Texas, Brazil and Ecuador, who had never seen snow! The Original Shrine was visited by many pilgrims throughout the day, among them, 70 were "very" young:

The girls from the Girls’ Youth and the Apostles of Mary from the Diocese of Trier celebrated their Christmas party here, some of the participants were only 8 years old! There was also a group of about 55 mothers, from the Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart, who were participating in a retreat – before the typical rush of the Christmas season, they always take the opportunity of spending a tranquil weekend in Schoenstatt. "It is my Christmas, said several persons who had done everything possible to be in Schoenstatt during this time. The Covenant celebration was held in the afternoon in the Adoration Church with a young and international congregation, which does not happen often- of the approximately 60 persons, there were 20 Latin American young men and other youth from Hungary, the Philippines and India. Father Penners poke of Mary as an Ally of God the Father, of Jesus and of the Holy Spirit, in the Miracle of Christmas more than 2,000 years ago. (Video)

Time of the "Living Mangers"

In the Schoenstatt Shrines and wayside shrines it is the time for the living mangers! In La Plata, Argentina, the little missionaries of the Campaign held it on the 19^th of December with great enthusiasm, it was also done in Mar del Plata, Argentina. "It could be said that this 18^th of December, in the Shrine of Nuevas Playas, of Mar del Plata, there was a little bit of everything. A group of the Girls’ Youth, the Bearers of Joy, began by sealing the Filial Covenant with Father Kentenich. After 10 years of our group, it was time to commit ourselves with Father Kentenich’s mission and with that of all the Schoenstatt Family. It was a beautiful moment, it was beautiful and simple. There were 6 of us accompanied by our sponsor, our most intimate friends, our family and Father Martina Gomez", Maria Frias relates. She spent some weeks in Schoenstatt after World Youth Day. "After this, we had a Christmas celebration, with the children of the Mary’s Home and of Queen Mary (two Schoenstatt apostolic centers of Mar del Plata). It was a beautiful living manger, with a very nice Baby Jesus who greeted and applauded!! We had the opportunity to share refreshments and to distribute Christmas bags to the most needy.

The Mass was very well attended, since it was the last one to be celebrated here with Father Martin (the Assessor of the Boys’ Youth), who is departing for Rome to study. And finally, after some postponements, the Joseph Engling stone was blessed, so that everyone who visits our Shrine will have a light, which will lead the way. Additionally,

the pioneer berets were distributed, Covenants of Love were sealed, there was commissioning of Pilgrim MTA’s…nothing was left out! And on the return home, far from the Homeland, I felt that I was so close to the Original Shrine…We even have a Joseph Engling stone! I hope that this Covenant of Love Day was full of graces for all the International Family, and from here, I ask the Blessed Mother to prepare our hearts for the arrival of God in diapers."

Come in… it is YOU!

"We had a beautiful Covenant Sunday this Advent in Minnesota", shares Mary Lou Hubly. "The children and adults went shelter seeking and on such a clear, cold day all walked in procession seeking shelter for the little Christchild. When we reached the door of the house in Sleepy Eye, the children all knocked for him asking to be let in out of the cold. The sisters sang a beautiful little innkeepers song telling the children first "no..don’t bother me..go away". But knock, knock, knock some more. Again, came a firm "no..there is not room." But without hesitation, even louder ‘knock, knock, knock’ and with a warm and happy realization the sisters could sing "Come in…it is YOU!" The children loved knocking and the sisters loved letting them in (it was very hard for them to sing go away in the beginning!)

In Salto de Cristo Rey in Brazil, where the parish has a chapel with beautiful pictures of the Blessed Mother, on the 18^th of December "we renewed the Covenant of Love with the Blessed Mother, thanks to God. We were around the Blessed Mother and then we went out into the streets in procession. It was very good to celebrate this Holy Mass in honor of the Mother Thrice Admirable of Schoenstatt:, said Carlos and Edvania Maria Sinhorini.

"In the Mass today, the 18^th, Covenant Day, we prayed for Father Kentenich’s beatification and we thanked the Blessed Mother for all the graces we received during the year. We also prayed for the families that the 5 Pilgrim MTA’s visit in this town. We need more missionaries, there are many more people who want to receive the Pilgrim MTA, but we have none. We also need prayers so that we can inaugurate the first wayside shrine in this place", comments Elisa Lasalle from Villa General Belgrano, Argentina.

"Celebrating Christmas with Father Kentenich"

The "Friends of Father Kentenich Secretariat" in the Shrine of La Loma, Parana, along with their assessor Sister M. Sofia prepared a workshop waiting for Christmas. "We worked with each figure of the manger along with the pilgrims, in light of the gospel and with the guidance of our founders; words so that each one could grasp a teaching for their personal life,: says Tita Rios. "Then we went in procession to the Shrine and the figures of the manger were placed close to the altar, guided in meditation and prayer by our assessor offering everything and our commitment to the Blessed Mother. Father Damian Batauz accompanied us in the Mass and the little stars with petitions were burned at Father’s Ranchito. The celebration ended in the park close to the Shrine with a cake. Father’s friends, Mirian and Ricardo Ormello distributed cookies in the shape of the Shrine."

There are only a few days until Christmas. In Buenos Aires and La Plata, the youth of the Movement will go out into the streets on Christmas Eve to take the Good News of Christmas to everyone. In Schoenstatt, everything is being prepared to again receive the thousands and thousands of children and adults during the already traditional "Ten Minutes by the Crib".. where many experience a profound encounter of Christmas, more profound than the gifts, lights and celebrations: the great gift of the love of God: his Son, who takes us to the Father. Last Year, around 10,000 person had the grace to experience what began in 1997, and which is the main motivation of the "Ten Minutes by the Crib…". that everyone may experience through the "stars", prayers and the desire to be attached to the Original Shrine, our Bethlehem.

• Videos from the Christmas activities in Schoenstatt will be made available at: schoenstattblog.blogspot.com
• Video December 18 in Schoenstatt
• Photos 18^th of December in Schoenstatt
• Photos Cristo Rei de Salto
• Photos 18^th of December in Parana, Mar del Plata, La Plata

Translation: Celina M Garza, Harlingen/TX, USA