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Andrea Riccardi, Fundador de Sant’Egidio, en su intervención
Andrea Riccardi, Founder of Sant’Egidio, in his statement
Statement: Andrea Ricardi, Sant Egidio |
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Los Fundadores y Representantes de los Movimientos
están al lado del Papa
Founders and Representatives of the Movements at the
side of the Pope
Die Verantwortlichen der Bewegungen sitzen in unmittelbarer
Nähe zum Hl. Vater |
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Homilia del Santo Padre
Speech of the Holy Father
Papst Benedikt XVI bei seiner Ansprache |
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P. Michael Marmann: petición
Fr. Michael Marmann: petition
Pater Michael Johannes Marmann, Schönstatt, trägt
eine Fürbitte vor
Fotos: POS Fischer © 2006 |
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Muy cerca del Santo Padre: la Tercera Auxiliar Internacionalde
la Campaña
Very close to the Holy Father: The third Internacional
Auxiliary of the Campaign
Ganz nah beim Heiligen Vater: die dritte Internationale
Auxiliar der Kampagne |
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Peregrinos de Schoenstatt en plena alegria
Schoenstatt pilgrims in mere joy
Schönstattpilger im Glück
Fotos: Santos © 2006 |
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Libro de la Vigilia de Pentecostés
Booklet of the Pentecost Vigil
Textbuch der Pfingstvigil |
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de fotos |
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ROME 06, mkf. Born from the thirst for true life, the Movements are
and will become more and more a school of true freedom, a walking with
unity in the spirit, unity in the plurality of the charismas, called to
a mission for the world: in the longest talk of his pontificate and with
the largest number of people gathered at St. Peter’s since he assumed
his post, Benedict XVI has called the Movements and the New Communities
of the Church to be bearers of the good news to all men and to all nations,
this being the missionary commitment of collaborators of the universal
apostolic ministry of the Pope, opening doors for Christ to be builders
of a civilization of love. In a Vigil profoundly marked by prayer and
reflection, the Holy Father along with almost half a million faithful,
asked the Blessed Mother to implore a new Pentecost for the Church, in
freedom and unity.
Some 350,000 people had registered, it is estimated that almost 500,000
arrived at St. Peter’s on the eve of Pentecost 2006. A cool, strong wind
made the people gathered at St. Peter’s, the Via Conziliazione and the
streets surrounding St. Peter’s tremble, especially at the end – this
caused them to come even closer together and then to leave hurriedly –like
the first Pentecost. A symbol for what this Vigil of Movements wanted
to be: to make every one and each Movement to tremble with the vocation
to live and to announce the beauty of being a Christian, in unity and
with a missionary attitude, in a renewed responsibility for the Church
and the world.
Deepening faith as challenge of this time
The view from the heights of the colonnades, where the newsmen and photographers
were located was tremendous. Below a blue sky a sea of people could be
seen, with posters of their respective movements, flags, handkerchiefs
of different colors, many pictures of the Blessed Mother – among them,
the International Auxiliary of the Campaign, was in an outstanding place,
and many, many Pilgrim MTA’s. "The beauty of being Christian", commented
one of the newsmen. It is the beauty of the plurality of charismas and
the styles of being Christian, the unity in love of the Church and the
deep and committed faith, and all of this with an air of freedom. Among
the journalists from the different movements, the cooperation worked beautifully
–the utensils of the Schoenstatt Press Office were shared with journalists
from the Community of Christian Life with the same generosity and joy
that cameras were shared to take a photo of the journalists "with the
Pope in the background" or "of our founder with the Pope, please!!" It
was always a tremendous joy to see so many people gathered imploring the
Holy Spirit for the Church. St. Peter’s was full of people since the morning.
Some older Schoenstatters who arrived at 3:30 p.m. after taking a good
nap, stayed at the corner of the Via della Conziliazione…and they decided
to return to follow the event by TV. The majority of participants are
young, many young families with young children are seen…and above all
you see happy faces, although sometimes they looked a little bit tired
after hours of waiting and standing on their feet.
The idea was to do something different from Pentecost 1998, Monsignor
Clemens, of the Pontifical Council of the Laity, explained later. Not
a copy of that, nor a spectacle, rather, it would be something that corresponds
to the style of this new Pope: a vigil of prayer, of liturgical structure
corresponding to the vespers of the Church, marked by a deepening of faith
in response to this new opening for the faith that is noticed in society,
especially in the younger generation –so that this faith is not only be
a feeling, a fleeting enthusiasm, it is up to the Church and especially
the Movements within it, to deepen themselves in the faith in order to
give a profound and proven faith to those who ask for God.
The Shrine and the Blessed Mother, Schoenstatt's contribution to the
Church, in the spirit of the Founder
Before the vigil, there was a time of incredible jubilation – the arrival
of the Holy Father, passing in the pope mobile through the multitude at
St. Peter’s and the Via della Conziliazione. His passing can be traced
by the waving of flags and the shouts. "He passed twice where we were",
a couple from Argentina radiantly relates. "He saw us, he blessed us!"-
"We were very far. We could hardly see anything", says Susana Hernandez.
