Their priesthood is also ours

Ordination of Lorenzo and Borja –Testimony report of their mothers about the ordination of two Schoenstatt Fathers in Madrid

Un momento de entrega total A moment of total surrender Eine Stunde totaler Hingabe
Imposición de manos Imposition of hands Handauflegung
Santa Misa Holy Mass Heilige Messe
Abrazo fraternal Greeting the parents Friedensgruß mit den Eltern
Ofrenda floral a la Mater Flower gift to the MTA Blumengabe an die MTA

SPAIN, Aileen Heegard and María Luisa Erhardt. Fifteen days before the priestly ordination of our sons, relatives and people from other countries began to arrive to accompany Lorenzo and Borja on the day of their ordination. For Aileen and for me they were days of preparation for the great event that was so desired by our sons.

As in every celebration, many things had to be done, so Aileen and I were in constant communication. One week before the priestly ordination, Lorenzo and Borja went on a retreat outside of Madrid. During this time, I perceived that the two of us were experiencing a special time, like our sons, a time of "retreat" in which we reencountered the God of our personal history; this filled us with peace, gratitude and happiness. God chose, once more on our road as mothers of future priests, the Blessed Mother as a guide and teacher for our interior preparation to accompany them on the great day. Our motto was TO LIVE IN GOD. We were aware of the voice of God and we gave ourselves to God.

Aileen outdid herself in activity and generosity so that everything would turn out well, the only thing she could not control was sleep, and emotion did not allow her to sleep. After living so many years in our country, and being a part of the Schoenstatt Family in Spain, it seems that she has been somewhat infected by our Latin character. I experienced a serenity and control that is unusual for me, and contrary to Aileen I slept profoundly.

A solemn and at the same time an intimate ceremony

It is not easy, as mothers, to describe our experience of the priestly ordination day of our sons. We could stress two essential aspects: the exterior experience, the ceremony; and the interior experience, the personal event.

Exterior experience: On Saturday, October 28^th, the day had a clear sky, it was bright, blue, and the sun was resplendent, the morning was splendid. The Church of the Jesuits was beautiful, it was well illuminated and elegantly decorated with grandiose bouquets of yellow and while flowers (Vatican colors) with some greenery. At 10:00 a.m. the people were already entering the church to reserves their place. The pews began to fill with relatives and friends. The ceremony was solemn and at the same time intimate, it was impressive to see the church filled to capacity, more than 1,000 people attended the ordination. At different times during the liturgical celebration, joy and emotion overcame everyone.

Eleven years of accompanying them on their road to the priesthood

Interior experience: Serenity, Joy, humility, and peace reigned in us. We felt grateful and small before God and this helped us open ourselves to Grace. To see our sons, whom we had accompanied during almost 11 years of their formation to the priesthood, seeing them mature, living their vocation close to them, experiencing the mystery of God in them; to see them advance in the entrance procession among the priests.. to transform themselves through the grace of God into "other Christs", is indescribable. We were overcome with emotion and the mystery surpassed us. Is this my son? How do I deserve to be the mother of this son? We renewed our commitment and availability to the Lord. We were fully conscious of the mercy that God lavished on us and on our sons. The words of Saint Teresa of Jesus came to our minds and hearts: "I am yours, I was born for thee, What do you want to make of me?"

We offered ourselves, once again as mothers, with them to the Lord

We wanted to live each moment of priestly ordination and for this reason we united ourselves spiritually to our sons, at different times of the ceremony. When Lorenzo and Borja publicly gave the YES to God and the Church, we renewed our commitment to God, in Christ and Mary, accompanying them on their priestly road. During the prostration, a moment of union between heaven and earth, through the invocation of the litanies, we intensely implored the Holy Spirit to form them and we offered ourselves, once more as mothers, with them to the Lord. The act of the imposition of hands was especially beautiful and intense; while Lorenzo and Borja remained humbly on their knees, receiving the priesthood and the affection of each presbyter, immersed in Christ, we withdrew devoutly to spiritual impose our maternal blessing on them and to renew our unconditional love for them.

The community of the Schoenstatt Fathers

During these years, the community of the Schoenstatt Father has generously welcome them, they have accompanied and they formed them for the Priestly Order, and since the beginning they have felt happy to be a part of the community of the Fathers, because of all of this one could suppose that we, their mothers, after so many years out of our country and belonging to the community we would be accustomed to it. However, it is during the act of vesting when Father Mark helps Lorenzo to put on the chasuble and when Father José María does it for Borja, and they go to the altar to participate in the Eucharist as new priests, that we felt that we had totally given our sons to God, through the Institute of the Schoenstatt Fathers. To see them already at the altar, radiant with happiness and touched by what this meant to be accepted and to belong to the Priestly Order, representing the mystery of Christ, to see how in our sons Christ is embodied, fills us with happiness and it overcomes us.

Lorenzo and Borja are happy because they have searched for God, they have experienced him and they have loved more and for this they have given their ALL for Him. All, is a biblical word: "Love God with ALL your heart, with ALL your soul, with ALL your mind and with ALL your being".

Jesus learned to say "ABBA", from Mary. In Mary the history of Jesus was written. In Saint Helen the history of her son the Emperor Constantine was written, In Saint Monica the history of her son Saint Augustine was written, etc.etc. and through the grace of God in Aileen and in me the history of our sons, Lorenzo and Borja, is also being written.

Finally, we want to extend our gratitude to all the Schoenstatt Family in Spain, in Chile, Portugal, Paraguay, Germany, Brazil, Argentina, India, etc. for their accompaniment of prayer, generosity and affection that Lorenzo, Borja and their families have always received. Their priesthood is also ours.

Translation: Celina Garza, Harlingen/TX, USA