John Paul II, alive in the hearts of his Schoenstatt children

Rosary for John Paul II in the Original Shrine – united to the faithful who were praying it at St. Peter’s

Canción inicial en el Santuario Original Opening Song at the Original Shrine Lied zum Beginn am Urheiligtum
Unos 150 personas, entre ellos unos 45 peregrinos de Argentina, se reunieron en el Santuario Original Some 150 people, among them some 45 pilgrims from Argentina, gathered by the Original Shrine Gut 150 Personen, darunter 45 Pilger aus Argentinien, versammelten sich am Urheiligtum
Momentos de oración y agradecimiento Moments of prayer and thanskgiving Eine Zeit intensiven Gebets und Dankes
Olenka Hand, Austin, USA, rezando el segundo misterio en inglés Olenka Hand, Austin, USA, praying the second mystery in English Olenka Hand, Austin, USA, betet das zweite Gesätz in Englisch
Jovenes repartieron estampitas con la foto de Juan Pablo II Youth sharing cards with the photo of John Paul II Jugendliche teilen Kärtchen mit dem Bild von Johannes Paul II aus. Fotos: POS Fischer © 2006

SCHOENSTATT, mkf. There is a small holy card on the altar resting on the door of the Tabernacle that shows John Paul II in the Shrine of Koszalin, Poland A man who is kneeling at the last pew looks at this watch very often. Silvia Losada, de Tucuman, Argentina, is in deep prayer. Surely, she is reliving those moments of the 9^th of September 2004 when she approached him with the Auxiliary of the Rosary Campaign, which is presently in the Original Shrine that Auxiliary that John Paul II blessed in Buenos Aires in 1987, and that returned to greet him in his last encounter with the Schoenstatt Family. Ale Valls, from the Boys’ Youth from Buenos Aires, plays the guitar, while he sings and sings for him...It is 9:37 p.m., the hour that John Paul II died, the time that his successor, Pope Benedict XVI, invites the 100,000 faithful congregated at St. Peter’s Square " to again take up the spiritual inheritance that he left us; to live untiringly seeking the Truth that fills our heart. We are called to not be afraid to follow Christ, to announce the Gospel to everyone".

Minutes before 8:00 p.m. the Original Shrine was filled with people, and a little later the square in front of the shrine was also full . More than 40 pilgrims from Argentina – who arrived the day before from Holy Land -; youths from Bolivia, Ecuador, United States, Poland, and Germany; priests, Sisters of Mary, members of the Institute of Our Lady of Schoenstatt, of the Women’s Federation, couples, as well as faithful from the surrounding area, congregated in the Original Shrine in grateful memory of John Paul II, celebrating the anniversary of his death with all the Church. Spiritually united to the faithful in St. Peter’s and to all who were praying the Holy Rosary at that time, especially in the Schoenstatt Shrines in Aulendorf and Herxheim, and at the Wayside Shrine in Goya, Corrientes, they also prayed the Holy Rosary. "Many will unite with the prayer of the Holy Rosary at 8:30 in the Original Shrine. We will unite the beads in memory of the Holy Father. Today, through the radio we invited the people to pray the rosary. Taking into consider the time difference, we will be with you", wrote Intes Petiti. "I will unite myself to Schoenstatt in prayer for him", transmitted Georgina Teresa Trujuillo, from Mexico, just as many others did.

Recalling his words to the Schoenstatt Family

Tonight, the Glorious Mysteries were prayed in Schoenstatt just as in Rome, and just as on the night of the 2 April 2005. Marta Scarponi, from Santa Fe, Argentina; Olenk Hand, from Austin, USA, and Alice Kowanz, from Stuttgart, Germany, took turns reading phrases from the talk of John Paul II to the Schoenstatt Family on the 9 September 2004 in Spanish, English and German respectively. The mysteries were also prayed in Spanish, English, Polish, and German. Ale Valls accompanied the rosary with the guitar and songs, creating a climate of meditation. In spite of the nervousness caused by the lack of light which caused some mistakes, the most important thing was to pray in communion with the thousands of people in Rome, with Pope Benedict XVI, with and as a Schoenstatt Family, in the Original Shrine. At the end of the rosary, Father Rudolf Liebig and Father Egon Zillekins, along with all the priests who were present, imparted the blessing. While everyone sang - For the next hundred years –"Together we will travel the road toward the light, we will walk in darkness…"some of the youth distributed postcards with the photo of John Paul II. It was perhaps the delicate way of receiving this photo that expressed the deep sentiments that were in the hearts that night in the Original Shrine.

He continues to live in the hearts of everyone

Many sentiments were awakened in our midst upon recalling the departure of the beloved John Paul. Yearning, sadness, some tears, sorrow, but above all a great hope: the hope of knowing that even in the midst of the difficult world in which we must presently live, a light guides us and shows us the way, just as he did in life during the long years that we had the grace of sharing with him. It is true, John Paul II has gone, he is not longer among us, we not longer hear his warm voice nor do we enjoy his paternal gestures. But he continues to live in the hearts of everyone, believers and non-believers, alive in his interventions from heaven, alive in his teachings, his words, his attitudes, that convoke us to follow and imitate him, just as the Holy Father Benedict expressed. It is not easy to replace a great one like him, but if each one of us makes the effort to imitate some trait of his, surely his presence will be even stronger, and the world will become much more fraternal and in solidarity.

• Video
• Audio of the Rosary
• Photos
• Photos of the pilgrimage from Argentina