Marian Crusade, a madness of love

One hundred and nine young men, five seminarians and six priests walked 400 kms through the Andes - from Shrine to Shrine

En el Cristo Redentor At the statue of Christ the Redeemer Bei der Erlöser-Statue
Una aventura, un desafió, un encuentro con Dios An adventure, a challenge, an encounter with God Ein Abenteuer, eine Herausforderung, eine Gottesbegegnung
Descendiendo en Chile Walking down in Chile Abstieg in Chile
En la tumba de Mario Hiriart At the tomb of Mario Hiriart Am Grab von Mario Hiriart
Santuario vivo Living Shrine Lebendiges Heiligtum Fotos: Martinez © 2007 Albúm de fotos – photo album – Fotoalbum

LATIN AMERICA, Claudio Martínez. F. 3 a.m.  It was still night, and the stars decorated the sky that watched us awaken. 5 a.m. morning prayer.  The shout is heard "Marian Crusade, forward march!!!".  120 adventurers of the Blessed Mother started on their way, following the picture of their Queen and advancing along the side of the highway or railroad tracks that were abandoned. 1 p.m.  Tired, but with an immense smile on our faces and in our hearts, we arrived to our resting place, having walked about 25 kms.  We were getting closer to the goal. 7 p.m.  Celebration of the Holy Mass, supper, night prayer and rest.

This was more or less the rhythm of life we followed during 16 days, the 109 young men from the Boys' Youth from Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Mexico and Chile, five seminarians and six priests.  On January 13th we began the adventure of crossing the Andes Range, uniting the Shrines of Mendoza in Argentina and Bellavista in Santiago, Chile, separated by 400 kms.

Madly in love with Schoenstatt and its mission

There were common reasons for wanting to do this:  a mad love for Schoenstatt and its mission, for the Blessed Mother and for the legacy of Father Kentenich. 

There were also personal reasons.  Many offered their blisters, muscular aches, cold, wind, heat, weariness, hours of meditation and prayer, conversations about human and divine things, new friends, songs, and much, very much joy as contributions to the captial of grace.

Not even a thunder storm, dust and a constant wind were able to stop the crusaders of the Blessed Mother, who advanced as a Latin American Church, which this year will be marked by the 5th Celam Conference, with the special theme of the Discipleship in Christ.  Day by day the pilgrims meditated about how to be disciples of Christ in Schoenstatt and what contribution they wanted to make as youth within their branches and in the present world.

Was it not the crazy ones, whom others called crazy, who dreamed about new things, the ones who, in some way, were able to change the world?

On Sunday, January 21st, we arrived at our first goal after slowly ascending  through the beautiful landscape and being well taken care of by the family of Mendoza. 

At 4,000 meters of altitude, precisely on the border between both countries, we could see the statue of Christ the Redeemer, the oldest monument for peace in the world.  There you can feel the dream of Mario Hiriart, whose cross presided over the walk:  "From Rio Grande to Tierra del Fuego, America will be yours and it will burn for the love of God through the Covenant of Love. We will build a Shrine in the Andes as a symbol of the unity of our people and our hearts, as a symbol of a triumph that politics could not obtain and that the Blessed Mother will obtain through her instruments". 

This is precisely what we did. We formed a shrine around the Christ, embracing each other. It was a Shrine that was developing along the way, and it was a Shrine that we wanted to reach.

In this fourth edition of the Marian Crusade, the longest pilgrimage of America, the youth also carried the intentions of many other people in their backpacks. These were offered at the feet of Christ the Redeemer.  They spiritually walked with us, and their desires were elevated to heaven, in the middle of the sky.

What are you doing here?  Are you crazy? Surely that is what the drivers of cars and the truck drivers thought as they honked their horns to greet us and to wish us luck. Yes, one must suffer from some type of madness to make such a sacrifice in the middle of the precious summer vacations.  But were we crazy, because we dreamed about new possibilities, those which in some way are able to change the world?

Together in the Shrine

We continued on the same route that the Army of Liberation of Chile and Argentina made 190 years ago.  Of course, this "army" did not carry arms, only faith, and their great battle was to conquer inner freedom, which is usually the hardest struggle.

We began to descend, and the eagerness to reach our destination began to build.  Santa Teresa of the Andes welcomed us in Auco, and her example of holiness was more than encouraging.  We were also given strength for the last leg from the sheltering and beautiful welcome we were given by the Family of New Bethlehem, and then by the Federation of Women in House Manuel Montt.

From Shrine to Shrine, after 16 days the goal was becoming a reality.

At first we were all together, and then we were running until we arrived at the Shrine of Bellavista, the Shrine of the Mission, to renew our Covenant of Love and to tell the Blessed Mother,  "Here we are, since no one told us that it was impossible, we did it for you". 

Just the scriptures say "take off you shoes, because you are standing on holy ground", we took off our shoes and all together, the 120 of us, entered the Shrine to emotionally thank the Blessed Mother for all the unforgettable experiences of these days.

We especially want to remember Father José Luis Zabala for preparing and leading this Crusade, Dante Bercich for his untiring help and company, the Argentinean and Chilean armies for their hospitality and the logistic support, and to all the people who collaborated to make this dream a reality.

Until 2010…

What went through the hearts of each pilgrim?  Only God and the Blessed Mother know.  Of course, we can read about some of it in the book that was published recently by Editorial Patris Argentina:  "Marian Crusade, a Madness of Love", by Javier Lascano, with testimonies by the youth who have participated in different crusades.

What did this pilgrim feel?  Now, as a seminarian, I felt an immense joy and gratitude to accompany the many youth who desire to bring the world closer to God, and who unceasingly try to be saints, where God wants them to be.

For those who are encouraged, remain strong, because in 2010, we will meet for another Crusade, the one for the bicentennial of the independence of our countries.

Testimonies of the participants in the next publication.

Translation: Celina Garza, Harlingen, TX / Judy Harlowe, Milwaukee, USA