The Queen of Connections

The first steps of a nascent Schoenstatt Family in Houston

Bautizo de Ma. Victoria Rowsey hija de miembros del grupo Baptism of Ma. Victoria Rowsey, daughter of group members Taufe von Ma. Victoria Rowsey, Tochter einer Familie aus der Gruppe
Ma. Teresa de Colombia, la peregrina más valiente y esforzada Ma. Teresa from Colombia – she wanted to participate, no matter how hard it was Ma Teresa aus Kolumbien hat wohl am moisten eingesetzt, um dabei zu sein
El P Vicente y su imagen de la MTA Father Vicente with his MTA picture Pfr. Vicente mit seinem MTA-Bild
Encuentro con el P. Vicente Encounter with Fr. Vicente Begegnung mit Pfr. Vicente
Conexiones con otros schoenstattianos Encounter with other Schoenstatt members Treffen mit anderen Schösntättern Fotos: Angie Santos © 2007

USA, Angie Santos. The nascent Schoenstatt family in Houston celebrated a Covenant Mass for the first time thanks to the generosity of a priest that loves the Movement very much. Houston is one of the largest cities in the United States, and it has a large number of Catholics. The churches are completely full on Sundays, there are no empty seats and the parking lots are filled to capacity. Many may ask why isn’t there a Schoenstatt Family in Houston? Some Schoenstatters who have come to live in this city because of their work had heard that there were some Movement families, and also Pilgrim MTA,s, but where?

In July of 2006 Father José Luis Nieto, from the community of the Schoenstatt Fathers, arrived in this city. He had decided to take a few months of sabbatical to study English. Fernando Romero, the son of a Schoenstatt Family in Ecuador, and his wife Marie Elena, helped him find a place to live and to study. He was asked to help celebrate the Sunday, Spanish Mass in a nearby church and one of the parishioners loaned him a bicycle so he could get around. His studies proved to be more difficult than he expected, and at times, he asked himself: "Why did I come?"

A short while afterwards two Schoenstatt families arrived from Quito, since the oil company where they worked had to leave Ecuador. The first thing that one of them, Mauricio Bautista, a Colombian married to lady from Quito, did was to seek Schoenstatters. He contacted Angie Santos and through her he met Father José Luis and he asked him to start a couples group. Shortly before he left, with a list of Angie’s acquaintances, Father José Luis called one by one and he invited them to a meeting at the end of August. Among them there was a young couple, he was from Venezuela and she was from Argentina and she had been in the Girls’ Youth and the Marian School. Another couple, the Falquez knew Schoenstatt well through their school, others had parents who belonged to Schoenstatt and the two couples from Quito had already been in the Movement for some time, the Gomez de la Torre had been monitors for a while. The group agreed to begin meeting. It was then, that before leaving, Father José Luis understood why the Blessed Mother had brought him to Houston.

"Why don’t we celebrate a Mass on the 18^th?"

Father Christian Christiansen, who lives in Austin, also began to support the group and he has been coming almost every month for the meetings and having him so close has been a great gift and privilege for the group. Since the people already knew Schoenstatt and they loved Father Kentenich this made things easier. The group has begun to integrate and they share in the natural and the supernatural things. They have even received the gift that the parents from Florencia, Argentina, who belong to the Family Federation have given them their testimony as a couple. It was not theoretical; rather it was life itself and about the importance of Schoenstatt in their lives. Another couple joined them, he is American and Melina is from Chile, who also attended the Marian School. Her mother has belonged to the Movement for many years and she was able to share her love for the Blessed Mother and her enriching experience.

Then there were other "coincidences". Upon listening to Father Vicente Agila, a priest from Guayaquil, who is very well known, especially for his television programs and who is at a parish in Houston, a group of Schoenstatters went to the Mass that he celebrated, and when they greeted after Mass they told him that "they were Schoenstatters" he told them excitedly that he had just returned from Schoenstatt in Germany and that he was very happy to make a one day visit. Then he pointed to a group of people who were nearby and he said, "They are also Schoenstatters"…An immediate connection. One lady, Rosa Elena, was starting a Mothers’ Group. She and a couple, the Lopez, are very close to Father Agila and very active in his parish. Furthermore, they go frequently to the Shrine at Lamar, and their daughters have been in the program with the Sisters.

It was precisely at a meeting of the group of Mothers that someone suggested, "why don’t we celebrate a Mass on the 18^th?" We are very few; perhaps we could gather in a house and ask Father Agila to celebrate it. They asked him and he was very touched and he said, "All right. And we will place the large picture of the Blessed Mother that is in my office at the side of the altar!" Then with permission of his pastor, it was agreed to celebrate the Mass in the Church of Saint Cecilia, the parish where he works and that has a very active participation of the Hispanics as well as the Anglo-Saxons. Furthermore, it has a beautiful architecture that invites prayer and silence. People were invited for the 18^th and things were organized and some asked, will this be the first Mass on the 18^th in Houston? Well, it looks that way…

Always go to visit the Blessed Mother

Father Agila brought his beautiful picture of the Blessed Mother and it was decorated with a mantle of flowers. And although there were only about 40 people in a church that has a capacity for 700, everyone was very touched, in the first place, because the dream of having a Mass on the 18^th had been fulfilled and because it was a historic moment. The joy was contagious.

During the homily, Father Vicente told about his visit to Original Schoenstatt, and of how he felt like a child in a toy store, that he had gone to seek strength for his spiritual life. He also told how he went to the Shrine of Guayaquil where he discovered his vocation, of how important it was for him to always go to visit his Mother, of how we always need this home, to experience the Blessed Mother’s concern that brings peace and encouragement. Two brave girls from the Girls’ Youth offered to sing some beautiful Schoenstatt songs. A lady from the Mothers’ group joyfully attended although she had broken a leg leaving from a Schoenstatt meeting.

After Mass we shared with Father how touched we were to have celebrated the Mass together, and how some had goose bumps. Father Vicente manifested his joy of celebrating the Mass and he said he was willing to do it every 18^th while he is here. He also suggested that next time we burn the Capital of Grace after the Mass. After the Mass no one wanted to leave, and a serenade was improvised for the Blessed Mother.

This Schoenstatt in Houston is a modest beginning, but the Movement also began in a simple and quiet manner. On the other hand, it has been wonderful to see how the Blessed Mother is in haste, making connections at the most unexpected time. She is the Queen of Connections.

Are you in Houston or close and want to connect? Contact Angie Santos amsantos@schoenstatt.de

Translation: Celina Garza, Harlingen, TX, USA/amj