Mary calls from the Shrine

Light the Schoenstatt fire in the heart of the Church, in Rome

Entrevista en la Oficina de Prensa en Schoenstatt Interview in the Press Office Schoenstatt Interview im PressOffice Schönstatt
Santiago (izq.) y Gonzalo, ambos de Córdoba, Argentina Santiago (left) and Gonzalo, both from Córdoba, Argentina Santiago (l) und Gonzalo, beide aus Córdoba, Argentina
Cabí de Asunción, Paraguay Cabí from Asunción, Paraguay Cabí aus Asunción, Paraguay
Fabrizio, de Roma Fabrizio, from Rome Fabrizio aus Rom
Gino, italiano com madre alemana Gino, Italian with a German mother Gino, Italiener mit deutscher Mutter
Generación fundadora Founder Generation Gründergeneration Fotos: POS Fischer © 2008 Álbum de fotos – photo album – Fotoalbum

ITALY, mkf. "The first sodalists, the founding generation, to found Schoenstatt:" these words awaken the memory of names, histories, the fire of commitment, and radical self-giving, a pure love for Mary in her Shrine, of a Schoenstatt in the strength and radiation of first love… It isn’t necessary to take a trip through time by returning to October 18^th to live it. In the middle of Europe, in the heart of the church, in Rome, it exists. Five young men – two Italians, two Argentineans, and a Paraguayan - give testimony to the Schoenstatt Spring time in Rome.

What motivates a young man of twenty-eight who is a lawyer to leave his country, his family, his friends to give a year of his life to the founding of the Schoenstatt Youth in Rome? What? Gonzalo Crespo from Cordoba, Argentina, smiles, "Mary calls you from the Shrine sowing missions in your heart…and now the mission was Rome." Rome, heart of the church, a plan that’s so important for Schoenstatt, and "this fire for Schoenstatt didn’t exist; this was the first call. Mary needed a place, a place in the heart of the church to found Schoenstatt."

Santiago who is twenty-three years old and an agronomical engineer also from Cordoba prayed a great deal, and he made many contributions to the Capital of Grace before making the decision. But it isn’t just something personal, he stresses. "We feel that, as youth, we went to Rome as representatives of the youth from our regions: Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay. The missionary stream is very strong in our youth, now hundreds of youth from Cordoba, as well as from Buenos Aires, and Paraguay are on mission in different places of the country; they are university missionaries who go out to sow Schoenstatt. However, it’s one thing to go to Henderson or Sauce de Luna and another to go to Rome, isn’t it? Yes, and it’s different to go with one hundred youth than with three. However, Rome called us. On May 31^st, the current to return motivated us, and the presence of our Father in Rome! The Pope, and what Rome means for the Church and for Schoenstatt all of this impelled us. There’s the presence of the Blessed Mother in Rome, there are Shrines, but there’re no youth. We want to contribute our little bit along with the priests and the former missionaries, so that Schoenstatt will one day be strongly established in Rome and from there in Italy and the universal Church."

Cabi from Paraguay admits that he hasn’t been in Schoenstatt very long, but it’s this recent experience with Schoenstatt that gave him the impetus to go out as a missionary: "It is the Covenant of Love with the Blessed Mother that motivates you, she’s asking something of you, she’s asking for your yes. The mission in Rome is nothing other than a ‘Yes’ to the Blessed Mother in the Covenant of love. I am in Rome to share what I experienced: my experience of the Covenant of Love and my experience with Schoenstatt where I discovered what I lacked in faith; I come from a family that is more or less religious, but I never felt like I feel now in Schoenstatt! When I found out that missionaries were needed, that youth were needed in Rome, I volunteered to give my testimony, so that many other youth can know Schoenstatt. We were sent to Rome, but I believe that there are other places where we should also spread the love for the Blessed Mother."

