World Youth Mass

The Schoenstatt Youth of the world are called again to unite at the Shrines – this year on September 1.

A la misma hora: Santo Angelo, Brasil At the same time: Santo Angelo, Brazil Zur gleichen Stunde: Santo Angelo, Brasilien
Jaragua, Brasil Jaragua, Brazil Jaragua, Brasilien
Mulgoa, Australia Mulgoa, Australia Mulgoa, Australien
Hatillo, Puerto Rico Hatillo, Puerto Rico Hatillo, Puerto Rico
Les esperamos... en Schoenstatt y en los Santuarios del mundo You are welcome... in Schoenstatt and the shrines of the world Du wirst erwartet… in Schönstatt und den Heiligtümern der ganzen Welt Fotos: POS Archiv © 2007

INTERNATIONAL, Alan Shaun Cabello. As the second Night of the Shrine is under preparation and Schoenstatt Summer is under way - as rainy as last year and during the Youth Festival -memories of the first World Youth Mass are brought to mind. Alan Shaun Cabello from San Luis Potosi, Mexico, spent some ten days in Schoenstatt at the end of July, and helped in the preparation… He shares how the first World Youth Mass came into being and what it meant to him and many others.

Along with several other people I dedicated three months during last summer to the organization of this Mass, and the result was impressive. My only job during this time was to locate and unite the Youth Leaders of the world.

I continue to give thanks to the Blessed Mother for allowing me to take over this task, and for giving me the necessary graces needed to accomplish it in a satisfactory way, all of this, always in her name.

During the planning of Schoenstatt Summer 2006, there was the idea of having some of the Shrines participating simultaneously as the Schoenstatt Summer’s closing Holy Mass, with the same program, liturgical celebration, and the same songs. By doing this we would be closer to the dream that some day all the Schoenstatt Youth from around the world would be connected, working together like a great family towards common projects and global objectives.

The task was not an easy one as it was necessary to contact all of the Youth Leaders from the different Youths from around the world. There are places where there is only one youth leader for Boys Youth and another for Girls Youth, but there are also others in which each branch has his own Leader.

Oneliss first called it "World Youth Mass"

A difficult task was in locating the advisors in charge of youth groups. Fathers and Sisters usually have a heavy workload, and it becomes hard at times for them to go on checking and answering unfamiliar or unknown e-mails.

It was a great help to have the almost new web page www.schoenstattyouth.com. Thanks to this important tool it was much easier to find at least one very enthusiastic person from each country who would help me get in contact with the person in charge in their city or region. It was also very important to obtain photographs of the Shrine where the Mass would be celebrated, so that it could be attached to the presentation that would be shown all around the world.

Due to the time zone differences between America and Europe, my working hours were generally long and pretty irregular. Sometimes I would have to be up at four a.m. so that I could be in touch with my contacts from America.

During this time, I had the opportunity to meet and make friends from many countries. So many people helped me in so many ways with translations, contacts, articles, photos, etc. A year later, these are friends that I still keep in close contact with. Although I have not met many of them in person, they will always have a very special place in my heart.

One of these persons, Oneliss, from Puerto Rico, was the first to give it the name World Youth Mass, because the idea was to unite the Youth. The name was well liked among the rest of the people involved and it stuck.

At midnight (Middle European Time) on the August 26^th, 2006 while at the same time in Schoenstatt, Germany seventy-eight Shrines, more than twenty countries and the five continents were celebrating the first World Youth Mass. For the first time in our Movement’s history, these many people were united together at the Shrine, renewing their Covenants of Love and placing offerings into Capital of Grace for one another.

This year I will participate in Queretaro

This year the planning of the second World Youth Mass is proceeding on, and now Alexandra Nowicka of Poland who was also a Schoenstatt Summer Volunteer last year is in charge of the organization. The Night of the Shrine – the name this event has be given in Schoenstatt – is scheduled for September 1 through September 2, 2007.

This year I will probably celebrate the Mass in Queretaro, Mexico, together with four other ex-Volunteers of this project, one from the USA, and another from Germany. We have decided to get together for this weekend, and by doing so, keep our inner flame of love and hope alive so that one day this world will be a Schoenstatt World!

More information at: www.schoenstatt-summer.de

English edition: amj

Find out all Schoenstatt-Shrines in the World: www.santuarios.schoenstatt.de