The Dawn Breakers

The Ninth International Conference of The Dawn Breakers will take place from August 24^th to the 26^th in Los Angeles, Chile. It is a life current of laymen connected to the Shrine

Capilla Stella Maris en el islote Cabo de Hornos, en el extremo sur de Chile The Stella Maris Chapel – MTA inside – at the tiny island of Cabo de Hornos in the extreme South of Chile Die Stella Maris Kapelle auf der kleinen Insel Cabo de Hornos im äußersten Süden von Chile
Fundación de la comunidad de Quilpue Founding of the community in Quilpué Gründung der Gemeinschaft in Quilpué
Madrugada en el Santuario de Los Angeles Dawn-breaking in the Shrine of Los Angeles Madrugada im Heiligtum von Los Angeles
Madrugadores de Arica Dawn-breakers in Arica Madrgadores in Arica
Madrugadores  en el nuevo Santuario de San Fernando Dawn-breakers at the new Shrine in San Fernando Madrgadores beim neuen Heiligtum in San Fernando Fotos: Carvalho © 2007

CHILE, Rodrigo Caralho / mkf. On a Saturday, shortly before 7:00 A.M., you can see them at a Shoenstatt Shrine in Chile. They go in groups, silently…..men, laymen, fathers of families from different professions, from all ages. These are men who gather at the break of dawn in the Shrine. It is exclusively for men. The only woman present is the Blessed Mother. It is a masculine piety which more and more attracts more men from all over Chile and in various countries.

The Dawn Breakers gather every two weeks in Parishes, Shrines or Wayside Shrines, to have an encounter for men with the Lord and the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is a life current which emerged among men who were ready to give the best of themselves to Christ and Mary. Two years ago, at a meeting for all of the communities, they formulated the "Mission of the Dawn Breakers" : "To promote and to motivate, in a joyful and fraternal way, attachment to God, Christ and Mary…..the strengthening and conquering of everyday sanctity…..and the apostolic endeavor to transform the world in Christ…..as Marian instruments, by means of prayer meetings for men and the celebration of the Eucharist, early in the morning in Shrines, Wayside Shrines, and churches." This is the backbone of the organization which gives life and motivation to each community. Each community is independent in the ways in which it develops its DAWN. Some participate in Holy Mass, others adore the Blessed Sacrament, others pray the Rosary, others read a prayer or formation text. They say some common prayers taken from HEAVENWARDS and some prayers which are particular to each place…..

There is a yearly International Conference. The Ninth Conference will take place this year in the city of Los Angeles at the Schoenstatt Shrine there. The Bishop of the place, Bishop Felipe Bacarreza, has promised his participation. They expect 300 representatives from different cities and countries. It will take place August 24^th – 26^th, 2007.

For more information, visit the web page of the Dawn Breakers in Los Angeles. www.madrugadoreslosangeles.cl. Chile has more than 30 communities of Dawn Breakers from Arica in the north www.madrugadoresarica.blogspot.com to Puerto Williams in the extreme south www.madrugadoresptowilliams.blogspot.com, the southernmost city of the world

Promoters of the laity

By means of prayer, the Eucharist, sanctity and the apostolate, the Dawn Breaker have the task to transform the world and to build the Kingdom of God by being promoters of the laity in the apostolate…..reflecting the living presence of Christ through daily activities.

It must be highlighted here that the spirit of the Dawn Breakers is marked by profound freedom. Through the relationship between the different communities of Dawn Breakers, unity in the spirit develops, as well as personal attachments and a coordinated organization. The spirit of the Dawn Breaker is the intimate relationship with the commitment to rise early to pray in the Shrine, Chapel, Church, Wayside Shrine on Saturdays at 7:00 A.M. This simple activity gathers laymen who want to guarantee in a manly way their attachment to the place of grace. Dawn is the most practical time to be in silence without having to change work schedules or family commitments which are a part of the daily occurrences for fathers of families. Discovering the graces which come with the dawn is similar to passing from darkness into light or from uncertainty into the clarity of awakening and having close contact with the Lord.

The Dawn Breakers gather fully conscious of their masculinity which unites them especially to Christ. Some communities have special attachments to St. Joseph, St. Francis of Assisi, Fr. Alberto Hurtado, Mario Hiriart, Father Joseph Kentenich….. Prayer time has Eucharistic characteristics – Liturgy of the Word, Communion Liturgy, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Eucharist – expression of the profound union with Jesus and the Blessed Virgin.

A growing current

The main thing which gathers the Dawn Breakers is prayer. Various communities develop apostolates in their respective dioceses or parishes. Some visit hospitals, others visit and develop their apostolate with the prisoners in the jails. Others provide interior support to their parishes or chapels, etc. The Copiapó community www.madrugadorescopiapo.blogspot.com has done a fantastic job with the prisoners in that city. The Nuñoa community in Santiago supports the pastoral work in their parish.

