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Primer congreso de niños a la luz de Aparecida en Bellavista: el homenaje a la Madre en su Santuario con bailes tipicos de Chile First congress of children in the light of Aparecida, in Bellavista, Chile: honoring the Blessed Mother in the Shrine with typical dances of Chile Erster Kongress für Kinder im Licht von Aparecida, in Bellavista, Chile: typische Tänze zu Ehren der Muttergottes im Heiligtum |
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Un encuentro informal con Jesús An informal encounter with Jesus Jesus begegnen, ganz locker... |
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Taller de rosario Rosary workshop Rosenkranz-Werkstatt |
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Santa Misa Holy Mass Heilige Messe |
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Lanzamiento del rosario de globos The rosary of globes is ready to be launched… Der Rosenkranz aus Luftballons wird startkalr gemacht… |
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Mirando al cielo... Looking up to the sky... Blick zum Himmel… |
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Vuela… Fly, Rosary, fly... Da fliegt er... Fotos: Patricio Vera © 2007 |
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CHILE, SISTER Rosa Maria Fuhrop. For several years the Sisters of Mary have worked with the ministry of Missionary Children of the Pilgrim MTA in the Shrine at Bellavista. The main objective of this apostolate is: to evangelize the family through the Missionary Children of the Pilgrim MTA. For this reason the Missionary Children and the families return the Blessed Mother’s visit by going to the Shrine once a year. It has truly been a joy to see how the Mother of God is slowly attaining fruits of conversion in the families that are visited. This year they became aware that Divine Providence was calling them –through the encounter with the Holy Father at the 5th General Conference of the Latin American Episcopate and of the Caribbean – to carry out this annual conference not only for the Missionary Children, but also to open it to all the children of the area who want to participate.
For this reason the conference was called Congress of Children in the Light of Aparecida. Its objectives:
- To give children a joyful experience of Church in the light of Aparecida: to help them understand what this conference of the Holy Father with the Bishops meant.
- To give them a catechesis in which children can more readily understand the meaning of the mission the Pope offers and why it is in the land of mission.
- To give the children a profound religious experience with the MTA in her Shrine.
The Congress was held for the entire day and the motto was: Yes, missionary disciples of Christ, like you, Mary, today.
Dance for Mother in the Shrine
The first activity was a tribute to Mother in Her Shrine. The children danced typical Chilean dances before the Queen. During the tribute the children placed flowers in a vase that they had prepared as a spiritual gift for Her. The flowers were symbolic of areas in their lives that the children had overcome for Her.
After the tribute of gratitude to the MTA in her Shrine, they went to the hall for a brief activity that placed the children in the Genesis of creation and in the disobedience of Adam and Eve, which brought about the sin that separated them from God the Father.
They were shown the missionary aspect of Mary when She gave Her, "Yes," at the moment of the Annunciation. From this historic moment all the world was transformed into a land of mission and of conquest for God.
Finally it was explained to the children that the land in mission is in three real-life places:
- In the land of their own heart.
- In the land of their own family.
- In the land that is the Church and the Nation.
It was a joy for everyone to see that these children followed the program with much interest and participation. Monitors helped with the dynamics and in traveling through the different important places of Bellavista. Of course they also had a delicious dessert or sweetmeat!
A missionary rosary
Each child made a missionary rosary with colored paper as a handicraft activity. In the photos they are seen engaged and entertained.
The first Congress ended with a Holy Mass of missionary sending forth. During the Mass each child committed to a resolution that he/she could choose and he/she was given a small handkerchief printed with the motto as a symbol of the commitment and mission. The commitment read: "Yes, like You Mary"
I commit to:
- Make my bed
- To help my mother
- To please Jesus by participating in Holy Mass
After the Eucharist the children were sent forth as missionaries to conquer the land of their hearts, their family, and the Church. After the blessing, a rosary of balloons was released that contained the missionary commitment of each child as a gift of love for Jesus and his Mother. The children and all those present enjoyed seeing the rosary rise to the sky. The Congress was truly a very beautiful experience for everyone. The purpose of this first Congress was to begin the preparation for the bicentennial of the Independence of Chile. In 2010 we want to give Chile a nation renewed in the faith and the love of Jesus and his Mother through the children.
Translation: Celina Garza, Harlingen, TX, USA / amj