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| Encontro da Comunidade de Oração Mariana Eucarística de Schoenstatt, Atibaia Encuentro anual de la comunidad de oración mariano–eucarística de Schoenstatt, Atibaia Annual Meeting of the Community of Marian-Eucharistic prayer in Atiabia Jahrestreffen des marianisch-eucharistischen Anbetungskreises in Atibaia |
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| Coreografia dos postulantes Coreografía de las postulantes Choreography of the postulants Choregraphie der Postulantinnen |
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| Envío Envio Mission Aussendung |
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| Membros no auditório Participantes Participants Teilnehmer |
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| Palestra do Pe. Marcelo Conferencia del P. Marcelo Conference given by Fr. Marcelo P. Marcelo hielt den Vortrag Fotos: Ir. M. Isabel Cristina Benedetti © 2007 |
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BRAZIL, Sr. M. Isabel Cristina Benedetti. Members of the Eucharistic Marian Prayer Community of Schoenstatt met under this motto to formulate new goals and a plan of action for the coming year.
A total of 216 people from 10 districts were welcomed in the Fr. Joseph Kentenich Auditorium. After Sr. M. Ana Luiza had warmly welcomed everyone, one of the participating couples sang a musical rendition of the motto and thus opened the meeting.
Mary, the Eucharistic woman
Fr. Marcelo Cervi, one of the founding members of the Institute of Diocesan Priests of Schoenstatt and currently a parish priest in Jaboticabal, São Paulo in the Diocese of Ribeirão Preto led the spiritual element of the meeting. He introduced the participants to the currents of life and activities in the Church (disciples and missionaries – Fifth South American Bishop’s Conference) and Schoenstatt (centenary of the Covenant of Love) by analysing each part of the motto and focusing on the mission of worshippers who hold Mary, the Eucharist Woman, the first disciple and missionary par excellence, as an ideal role model.
His explanation was both practical and dynamic: after each point, he allowed a moment’s reflection for the participants to write down the qualities of a disciple, as missionary and a Schoenstatter that each one considered as important. He finished his speech with a reflection on the path of stones that had been on the stage and that each person had placed outside the Shrine. As part of this experience, the participants were invited to go on pilgrimage to the Shrine for Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
A gift for 2014
During the day, seven people from Suzano, São Paulo, sealed their Covenant of Love as members of the Eucharistic Marian Prayer Community of Schoenstatt and in this way offered themselves as a gift, during this three year period, in which Schoenstatters celebrate the Year of the Covenant of Love in preparation the great jubilee in 2014.
The afternoon began with a choreographed dance entitled: From our Covenant, a new world will be born" presented by the postulants of the Institute of the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary, once again stressing the importance of the Covenant of Love in our lives.
Giving Testimony
A couple related how their Covenant of Love with our Mother drove them to act within their parish community by motivating the community to cultivate a culture of Eucharistic Adoration and as a result of their zeal, were able to convince the parish priest to place a Tabernacle with the Blessed Sacrament in the chapel. A group from another city related how they meet periodically for communal adoration in the Shrine and spiritual formation as worshippers.
Conquering new worshippers
Another account came from a member who was not present at the meeting but lives out his mission in the Maranhão interior. He belongs to the Legion of Mary but since he joined the Prayer Community, he now writes down the name of each person in the families that he visits, together with their situation and prayer needs. During these visits, he felt compelled to consecrate the children to the Mother of God. He then sent the names of the children and asked to be given a prayer that they could also pray. Whenever he finds a prayerful person, he invites them to become members of the Prayer Community. In the six years of his apostolate, he has invited more than 300 members to join the Prayer Community, including every new parish priest that arrives in the city.
Covenant, only as a family
A further testimony recounted the experiences and graces of the group that sealed their Covenant of Love. At the beginning of their preparation, the women in the group said that they would not make the Covenant of Love without their husbands. They told of the struggles and difficulties that they had to face and how they managed to conquer these. A couple described how they began to discover the valuable presence of our Mother Thrice Admirable in their lives and the transformation that took place inside of each person. The husband said "I’m still trying to recover, but now, whenever I’m not at home, I feel the need to come home and to spend time with Mother in our Schoenstatt corner: it is impossible to explain what it feels like to be close to her".
The Eucharist eliminates pain
Another member of the same group, who has a serious problem with her eyesight, explained how she had had three operations and then had to undergo another two operations, this time without anesthetic. She then began to receive Holy Communion at each Mass and witnessed that the Eucharist is anesthetic. She explained how she had to face the taunts of a person from another religion who told her that if she continued with her Marian devotion, she would become blind altogether. Today, she and her group were amazed that she was able to read the Covenant prayer that they prayed together in the Shrine. The meeting came to an end at 3pm with Holy Mass in which all the participants were again sent out, giving thanks to God and our Mother Thrice Admirable, Queen and Victress of Schoenstatt for the success of the meeting that brought together 216 people from the following cities in the state of São Paulo: Araraquara, Campinas, Itapira, Piracicaba, Santa Bárbara d'Oeste, Suzano, São Carlos, Botucatu, São Paulo and Atibaia.
Source: www.maeperegrina.com.br
Translation: Sarah-Leah Pimentel, South Africa