Many contributions to the Capital of Grace

It meant making many contributions to the Capital of Grace, Gonzalo admits: "The effort of leaving your life in Argentina and making a new life …But it’s also a great gift: We are founding Schoenstatt through many avenues – one is in the parish of the Fathers, another is the area of the Italian youth and founding of the Boys’ Youth, creating projects altogether, dreaming." His most important experience until now was "to participate in the Covenant of Love of the first group of Boys’ Youth from Rome, the first Covenant of Love of the Boys’ Youth in the International Shrine of Belmonte giving their hearts to the Blessed Mother. It reminded me of the first sodalists; even more so now that I am at Schoenstatt in the Original Shrine; it’s like the first sodalists – they allied themselves and they gave their hearts to the Blessed Mother on October 18^th, and this is how the dream that is Schoenstatt was born. Father Kentenich wanted a return current to take Schoenstatt everywhere, now it takes it to Rome." The Covenant of Love of these boys is very important he adds, "because Rome is very important, it’s the heart of the Church; Italy is in Europe in the center of the west. In Italy you encounter many people from all over the world, of all languages, and the Blessed Mother wants to be here to ‘expand,’ to place her gaze, her affection on more and more people." For Santiago at the missionary level, the most important experience was to experience the presence of Schoenstatt in the parish where the Schoenstatt Fathers are in charge. "To be at the service of the Church, that is the mission of Schoenstatt!" On a personal level he stresses the personal bonds with the boys who made the Covenant of Love and the encounter with the Pope when they approached him carrying the picture of the Blessed Mother, with the Pilgrim MTA, which they carry everywhere they go in Rome, as well as in Schoenstatt where they arrived after Christmas. Cabi also stresses "the bonds that we are making." The first days he was only in Rome, since he arrived before the two Argentineans and in the midst of vacation time. It wasn’t easy, but: "The boys arrived, and I quickly found myself making friends with each one. I left many friends in Paraguay. I left a family, but I feel at home. The Blessed Mother continues to give us things," he says, accompanied by the laughter of the others especially when referring to the food or about the man from the parish that gave each one a sleeping bag before they left for Germany. "Our family is here in Rome," Cabi summarized their experiences.

A Servant of Mary will never perish

What does the Covenant of Love mean for the youth from Italy? Gino from Genoa who is studying in Rome, says: "We encountered the Covenant of Love without knowing too much, the Blessed Mother called us without us realizing it. We encountered good people, we encountered good things, and everything came all of a sudden. The Fathers arrived, who we met at the International University Mass, then the missionaries… It was the Blessed Mother who called us and we’re very happy! We’re learning about Schoenstatt; it’s a large and strong movement, which will help us to do big things. We feel close to all the Schoenstatt Family in the Covenant of Love; it was wonderful to know that so many people wrote letters to us and prayed for us."

Fabrizio Usai is from Rome, and he lives a few blocks from the Sisters’ Shrine; his parents belong to the Communion and Liberation Movement. He decided for Schoenstatt, "because it’s Marian and especially because it has the Shrine."

"For me the Covenant of Love was a very important stage in my spiritual life," he says. "Everything started in 2005 when I was seeking something in the Church to give myself totally to Christ. In Rome there are many movements and congregations, and it isn’t easy to choose among them all. I met Father Ludovico, who didn’t talk to me about Schoenstatt; rather he spoke of the experiences with God, friendship, of a way of life of faith, of giving ourselves entirely to Mary as educator and Victress. And I went along with the Schoenstatt mission without knowing anything about Schoenstatt. I think that’s the greatest thing, the best way to propose a way without setting rules, without proposing a friendship, it’s a way to set out together. A year later I had the grace of experiencing an encounter with Mary and the Shrine along with the missionaries from Madrid. My Covenant of Love was my gift to the Blessed Mother. My question was always: What can I do for Christ? How can I be an instrument for the Church? Then Father Ludovico spoke to me about the Covenant of Love…With time I discovered that it was such a large gift to discover faith in faith, to discover all that Christ wants to give you in a new way, and the greatest strength that Schoenstatt has is the Shrine. It’s something that only Schoenstatt has. The Shrine is in Germany, in so many cities, and in the heart of each Schoenstatter."

Enthusiastically he stresses: "The Covenant of Love is the greatest! The challenge now is to found it – with the Father, the Sisters, with my sister who is the first member of the Girls’ Youth – everything: to found is everything! That’s why we must be an example and build the kingdom of God; we are instruments of the Blessed Mother. The phrase that I like the best is the Latin phrase in the Shrine: Servus Mariae nunquam peribit, A Servant of Mary will never perish. I remember this phrase at all times – at work, in my daily life. Mary helps me with everything from the Shrine."

