Persons like him, never leave

Father Horacio Sosa Carbó (1944-2007): a father for many, prophet of the Father Prophet

“Realmente se nos fué un gran Padre y Profeta.” “Really, a great Father and Prophet has left us.” “In der Tag, ein großer Vater und Prophet ist von uns gegangen.” Foto: Walter Almada © 2008
“El Padre Horacio me regaló las alas de la libertad...” “Father Horacio gave me the wings of freedom” “Pater Horacio hat mir die Flügel der Freiheit geschenkt.” Foto: Neiser © 2008
„Lo más kentenijiano desde que hablé con el P. Kentenich” “The most Kentenich-like since I spoke personally with Fr. Kentenich” “So klar und pur Kentenich hatte ich nicht mehr gehört, seit ich selbst mit Pater Kentenich gesprochen habe.” Foto: Martín © 2008

ARGENTINA, mkf. "Persons like him, never leave," writes Marita Unchalo. "They stay with us through their reflections, example, teachings, and their unconditional giving of self. They leave us with a great deal, what more can we ask for?" This is one of the almost forty testimonies that were spontaneously written in the days following the death of Father Horacio Sosa Carbó, on December 20, 2007.

"Father Horacio, as a beloved spiritual son of the Founding Father, made me see that the essence of God is to be a father. He made me understand the freedom of children of God. He also knew how to give peace, love, and joy. He was consumed by being of service to his brothers. He mercifully educated, he especially helped me to fight, as he was in the habit of saying, ‘that little Pharisee that we all carry within ourselves.’ I would be untruthful if [I said] his absence didn’t hurt me, and I still haven’t calmed down. I would like to enjoy his presence now, and I know that he wouldn’t like these words," writes Roberto Liñares, from Buenos Aires, expressing what many feel. "But he taught me to be authentic, and in this way, I am honoring him. Eternal gratitude to a ‘big’ person, who also walked through this land doing good deeds. He was a great son of the BLESSED MOTHER, AN OUTSTANDING DISCIPLE OF Father Kentenich, a luminous missionary of the Redeemer. I embrace you with my heart, Father Horacio. I ask you to forgive me if I did not understand you at times, and I ask that you accompany me, because I need your closeness."

With fire and tenderness, with strength and mercy

"I was able to attend the Mass in the Church of God the Father and Zion along with the Family from Parana, of Entre Rios, and from the standpoint of love it was something different. There was love in the air, that love of the memories that sprouted in this moment from the hearts that were sown by this man of God, who was always firm during any kind of consultation, who if he thought with his head the response was submerged in love and understanding. And from this profound sorrow for those of us who are Schoenstatt, we must follow his way," writes Santiago Escobar, a young servant at the Shrine of New Schoenstatt. There was love in the air – love, sorrow, gratitude, commitment. Persons like him, never leave. Missions like his, do not disappear either. "Yesterday afternoon under a radiant sun that was announcing Christmas, we bid farewell to our beloved Father Horacio with a Holy Mass at the Church of God the Father that was completely full, and then with a heartfelt prayer and songs, in the Shrine of Zion," writes Father Javier Arteaga, National Director of the Schoenstatt Movement in Argentina. "Many of you could come close to participate in the burial; and many have called us and written from all over the country and the exterior to manifest their sorrow and their hope. Father Horacio, as a loyal son of the Founding Father, shared his charism of Father and Prophet. He helped us to discover the merciful and loyal face of God the Father, and he heightened the love, confidence, and a solid hope of children in our lives. But he not only helped us to be children; moreover, he taught us to grow to become mature children, mothers and fathers, prophets of the paternity of the Founding Father. He opened a broad horizon to grow firmly in the God of Life and to live life passionately with our good God. For that reason, yesterday we heard time and again: ‘thank you Father Horacio, thank you!’ I also want to tell you and all the Schoenstatt communities ‘Thank You,’ for your prayers, greeting, and expressions of closeness. Yesterday all the Schoenstatt Family was here, manifesting our faith, unity, and victorious hope like a large Family of the Father."

"During the wake, as I looked at him, I recalled the face of the Founding Father in the Church of the Holy Trinity on September 1968…Both were united by something much deeper than their physical appearance, which Father Horacio showed with his beard; it was that he was in love with Mary ‘passing’ through the heart and the thinking of Father Kentenich. Through the years this identity with the Father of Zion was more intense and I would say prophetic," commented Father Alberto Eronti, a course brother. "His doctor told me ‘he died on his terms.’ He did not know how to take care of himself and he lived (and died) taking care of the luminous and impertinent, attractive and provocative words of Joseph Kentenich. That is how he loved the Word of Jesus and he only knew how to announce it with fire and tenderness, with strength and mercy."