One of the great tasks is to motivate other men to unite with existing communities or to establish new ones connected with the Wayside Shrines, Shrines or parishes. On the many web-pages which the communities have or on the main page (www.madrugadores.cl) you can read almost weekly, reports on new foundations like the recent one in Quilpué. Francisco Yáñez relates: "Early in the morning and with great joy, we arrived in a caravan on Saturday, June 23^rd, at the parish of St. Mary Mother of the Church, in the del Sol sector of Quilpué, to witness the foundation of a new Community of Dawn Breakers. Our dear MTA continues extending her mantle with which She will cover this community which is under Fr. Jorge de Fonseca. Fathers Cristián Moya, Darío Zenteno and Jorge concelebrated the Eucharist. The communities of Quillota, Con-Cón, Los Pinos, Agua Santa, Placilla and Villa Alemana were witnesses of this great joy for the Church. In this way, we respond to the call of Bishop Gonzalo Duarte to participate in the parishes of the diocese. This new community was inscribed in the call of Father Joseph Kentenich 60 years ago when he founded the Schoenstatt Movement in the city of Valparaíso. For that reason, we remain faithful. We remain faithful (in spite of the cold which was freezing us to the bones)." Local pastors participate, Schoenstatt Fathers: At the last Dawn Breaking at the Shrine of Los Pinos, Fr. Patricio Rodríguez, a new priest who was recently ordained in Bellavista, was in attendance. Different communities in Chile are meeting with their respective diocesan bishops. The last International Conference was presided by the Nuncio, Bishop Aldo Cavalli.

(Meetings with bishops www.obisposmadrugadores.blogspot.com).

Long walks, pilgrimages and precious stories

Experiences of masculine community play an important part on long walks, in the great conferences, on pilgrimage to the Shrine or special Dawn Breakings like the one which takes place at the feet of the Virgin at Mt. San Cristóbal. Carlos Alberto González relates: "Saturday, May 13^th, 6:30 A.M. Although the dawn had not yet broken, the six different communities of Dawn Breakers which exist in Santiago, began to arrive: Nuevo Belén, Campanario, Bellavista, Providencia, Maipú, Colina (Mt. Covenant). The Dawn Breakers’ deacons, Manuel and Eugenio, run to prepare the altar…..more chairs are needed!.....another small table is needed!..... guitars appear, we agree on the hymns and the moment arrives…..Fr. Rodrigo Tupper, accompanied by four deacons, enters and a marvelous morning begins. A great deal of concentration, a great deal of prayer, a great deal of singing and 84 dawn breakers, YES! 84 DAWN BREAKERS ARRIVED at the feet of the most Blessed Virgin to participate in the Eucharist on this special dawn. We listened to Santiago’s awakening and to how the dawn began to break. In conclusion, breakfast and all sharing as brothers and united with that special bond which we Dawn Breakers know how to have and to cultivate among us."

In Puerto Williams, in the southernmost part of Chile, there is a small and lively community founded in January of 2006. "Our community continues small. There are not many opportunities for growth. Likewise here, we are uniting our hearts to all of yours and we greet our MTA. Normally, during this time, we are not able to be at dawn at the Wayside Shrine because of the snow. We gather in a chapel. That was not the case last Saturday. There were only a few snowflakes. We exchanged the picture we had in the Wayside Shrine for a Chilean cloth which has our Blessed Mother imprinted on it.

Blessed Mother is also at Cabo de Hornos. There is no more land south of this place. Antarctica is close by. On this rocky island there is a Chapel called Stella Maris as you come in…..a great surprise! An image of the Blessed Mother." Wherever the Blessed Mother is, the Dawn Breakers are there also because they do not want to leave the Blessed Mother unattended.

Born in the shadow of the Shrine of Rancagua

The Dawn Breakers were born in the shadow of the Shrine of Rancagua and founded by Octavio Galarce in 1989 before the dedication of this Shrine.

The painful legacy of Santa Cruz (Shrine whose cornerstone was blessed by Father Kentenich on October 20, 1948 and which was abandoned and was in the end demolished by an earthquake when there was no longer any life there) made especially oversensitive the mission of contributing to the Treasury of Grace for the spiritual maintenance of this Shrine. After the extraordinary effort for the construction and blessing, it was feared that there would be an easing up which in the long run would turn into "sleeping on one’s laurels." For this reason, the Family organized a system for taking turns in the Shrine. This was named the Blessed Mother’s Guard and this would guarantee the permanent presence of a Schoenstatter in the Shrine which would remain open all day for the community. It is located in the center of the city.

For the men who had long working hours, it was especially difficult to enlist on a schedule for keeping Guard and thus it resulted that for the greater part, the Guard was made up of women. Searching for a schedule where it would be certain of being able to fulfill the Guard time, they arrived at "dawn" on Saturday – at 7:00 A.M. – as the only practical hour where there were no family or work commitments, and that is how they came up with this hour. As time passed, from that initiative was born what today are the Dawn Breakers. A life current of men connected to the Shrines, Wayside Shrines, and parishes in all of Chile and beyond.

Translation: Carlos Cantú Family Federation La Feria, Texas USA 072807