There was no miracle and yet: there is one

A life offered for Schoenstatt: Judy Rehn, Waukesha, USA, passed away a month ago in Milwaukee

En el Santuario, poco tiempo antes de fallecer In the Shrine, a few months before her death Im Heiligtum, einige Monate vor ihrem Tod
Su ofrecimiento Her offering Ihr Angebot
Su ofrecimiento en el fuego de Jose Engling en Cambrai Her offering in the Joseph Engling fire in Cambrai Ihr Angebot im Englingfeuer
Bendición del Santuario Hogar (Judy al lado de la Hermana Winifred) Home Shrine dedication, 1974 (Judy is the girl next to Sister Winifred) Hausheiligtumsweihe 1974 – Judy steht neben Schwester Winfriede Fotos: Jentz © 2006

USA, Christi Jentz/mkf. "Below summarizes how I feel.  Right now, doctors would agree with what is said in the article, so it's okay.  If a miracle on earth happens, it's good for people to know it would truly be a miracle. Now how can I ever thank you, my dear friend, for all your prayers, sharing and love?  You are a treasure to me…" A comment given by a mother of three, 44 years old, severely ill with a cerebral tumor. Incurable, humanly seen. A comment given to her childhood Schoenstatt friend who had returned from a pilgrimage to Rome and Cambrai, with a small piece of paper. It read: "Dear Blessed Mother: I offer up each day to the capital of grace every new symptom, every discomfort, every physical loss, every spiritual struggle, and fear of what to come and every effect of the illness. Love, Judy Rehn."

It was on September 17^th, Cambrai, France, at vigil of the celebration of the 40^th anniversary of the blessing of the Shrine in Cambrai, a Shrine built and offered in 1965 by the entire international Schoenstatt Family. Christi Jentz, together with her husband and young son, is there and throws that little piece of paper, blessed by Pope Benedict on September 7, into the fire. The article written on that anniversary ends this way: "On Saturday night, in Cambrai, a fire was lighted to burn the capital of grace. A group of some 100 Germans, along with the representatives from several countries and continents, ended their pilgrimage at this place after following Joseph Engling’s footsteps, walking approximately 3 km. from Eswars, the place of his death. In this pilgrimage the Boys’ Youth from Villa Ballester, Argentina, was represented, who on the same day blessed a Joseph Engling stone. With the sound of songs the papers with the contributions to the capital of grace were burned. Christi Jentz, from Milwaukee, took the capital of grace from several families of Milwaukee, as well as the offering of life of her childhood Schoenstatt friend, who was dying of a cerebral tumor. With all the pain as a woman and as a mother of three school age children, she offered her life as capital of grace in this Shrine of Cambrai, in the spirit of Joseph Engling, abandoning herself entirely for the love of God the Father. This simple act, that hardly anyone knew about, was perhaps the secret of the marvelous celebration of the 40^th anniversary." Judy forwarded the article to many friends, commenting: "I'm forwarding this to you because, near the end, (the author) mentioned an offering I sent with my friend Christi, on a pilgrimage she and her family just returned from.  This site is about a 40th year celebration of The Shrine of Unity in Cambrai, France." She then mentions that this Shrine is facing an unsecure future, and continues: "If this adds more purpose to what's happening to me, I'm honored to be part.  Only God knows if it's true.  Hundreds of people from all over the world came together for this, and it looks as if it was a special day."

If a miracle on earth happens, it's good for peope to know it would truly be a miracle

Judy Rehn knew about the severeness of her sickness, although she was full of hope and willingness to fight. "Right now, doctors would agree with what the article said, so it's okay.  If a miracle on earth happens, it's good for people to know it would truly be a miracle", she commented to her childhood Schoenstatt friend Christi Jentz on her return from Dachau. "Now how can I ever thank you, my dear friend, for all your prayers, sharing and love?  You are a treasure to me."

Judy L. Rehn was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Feb. 27, 1961. She got to know Scvhoenstatt as a child and stayed attached throughout all her lifetime. In 1974, her family had their home shrine blessed. Judy can be seen on the photo, radiating with joy, standing next to Sister Winifred.

As a mother and wife, she lived her Covenant of Love with full sincereness. Who saw her, remembered her radiating face... "As for Joseph Engling and Gilbert Schimmel , it is clear to me that Judy followed  in their footsteps", shares Christi Jentz. "In her original way as she was a child of the Father.  We have to thank Joseph Engling for initiating the life offering and what is  known as the "Engling Act" because it continues to be effective in our times. I know she offered on behalf of Cambrai, this much you can read yourself. Judy and Jim were asked to "live" a very public suffering and they succeeded by all accounts. Their Schoenstatt spirituality was a witness to many."

Don't worry, Schoenstatt.

Judy died on November 29 at the age of 45. The pastor, Father Jim, was going to talk about Judy's offering during the funeral Mass. This offering was something he had just learned about it.  Jim and Judy got to know him better during her illness. As it tuned out, his eulogy had incredible similarites to the one given by Fr Kentenich about Gilbert Schimmel on Feb 16, 1959. "This past week I pulled out the unpublished eulogy (Monday night talk) that Father Kentenich gave to the couples about Gilbert Schimmel (with references to Joseph Engling as well). Yesterday I finally sat down to read it", Christi Jentz comments. "This version has escaped me until now. Father Jim could have approached the subject of Judy's death in any number of ways. But this was uncanny. Uncanny. He chose to focus on the fact that there was no miracle, but that in effect it was a miracle.  Then there are other parts. Through this priest, Father Jim, Father Kentenich was telling us all:  "See here... it is all here, I was listening too." 

The future of Cambrai is still open. Schoenstatt approaches ist 100^th anniversary, the 100^th anniversary of Joseph Engling and the other heroes of the founding time. The future of the Original Shrine is open. Don't worry, Schoenstatt. The time of the Schoenstatt heroes is not a far past. It is now.

Alianza de Amor Covenant of Love Liebesbündnis