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Jornada en Caáguazú: Reunión con las coordinadores de la Campaña del Rosario Meeting in Caáguazú: interview with the coordinators of the Schoenstatt Rosary Campaign Schönstatt-Treffen in Caáguazú: Besprechung mit den Koordinatoren der Kampagne der Pilgernden Gottesmutter |
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Taller Workshop Workshop |
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Se prepara la entrega de imagenes peregrinas Preparing for the commissioning of Pilgrim MTA’s Vorbereitung auf die Überreichung von Bildern der Pilgernden Gottesmutter |
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Los Misioneros llegaron de varias localidades de ese departamento. The missionaries came from different places in this district Die Missionare kamen aus verschiedenen Orten dieses Bezirks |
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Antes de la bendición de la ermita Before the blessing of the wayside shrine Vor der Einweihung des Bildstocks |
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El P. Antonio Cosp (der.) con el parroco del lugar, el Padre Otazúa Father Antonio Cosp (right) with the parish priest, Fr. Otazúa Pater Antonio Cosp (re.) im Gespräch mit Pfarrer Otazúa Fotos: Alvarenga © 2007 |
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PARAGUA, Ana Maria and Luis Alvarenga. In olden days the city of Caáguazú was characterized by its impenetrable forests and its noble and dense vegetation; this is what its name means in Guaraní: caá - big; guazú – forest. Today the situation is different as there are almost no forests any more, but the soil continues to be fertile and the soil of the desiring hearts of its inhabitants is even more fertile. For that reason when two gardeners of the Blessed Mother departed from the Schoenstatt Land of Ciudad del Este to sow several seeds in only one afternoon, the crop was abundant. The first fruits are being haversted…
After his visit to Ciudad del Este, where he gave a conference to the Schoenstatt Family – a sort of closing of the year’s activities retreat -, and a retreat for the Family Movement, Father Antonio Cops, on his way back to Asuncion, together with a group of leaders of the Campaign from Ciudad del Este, on November 4 visited Caáguazú, which lies between Ciudad del Este and Asuncion. The group consisted of Ana and Luis Alvarenga, Coordinators of the Schoenstatt Rosary Campaign, Pichina and Jorge Ferreira, of the Schoenstatt Family Branco in Ciudad del Este, and Lichi and Nelson Pérez, members of the Federation of Families, who help with the Schoenstatt Rosary Campaign. ¡Nelson Pérez is the only guitar placer of the local family, so he is easily to spot and his presence always much needed!
During the month of August a workshop-talk about the Home Shrine was presented, led by Lichi Pérez and Mima Cardona, a lady from Ciudad del Este who moved to Asuncion, and continues to help with the Campaign. On the same afternoon the new coordinators of Caaguazu, Mati, Yennil and Milú were elected with the majority of votes; they committed to building a Wayside Shrine. And the living water of the Holy Spirit watered the fertile soil and in October the Wayside Shrine flourished; just as it happened 93 years ago in the Original Shrine in Schoenstatt, the Blessed Mother again wanted to establish herself in this place of grace.
…and the plant grew and gave fruits
The objectives of the pilgrimage that set out on November 4 – with the Auxiliary, Fr. Antonio, and the group from Ciudad del Este, were the blessing of 10 Home Shrines, the commissioning of five Pilgrim MTA’s and Father Antonio’s encounter with the new Coordinators and Father Otazúa, a Franciscan, parish priest from Caaguazú.
The afternoon was radiant; the missionaries arrived from the various areas of this region. When the Auxiliary arrived everyone wanted to be the Blessed Mother’s arms and legs and with singing they arrived to the wayside shrine; small tables with the home shrine symbols that would be blessed were placed in front of it.
The water from the lake at the beloved Schoenstatt land and the photo of the Shrine as an indisputable reflection of the founding force that this place irradiates were some of the symbols that were blessed, too. The wayside shrine was blessed, the home shrines of the missionaries were blessed, and the new missionaries received the Pilgrim MTA.
Father, you are the sower, and I am a sower in you
It is impossible to describe with words the emotions that we experienced: the faith of a simple people, who are deeply in solidarity, who now have the Blessed Mother with a little forest beside her where she will guide them like a bridge to God the Father.
This year, the Father and Founcer, went out to walk several times accompanied by his instruments who undoubtedly told him: ‘FATHER HERE I AM, YOUR MISSION, MY MISSION".
Translation: Celina Garza, Harlingen, TX, USA