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P. Juan Pablo Catoggio, en el altar, Fiesta de Sión 2006 Fr. Juan Pablo Catoggio, at the altar, during the Sion Feast 2006 P. Juan Pablo Catoggio (am Altar), beim Sions-Fest 2006 |
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Fiesta de Sión 2006: 12° aniversario del Santuario de Sión en Florencio Varela, Argentina Sion Feast 2006: 12th anniversary of the Sion Shrine
in Florencio Varela, Sionsfest 2006: 12. Jahrestag des Sions-Heiligtums in Florencio Varela, Argentinien |
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Participaron unas 800 personas Some 800 people participated Gut 800 Personen kamen |
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Todos quieren ver a los futuros novicios All want to see the future novices Alle wollen die neuen Novizen sehen Fotos: Colombres © 2006 |
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Dear Friends:
The Shrine of Sion will be 12 years old, and to celebrate the occasion we gather once more as a Family. To celebrate means to be grateful. To be grateful one to another and for others…..to express what we carry in our hearts: How wonderful that you exist!.....How wonderful that we know each other!.....How wonderful that God has united us in friendship as a family! Celebrating is together thanking the Heavenly Father and our Mother and Queen for all we have received and what we continuously receive. The Shrine is a symbol of these innumerable gifts, it is a constant source of Grace. At the same time it is also a place of gratitude: to the generosity and gratitude of God corresponds the gratitude and fidelity of the children. Therefore, in the Shrine of Sion, the Magnificat can never cease to be sung.
Three new Fathers
In 2005, three new Schoenstatt Fathers were ordained to the priesthood: on June 25th, Fathers Andrés Rodríguez (Ballester) and Tomy Nin Mitchell (Buenos Aires) and on September 24th, Fr. Beltrán Gómez (Paraná). Fr. Tomy was in Santiago, Chile until the end of the year where he worked for the last two years in education at a Schoenstatt School and had his first priestly experiences. Fr. Andrés collaborated pastorally in a Córdoba parish and will continue in the same city at the affiliation of the Schoenstatt Fathers working with the youth. Fr. Beltrán does his pastoral practice in a parish in City Bell (La Plata) with a pastor who belongs to the Federation of Schoenstatt Diocesan Priests, Fr. Jorge González, and at this time is also advisor to the boys’ youth of the Movement. The area grows and is enriched with these three new brothers.
The miracle of vocations
While two of our major seminarians approach their goal – if God is willing, we will soon have two new deacons and in 2007, two new priests – seven completed the novitiate and this year begin their studies at the Major Seminary in Chile. Congratulations to them!
Another ten young men now enter the new novitiate course, six from Argentina: Juan LeVraux (Córdoba), Lucas García (Córdoba), Matías Clavijo (San Isidro), Federico Alustiza (Dairaux, Buenos Aires), Matías Vendrell (Buenos Aires) and Ignacio Siri (Mar del Plata), and four from Asunción, Paraguay: Manuel López Cristaldo, Guillermo Martínez, Gustavo González and Juan Carlos Vera. We are grateful for their generous yes and their generous openness to the call of God and we accompany them during this special time of novitiate.
Mary shows herself as Queen of vocation miracles as we Fathers have crowned her, trusting that She will take care of the needed vocations. To all of you who pray with us and for us and who decidedly support our novices and seminarians with your prayers and help, we are grateful from the bottom of our hearts. You know how important it is for us and for the entire Schoenstatt Family, the fulfillment of their mission in service to the Church. Thank you very much! Mary surely works miracles but "nothing without us."
The same mission, new tasks
There are several changes this year: the General Government of our community named a new Council for the next six years: along with me as regional superior, are councilors Frs. P. Antonio Cosp, Javier Arteaga and Cruz Viale. With this there are also other changes and some who were transferred.
A very important change is that of National Director of the Movement in Argentina: after 12 years of an enormous, creative and fruitful activity of Fr. Guillermo Carmona at the service of the Movement in Argentina, Fr. Javier Arteaga now assumes this heavy and important task. To Fr. Guillermo, our gratitude and recognition for all he did for our Argentine Schoenstatt Family during these many years of growth and expansion, to Fr. Javier, our support in his new task.
Sion in Rome
Our foundation in Rome will take a fundamental step this year. The two pioneers, Fr. Ludovico Tedeschi and Fr. Alberto Eronti have been there four years already. Through them, the presence of Schoenstatt in Rome and the contacts with many church circles and with other movements and communities has increased by participating in many encounters and events taking the charism of Fr. Kentenich. They have supported the existing Schoenstatt groups and have provided a new motivation of growth not only in Rome but also in other parts of Italy.
This year, the first official affiliation of the Schoenstatt Fathers in Rome will take place. Fr. Gerardo Carcar – half a year in Paraguay – will replace Fr. Alberto and two additional fathers will be added: Fr. Martín Gómez – until now in Córdoba – will do post graduate theological studies at the Gregorian University and will help with the youth of the Movement, and another young Chilean Father will also go to study. The four of them will form an affiliation and God willing, the diocese will give us a parish in the second half of this year with which we will have a house and a pastoral scope which will insert us into the Church of Rome. We entrust this special intention to you.