"But the Holy Father passed directly in front of us, he blessed our Pilgrim
MTA, we are happy!" Mercedes MacDonough, who with the Auxiliary of the
was at outstanding place, almost danced with the Pilgrim MTA on high,
when the Holy Father approached.
Schoenstatt was a little bit lost in the crowd –there were Movements
that arrived with 80,000, 100,000 people, there were Movements that carried
transparencies 10 times as large as the largest Schoenstatt flag in the
square – and joy was shared by seeing "our brothers", the Focolare, Saint
Egido, Comminity of Christian Life, Charismatic Renewal…that were so strong
and so happy. In spite of being some 1500-1700 people, a relatively small
number, little Schoenstatt flags with the Shrine and pictures of the MTA
were seen often. That is what takes Schoenstatt to the Church, the Shrine
and the Blessed Mother – in the charisma of the Founding Father.
Our beloved church will be more one, more a family, more welcoming,
more beautiful in its variety
"The movements and new communities have gathered one more time to tell
the Holy Father. We are here, ready for the mission", says Monsignor Stanislav
Rylko, President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, in his opening
prayer. Graziella de Lucca, one of the first companions of Chiara Lubich,
founder of the Focolare Movement, - "the main architect of what we are
living today", as a Schoenstatt member from Buenos Aires put it -, read
a letter written by Chiara who for health reasons was unable to be physically
present – spiritually, she was. She recalls the promise made to John Paul
II in 1998, of increasing unity among the Movements, "Today we can say
that the reciprocal love and the unity among all has grown, surpassing
all our expectations", almost as if to anticipate –at a level of a laboratory
–the unity of the human family." Everyone listened to Chiara Lubich’s
closing words with emotion: "And our beloved Church will be more one,
more of a family, more welcoming, more beautiful in its variety. It will
give testimony of Christ and of Mary, the Mother of God, the charismatic
par excellence, in its multiple prerogatives."
The beautiful house of the Father without walls
Founders and representatives of Movements offered brief – and not so
brief - testimonial reflections after the psalms of the liturgy of the
Eve of Pentecost. Andrea Riccardi (Saint Egidio) called on everyone to
overcome the "sterility" of living only for oneself, and he spoke of the
joy of being converted into humble and fruitful, parents of children in
this beautiful house without walls, and at the same time being extraordinarily
fraternal and intimate. Kiko Arguello, founder of the Neocatecumenates,
spoke of the new realities, the new charismas that the Holy Spirit has
sent to help the priests, parishes, bishops, and the Holy Father. "It
is like the first Pentecost, we have also been chosen to be witnesses
of the beauty of Christ before all nations", said Julian Carron, President
of the Movement of Communion and Liberation.
Love in the heart of the Church
"I like it so much when the Holy Father speaks about the Movements as
a School of Freedom", comments Cristina White, from Argentina. "That is
what I like so much about Schoenstatt, about Father Kentenich!" That is
what many Schoenstatters took from the Holy Father’s talk. Then, seven
fires were lighted, a symbol of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit – in
memory of the Sacrament of Confirmation, and the beautiful hymn that has
resounded for centuries in the life of the Church was sung: Veni Sante
Spiritu (Come Holy Spirit)…"It gave the impression: now we are truly in
Pentecost, imploring the Holy Spirit and it came", commented a Schoenstatter.
After the Our Father and the Creed, there were petitions in different
languages – it was the first time that a language other than Italian was
heard! Father Michael Marmann, Schoenstatt Father and one of the delegates
of the World Congress of Movements, read the petition in German. Patti
Mansfield (Charismatic Renewal) presented a moving expression of gratitude
to the Holy Father: "You are the sweet Jesus on earth for us", she says,
like Saint Catherine did, "Holy Father, we love you! Our vocation is love".
As movements, we place ourselves at the disposal of the Church, she said,
ending with the words of Little Saint Theresa: "In the heart of the church,
our Mother, we want to be love."The founder of the Movement of Christian
Life, Luis Fernando Figari, promised the Holy Father, in the name of all
the Movements, to be Movements of witness of the living Christ to the
ends of the world.
The Holy Father gave the blessing to everyone, and the vigil ended with
the Regina Coeli, the Marian antiphon of Easter. Mary, Pray for us, alleluia…
A bittersweet experience - and a small but effective contribution out
of love for the church
There was a bitter experience in this vigil to see that many participants
especially those in preferential places, left the vigil before the Pope’s
blessing…who had to see a stream of people leaving the vigil that he so
much desired, long before it was over. It is understandable because of
the cold and the long hours of waiting, "but it made me very sad", says
a Sister. The departure from the square was somewhat chaotic in spite
of the extraordinarily effective service given by the police and the volunteers…Schoenstatt
Youth from Spain and Chile gathered to sing in the midst of the people,
smiling, laughing and with an expression of joy: perhaps it was a marginal
apostolate, but it was a contribution that was born of this love of the
Church that united thousands of people in the Pentecostal vigil.
Translation: Celina M Garza, Harlingen, Texas, USA
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