To Be At Home

Schoenstatt welcomed the first international pilgrimage of the year

Rumbo al Santuario Original, sin equipaje... como verdaderos peregrinos To the Original Shrine, without heavy luggage, like true pilgrims Auf dem Weg zum Urheiligtum, ohne schweres Gepäck – wahre Pilger
Alianza de Amor Covenant of Love Liebesbündnis Foto: Losada © 2006
En el banco del Padre Where Father Kentenich sat... Auf der Bank von Pater Kentenich Foto: Lara Marañon © 2006
Misa en el Santuario Original Mass in the Original Shrine Messe im Urheiligtum
Sorteo The winners of the lottery Die Gewinner der Lotterie Fotos: POS Fischer © 2006 Albúm de fotos – photo album – Fotoalbum Áudio: Misa de Alianza en el Santuario Original Video: Canta Nigeria Ver tambien: Rosario en memoria de Juan Pablo II

SCHOENSTATT, Maria del Rosario Lara Marañon. The Argentineans arrived at Schoenstatt after intense travel through the Holy Land!!! They were a little tired, very excited, and others were excited. "We are home"…were the words that summarized the whirlwind sensation of overflowing affection they felt when they encountered the Blessed Mother in the Original Shrine… it was just what they needed…a moment of encounter, of pouring out, and of peace to "recharge their batteries" before flying back to their country of the tango and the "mate" herb.

They arrived at Schoenstatt… "The great small city of loyalty and confidence in Mary" that is how Maria Julia Dolfato de Mari chooses to describe Schoenstatt. Schoenstatt is a place that impacted more than one of them because of it’s cleanliness, it’s order, and it’s beauty, because with the Blessed Mother’s love as the driving force, everything is more beautiful, to put it another way, the spirit of Schoenstatt is to accommodate and serve, and it is immediately evident. "I was treated warmly, the beauty of the landscape, and the enormous strength in the work that is undertaken….are a caresses to the soul". Those were the words of Lorenzo Bebe Graci who undertook this trip along with Elida. Both are geographers, from Patagonia, Argentina. Patagonia is a city located in the interior region of Argentina. There is more to that country than just Buenos Aires!

Each one in their own way, with the freedom and familiarity that is felt when you are at home, began to organize their time in order to experience and express their gratitude for being so close to God. They also bought little gifts for their loved ones who were awaiting them in Argentina. (Doesn’t knowing that someone is awaiting our return remind us also of God and how close he is to us?) Without wasting time, they punctually boarded the micro-bus for a trip to Trier, where besides visiting "little Italy", and spending their last Euros on gifts, they had the blessing of enjoying an abundant and tasty lunch on porcelain dishes, prepared and served by the Sisters of the Shrine of this city.

A group that was on pilgrimage

For some it was the first time that they experienced the Original Shrine, walked through the forest, or sat in the same pew in which Father Joseph Kentenich sat to meditate or visited his tomb. For others, to arrive here, was to return to the home that they yearned for so much, and that in many cases, as with our beloved Marta, from Santa Fe, they never imagined that they would return. "It opened my heart" said Susan Castro, a marketing specialist, who had the great joy of sealing her Membership in the Original Shrine.

What is true, is that all these unique people, with very unlike histories, who did not know each other at the beginning, had been transformed into a group that was on pilgrimage, and as a "group" this would be the first and last time that they would feel so close. Who could have imagined that they would sing to the rhythm of the guitar of Alejandro Valls from the Boys’ Youth of Buenos Aires, that they would share a meal with Nigerian friends, and Ana’s birthday, and they never imagined that on the first night they would use T-Shirts that were left over from the World Youth Day (an ingenious idea of Sister Lisann and Sister Maria Julia as a result of the unfortunate loss of twenty suitcases).

What do you take home?

As Father Pablo Poi would say in the homily during the closing Mass (perhaps to express the melancholic tone that is so liked by those from Rio de Plata)… "It is not an experience that ended, if we cultivate what we have experienced, everything will be alive in each one of us, day by day, in our daily lives".

"What are you taking home to your daily life?" Elsa tells, "I take the resolution to maintain the joy that goes beyond the difficulties, the value of a family, and the warmth of a home". By the way, do you have all your suitcases?

Some Tips:

The suitcases…

Nothing , not even the loss of twenty suitcases on the IBERIA flight in Madrid (that was the cause of many phone calls, and additional arrangements until most of them arrived) nothing kept this, the first pilgrimage of the year in Schoenstatt, from being an experience of transformation; of learning about the places and times that formed the Movement; and also detachment…or else how else could you explain that after the group left a forgotten suitcase was found in one of the rooms???

The 30 Years

That is how many years of marriage Mr. and Mrs. Mattar celebrated, along with their daughter, on their trip to Schoenstatt. How did they celebrate it? After renewing their marriage vows, Mabel chose to give her family a day that was free of her expressive and witty charm, which is filled with loving (and abundant) words. She departed on pilgrimage alone to the Metternich Shrine.

Specialized tourist guide

On their trip to Trier, the Argentineans not only enjoyed a refined and traditional lunch in the "Glorificatio Pataris" Shrine, but they also were honored to have Sister Irmengild, who was born in Trier, as a specialized tourist guide. She had an incredible bag full of information that astonished many.

The raffle

There was a drawing at the end of the pilgrimage. The entries were all of the testimonies that were turned into the team at the Press Office. Jose Bonorino was the winner of the outstanding prize and the rest of the entrants won an article full of life!

Translation: Celina M Garza, Harlingen, TX, USA / Christi Jentz, Milwaukee