To maintain the prophetic message of the Prophet’s young

"For the course brothers, the Verbum Patris, it meant losing the youngest of the eight after losing Esteban Uriburu, the oldest one nine years ago. Both of them were outstanding for a strong prophetic sense that helped to keep the prophetic message of the Prophet, our Father, young. Father Horacio felt that he was an instrument of God to illuminate from truth and divine mercy," commented Father Antonio Cosp. He went about conquering the world for the MTA, making it popular and streamlining Schoenstatt by enriching it with a current of life and graces in the Rosary Campaign, awakening the prophetic mission consciousness of Father Kentenich, making the mission understood and lived: "Do not forget family, that your father was a prophet. Do not forget, Zion, that your father was a prophet. Do not forget, community, federation, and league, that your father was a prophet, [a] Prophetic Father with a large mission. Do not forget, that is, remember, so that this memory will be awakened, so that this memory will stimulate you, so that this memory of your prophet will never allow you to become discouraged that is so typical in this world, at this time, in the defeatist resignation of many.

May you always be lifted up by the loving memory of your prophet father. Don’t allow yourselves to become disappointed no matter what you see, do not be disappointed in yourself, nor in your worldwide family, anywhere, nor in any discussion or deception. He is the spirit who makes us loyal: Don’t forget that your father was a prophet. May the memory of your Father awaken you, and make you very simple, very courageous, like your Father, to love the Church greatly, and to be prophet of the Church, misunderstood, but respectful, always loving…" as he said in a conference at New Schoenstatt in 1992.

Be passionate for Schoenstatt

"Father Horacio lives more than ever in the hearts of those of us who had the grace of ‘stealing’ his heart; his noble, loyal, whole, heart full of love, ardent for Schoenstatt, unconditional [love] for the great Father and prophet, Joseph Kentenich, and who time and again impressed me with his childlike heart, while at the same time having a Father’s heart. A man of an impressive intelligence, who loved languages, and because of this I conversed with him. I discussed, disagreed with him and these were moments of joy for the soul and the intellect. I remember having spent hours with him discussing the meaning of a word such as conscious, which of course, is not the same as conscience. And the famous ‘obvious ones’…Or when he perfectly imitated Joseph Kentenich’s dialect…he always asked me to speak German, his paternal language, without the tone of Cordoba, and many times he tested me to corroborate how I worked, " says Angeles Rucci, of the Mothers’ Federation. "When I met him, it changed my life as a Schoenstatter. I have one of the first events in which I participated ingrained in my mind; after ten years of being a rebel and keeping a distance from anything that had to do with religion or the Church, he, as well, as Isabel Mujica encouraged the participants to confront Kentenich, to question him, and to discuss with him, to submerge ourselves in his manner of critical thinking, which was never passive or comfortable… key words that activated a passion for this little known personality in me, and whom was I willing to challenge? Joseph Kentenich. It was crazy; a priest was inviting me to challenge another priest, something that had never happened in my experience in church, it was like science fiction. That day my attachment to God changed radically, it helped to break the barriers of egoism, fear, of the ‘legal,’ of the famous ‘I could care less,’ and I was submerged in a sea of dialogue and love with a personal God, FATHER, REDEEMER, LOVE…I think that is what nourished my interest day by day to learn more about Joseph Kentenich, a person of courageous thinking, one who was different, who responded disconcertingly…"

"Sincerely words aren’t enough to describe all that he was and will be for always in our hearts, but I can say that he was the first priest, who I met in the Shrine through a talk that he presented to the mothers of the Copello School about the Holy Spirit. It was a ‘strategy.’ He talked about the many virtues of the Third Person of the Holy Trinity, but there was one that was ingrained in me. With all his intelligence and with the interior freedom that characterized him he said: ‘The Holy Spirit is the ‘subversive element of the Holy Trinity!’ It is He who moves everything.’ That is how he spoke, without double talk, like when he also told us… ‘What is, is, and what is not, is not,’ and another one of his saying was: ‘even if truth is a minority of one, the truth is always the truth,’ commented Rita Bueno. "He always encouraged us to be on the ‘front line of the battle field,’ we continue to go there, even when he’s no longer physically with us, " says Silvia Ansin. "We know he is with us, in our notes, in the taped talks, but above in our hearts."

He made me passionate for Schoenstatt, he taught me to understand its true dimension, which is to be an instrument and to have a mission and many more things, " commented Marita Unchalo. While the Schoenstatt Family moves towards the Centennial of the Covenant of Love and the canonization of its Founder, we ask that he continue to act from heaven so that many will become passionate for Schoenstatt.

At the burial, Quitito Asencio, his companion from Parana said: Rest in peace? Surely not, the mission has just begun.

Translation: Celina Garza, Harlingen, TX, USA/amj