The next 10 years

The Belmonte Shrine was blessed ten years before the Schoenstatt Centennial of 2014. "In 2014 I foresee the Belmonte Shrine full, full, full of pilgrims, and of people already rooted in Schoenstatt with youth, with Gino, Fabrizio – I don’t know if we will be married or not or with children, youth, life groups, youth who are preparing to seal their Covenant of Love, or those who will seal their Covenant of Love," says Gonzalo. "It’s a dream and going to become a reality. We want the Pope to feel the presence of Schoenstatt in Rome and that Schoenstatt will be at the service of the Church with its charism, offering everything to the Church. We have to work for this, but I have a lot of faith."

After Dachau and his exile, the Founding Father knew that the Blessed Mother was victorious," said Santiago. "We know that it isn’t the missionaries who do everything; but it’s the Blessed Mother. She is the great missionary, She will work miracles – we see this day by day when we take our Pilgrim MTA through Rome. It’s a joy to see the Rosary Campaign growing throughout Italy. It’s very strong. The people are meeting the Blessed Mother. In 2014 there will be many, many more Schoenstatt people throughout Italy, and the youth will also grow. I’m sure that some day we’ll see a Schoenstatt Youth as strong as Chile’s, Argentina’s or the other South American countries."

Cabi already thinks like a real Italian and he dreams of a "Saint Peter’s Square full, full of Italian people, not only the pilgrims from South America or Europe! The Blessed Mother will accompany the youth in this growth. We’ll help her with the Capital of Grace, and with the Covenant of Love that’s lived, and through our testimony because this is contagious. I dream about a strong Boys’ Youth, who will become saints wherever they go. May Schoenstatt in Italy have future saints, future black crosses as a testimony that Schoenstatt has truly reached the heart of the Church."

Fabrizio hopes that the Movement will grow and "that we will speak about this experience, about the Shrine, of being brave and struggling for the faith during this time. And with each year that passes I want to always remember the beginning, so that my Schoenstatt won’t become a club where I feel good, go to the Shrine to pray, but rather I want to be a light!"

He also has the vision of uniting all the Movements with their different charisms together to build the kingdom of God against the relativism of our time. What’s his greatest desire for 2014? "To be loyal and strong in our charism or ideal!"

Gino returns to that time of confusion that is not easy for the youth. "From Schoenstatt, we can offer the youth points of reference. There are many proposals and we want to offer the option of living as Catholics, because we have a Schoenstatt Family throughout the world; we can help each other mutually and together we can do great things."

Thirst for God

Before such great visions, the question arises: "What are you doing now to accomplish those dreams for 2014?" Gonzalo mentions three fronts with regard to the youth.

First Front: the boys. What he noticed was there are no adolescents in the parish. So they carried out a parish catechesis (the "first one in my life") "it was very beautiful to see how the children fell in love with the picture of Mary, because we took the Pilgrim MTA. Everyone touched and kissed it… The life within Schoenstatt has much to offer to parish life!" Of course we hope that groups of pioneers will come from these groups of catechesis!

Second Front: the university students. With the Emmaus Project, there are students from many countries in Rome a well as Italians. Father Ludovico invites them to the International Mass, which he founded with a German Schoenstatt student. This Mass now takes place at the Fathers’ parish.

Third Front: Secondary students, the boys between fourteen to sixteen years of age. We want to have a retreat for them in April. "A Testimony of Life will be difficult because the language and culture is different. But the idea is proven. It’s something that began in Cordoba, by Father Javier Arteaga, and he took it to Paraguay, Buenos Aires, and other places, to Madrid, to Lisbon, and now to Chile. It’s a very powerful retreat, the boys will hear the testimony of each person in charge, about what Christ, the Blessed Mother, the Shrine, and Schoenstatt means to them. We ask for prayers for this project so that it’ll be a source of life and groups."

Gino summarized it masterfully: "There’s a great thirst for God in all of Europe; we have to go out to meet this thirst for God, and give a response to this thirst; we have to give life with God in an intense manner through Schoenstatt."

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