Mary of Nazareth School
"We are building the future." This instruction accompanies the development of the Mary of Nazareth School, an excellent project, promising and challenging which was started by a group of committed laity in Córdoba. With them, since the end of 2004, we Schoenstatt Fathers assume the school as the first School of the Schoenstatt Fathers in our region. The great task for the moment is the building of the school – until now we have rented a house on excellent donated land and very close to the Villa Warcalde Shrine. A huge challenge indeed, but "She will work miracles." We wagered on education because the future of our country depends on its future leaders. In Schoenstatt, with preference, we call Mary the "educatrix of the New Man and of the people." Fr. Marcelo Gallardo and Fr. Guillermo Carmona will especially accompany this project of high priority.
A family in many nations
Our community and our mission have a marked international character. Universality is something essential to our institute. We therefore value the exchange and the mutual help between the different regions. Last year, two seminarians from India did their pastoral practicum in the Movement: Serrín in Asunción (Paraguay) and Dhanabal in Córdoba (Argentina). At the same time, Fr. Deogratias Maruhukiro, the first Schoenstatt Father from Burundi (Central Africa), did a year of service with the Family Work in Paraguay where he earned a rich experience and the love of everyone.
In the meantime, our seminarian, Federico Piedrabuena, had an enriching experience in our seminary in Bangalore, India. He was there for almost a year, sharing the life of Schoenstatt in our land and learning a millennium culture which is fascinating and totally different. Fr. Kentenich fostered in us that universal apostolate proper to St. Paul: "cor Pauli cor mundi," the heart of Paul is the heart of the world.
Mary gives birth to Christ in our time
This central conviction of Fr. Kentenich which defines the mission of Schoenstatt, inspired Fr. José Pontes during several years in the meticulous elaboration of an artistic and meditative book on "María Grávida" which is rich in allusive texts and images. Congratulations, Fr. José!
The conviction of the mission of Mary in our time is the soul of all the apostolate in Schoenstatt. Our Movement sees itself as "work and instrument of Mary for the religious and moral renewal of the world in Christ," and this mission is wagered on here and now. Only one example: this Summer, in Argentina there were four missions for youths and three missions for Schoenstatt families in different parts of the country: Buenos Aires, Entre Ríos, Santa Fe, Catamarca, Córdoba and Mendoza; and summer camps for boys’ and girls’ youths. In these diverse events, more than 1,000 youths participated. "Mary, make us more like you and help us walk through life as you did….walk in us through our world, make it ready for the Lord."
We are on the way toward the bicentennial of the births of our countries of Paraguay (2011) and Argentina (2010), This calls us and commits us to be "fathers of the nation" in this new era of history to build the new country as a land of Mary. On that horizon we want to undertake all our activities, wager on life and education, on the youth and on the family. Thus is the Kingdom constructed, there is the future. We will do it together, you and we. Together with Mary. Thank you for celebrating with us the Shrine of Sion. With my love and blessing, in the name of all of the Fathers of our Region, yours,
Fr. Juan Pablo Catoggio
Regional Superior
Sion of the Father
Florencio Varela
'February 26, 2006
The course "Verbum Patris"
From January 22nd to February 4th of 2006, the seven members of the Verbum Patris course met at Sion of the Father. They are united by a long history which includes the novitiate in Chile and philosophy studies in Brazil. On March 30, 1966, Father Kentenich gathered them in Germany and spoke to them of their future task. On the 17th of June of that same year they consecrated themselves to the Blessed Mother through our Father and Founder who with his blessing constituted them forever as a course. The eight students were ordained between 1971 and 1972. The first to depart was Esteban Uriburu whom the Founder had named the "Columbus of America;" and through those smiles from Heaven was called the 12th of October (in the year 1998).
The Fathers who reside in Latin America have the custom of sharing in January some vacation time and a course meeting. Every ten years they gather for a tertiary; the last one consisted in a long pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
The tertiary is a time of renewal – to look back and to look forward – to assume the challenge of the signs of the times and the voices of the soul. The ideal enlightens and gives criteria. A Father from this course defined those weeks in the following way: "It was an interior rebirth, vibrating for the ideal which always gives wings to the prophetic Word of the Father. The attitude of the Blessed Mother – to receive, to embody and to transmit the message of Christ – and the actuality of Father’s charism stimulates us. The saints are the answers from above and the questions from below."
The symbol of the course is the "Christ Verbum Patris" which can be found in the Shrine of the Fathers or in the house chapel. If you go through the park you will see a forest of nine Oak trees: each one planted his own tree and the ninth one belongs to the Founder. This great gesture contains a secret desire: to grow like an Oak and together form a good forest. The symbol continues alive today…..
Testimony of Fr. Deogratias
My stay in Paraguay was really a blessing from God for me. There are three experiences for me which are really important:
- The welcome. I never felt as a stranger in Paraguay, with each family I visited I always felt as if it were my family. I was never homesick for my family because I found a family there. All of this was possible through the work with the families. I was especially impressed by the surrender and the commitment of the Paraguayan Schoenstatt Family.
- The experience of family missions. The family missions were an opportunity to know and work with youths and families as missionaries. It was a time for experiencing the presence of Jesus which acts through us.
- The blessings of Home Shrines and homes. I had rich and unforgettable experiences with the blessing of Home Shrines and at times the blessing of homes. How beautiful to see the whole family united in this event! How gratifying to see and to experience conversions and the small miracles the Blessed Mother performs! I will never forget that almost 7 year old child who after the blessing of the Home Shrine in his home told me:"Now I am going to be a saint more than ever!"
Fr. Deo
Translation Carlos Cantú Family Federation La Feria, Texas USA