You have touched Father

Encounters in the Original shrine – February /March 2007

Santa Misa Holy Mass Heilige Messe
Los pioneros The pioneers Die Pioniere Fotos: Cadena © 2007

SCHOENSTATT, Mónica Cadena/ mkf. They were in Schoenstatt for their honeymoon and now, after 42 years, they have returned to the Original Shrine. Florentino and Maria Antonieta were instruments of the Blessed Mother in founding Schoenstatt in Ecuador in 1962. The Blessed Mother, who is never outdone in generosity, presented them with a Holy Mass in Spanish in the Original Shrine, presided by Father Ángel Strada, and several members of the different branches (Mónica Fajardo and Mónica Cadena from the Professional Women’ Branch), Mónica Geissler (from the Couples Branch) and the Sisters of Mary (Sister M. Adriana Ortiz and Sister Ivonne María) represented the Schoenstatt Family from Ecuador.

Father Ángel Strada chose the Holy Mass honoring Mary Mother of Beautiful Love. "Surely this is your experience in your marriage", said Father Ángel, and he added: "love is beautiful, and not because it has always been easy. Like the experience or the example of King Balduino, who expressed to Jesus in a prayer: you must love me very much because you gave me Fabiola as a wife. Surely Florentino and Maria Antonieta can also say to Jesus: you must love us very much because you gave us one another as spouses. In the 42 years of marriage surely there have been struggles and difficulties and the fact that you are here today to renew your love, is sign of your fidelity. Father Kentenich admired people who were true and austere, but the virtue that moved him profoundly was fidelity". When he looks at you, Father Ángel added: "You have touched Father".

During this Holy Mass special prayers were said for the Schoenstatt Family in Ecuador, and for the fidelity of the couples and of all the branches. Florentino and Maria Antonieta, who belong to the first course of the Federation in Ecuador, also remembered each of the members of the four courses of the Family Federation in a special way.

At the end of the celebration there was a spontaneous family reunion in front of the Shrine, they recounted several anecdotes about the first times that awakened joy and admiration in those who accompanied them. They strongly experienced a "fundamental Schoenstatt law" God chooses small instruments to carry out big works. The Blessed Mother and the instruments have remained loyal…"You have touched Father".

New tasks, new destinies

On March 1^st a group of pilgrims departed for Mexico accompanied by Father Franz Widmaier. They want to visit the Schoenstatt Shrines and the largest Marian Shrine in the world: the Shrine of the Blessed Mother of Guadalupe, Patron of the Americas. Father Lothar Penners, Director of the Movement in Germany, also accompanied the pilgrims.

Father José Fé Frenando, from Brazil, who has been in Germany for some months, assumed the task as pastor of two parishes of Frankfurt on February 25^th. He asked for prayers for his new task. There was a very nice article about him in the regional newspaper, it was beautiful welcome!

During the same weekend, the first retreat of the year for the Mothers’ Branch was held in House Marienland. On Saturday they held an hour of prayer in the Original Shrine with the renewal of their Covenant of Love.

Volunteers for "Schoenstatt Summer"

Youth from some countries of the European Union – Hungary, Poland, Portugal, and the Czech Republic, between the ages of 18 to 25 years old – are invited to work in Schoenstatt during six months, from May 1^st through November 1^st, in various tasks, especially for Schoenstatt Summer. This is a project that has the support of the European Union. Youth from other countries are also invited to take some time to do volunteer work in Schoenstatt in the context of Schoenstatt Summer.

For more information, conditions, requests: www.schoenstatt-summer.de (in German and English).

Translation: Celina Garza, Harlingen, TX, USA