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Señalador en Punta Arenas, Chile Guidepost in Punta Arenas, Chile Wegweiser in Punta Arenas, Chile Foto: Toyka © 2007 |
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CHILE, MKF. Extreme points on earth invite one to be creative and also to love a certain place. How good it is when both of these come together! There is road sign in the southernmost city of Chile, Punta Arenas that confirms this. People from all over the world have installed posters indicating the direction and the distance to: Peking, Brno, to Christchurch…and in the middle a poster: Schoenstatt 13,607 kilometers.
An admiral in the German Naval Armed Forces discovered the road sign when he visited there in January of this year. He took a photo of it and gave it to Mr. Toyca, a friend of his from the Men’s League, who later sent it to the Schoenstatt Press Office.
Who was this Schoenstatter so near to the Strait of Magellan, at the southernmost point of Chile, who indicated the road to Schoenstatt, and who knew how to express it in such a noticeable manner? Schoenstatt: a most important place that extends throughout the world. Schoenstatt is in the small city of Vallendar, Germany 13,607 kilometers away?
The Schoenstatt Family of Punta Arenas hopes to soon build a Shrine on the grounds of the already existing Wayside Shrine. From this location on the 18th of every month they unite themselves with the Original Shrine and the Schoenstatt Family gathered in Germany (without ever actually being present here) thereby representing all those who feel rooted to this place.
Perhaps on October 18th there might be road signs like the ones in Punta Arenas in the areas surrounding the Original Shrine. 13,607km. to Punta Arenas and the Schoenstatt Family in the southernmost city of Chile, who on the same day do the same thing; they celebrate and pray. How many kilometers are there to Goya, Argentina? To Ibadan, Nigeria? To Lima, Peru? Fortaleza, Brazil? To Sleepy Eye, Minnesota (USA)? Bangalore, India? To….
Translation: Celina Garza, Harlingen, TX, USA/amj