"Father, your inheritance our mission"

Retreat for the Family Federation courses of Alto Paraná

Simbolos importantes Important symbols Wichtige Symbole
El arco inconcluso de las misiones jesuíticas que forma parte del símbolo del Santuario de Ciudad del Este, junto a la Sagrada Familia y la frase “Padre, tu herencia nuestra misión. The inconcluded arch of the Jesuit Missions that forms part of the logo of the Shrine in Ciudad del Este, the statue of the Sacred Family, and the words: Fathers, your heritance, our mission Der unvollendete Torbogen der Jesuitenmissionen, Teil des Logos des Heiligtums in Ciudad del Este, mit der Statue der Heiligen Familie und dem Wort: Vater, dein Erbe, unsere Sendung
P. Cruz Viale Fr. Cruz Viale P. Cruz Viale
Compromiso con la pátria Commitment to Paraguay Einsatz für Paraguay
¡Que alegría pertenecer a Schoenstatt! What a joy to belong to Schoenstatt! Was für ein Glück, bei Schönstatt zu sein! Fotos: Jorge Ruiz Diaz © 2006 Álbum de fotos – photo album – Fotoalbum

PARAGUAY, Javier Cabral. This July will be well remembered by the Family Federation of Paraguay because of the wonderful annual retreat that the three courses of the Ciudad del Este held together. The "Benjamins" of course 18 were in charge of organizing the retreat. Father Cruz Viale was the retreat speaker, presenting talks focused on the mission of those belonging to the Federation. Most especially, he emphasized their responsibility for the family, including the Schoenstatt Family, in their city and their country. He also stressed the importance of integrating the three courses so that they could work together and assume tasks of greater responsibility in the future.

The retreat was held in a magnificent and beautiful location in the city of Caáiguzú, some 150 km from Ciudad del Este. In the distance, you could see the fields and the silhouette of what was once an impenetrable forest. And all around, there were beautiful coco palms, tall and slender, with their leaves swaying in the wind. Although these were days of holy silence, we heard many rich sounds. There was always the trill of birds in the background, along with the restless wind. At times, the wind blew so strong that it seemed to want to break the old coco palms, but they stood firm, strong, and secure. This was perhaps an illustration the Blessed Mother sent to us, encouraging us to have strength and patience to embody and fulfill our mission. "¿Tuparenda?" Was it heaven? No, but it was still very close to Tupa ("God" in Guarani).

Capital of grace for Encarnación

There was a large capital of grace for the retreat. At the retreat, a picture was covered with small pieces of paper in the patriotic colors of red, white and blue. As they were slowly removed, the picture underneath began to show and was revealed. Depicted was the unfinished arch of the Jesuit missions, which forms part of the symbol of the Shrine of Ciudad del Este, the Holy Family, and the phrase, "Father, your inheritance our mission." At the conclusion of the retreat, this capital of grace was taken to the city of Encarnación, in the southern part of the country near Argentina, where the couples of the Federation in the Ciudad del Este are founding the Family Branch.

A testimony

Shortly after all had returned home from the retreat, participant Luis Martinez sent an e-mail to the leaders, encouraging everyone to strike while the metal is hot. "The goldsmith must hammer the metal to mold the desired shape in the midst of heat, otherwise, it hardens and is unformable," says Javier Cabral. "The same happens with our intentions after a retreat. We must strike while it is still hot, before the winds of daily life chill the raw material of our souls and our intentions become only beautiful jewelry that ‘could have been’."

This imagery is connected with Father Cruz’s last talk, during which he deftly amalgamated the domestic Family Shrine and left some ounces of excellent

gold for it. At that moment, Father Cruz invited the courses and families to unite to form the "community of hearts of the Courses of Este"—Pillars of the Shrine, Portal of Heaven and 18 (a number that reminds us of youth, the movement, and vigor)—and all work together for the Universal Apostolic Confederation that is one of the Schoenstatt goals.

The courses see the first Consecration as an anvil loaned by God to begin shaping the beautiful work that is to be, and the prayer offered to the Capital of Grace is the hammer with which it will be forged. On the same day, the Portal of Heaven course will seal its Membership. They are preparing for it by praying "Accept, O Lord" (Heavenwards, p. 109), the prayer of complete giving of self.

The families hope that you will unite with them by praying this prayer daily for them and for the Federation from Este. In this way, the forge that was lit this weekend will maintain its fire, tempering both individual souls and the family community.

A warm embrace in Mary

These are only some of the visible fruits of the retreat. While there are many more that are not known, these are more than enough to strengthen the families to stand and proclaim, "Father, your inheritance is our mission."

Translation: Celina M Garza, Harlingen, TX, USA / Amy Peebles, Austin, TX, USA