A once in a lifetime trip

Encounter around the Original Shrine – at the end of February

En San Pedro, Roma, junto con su Santiago, uno de los misioneros en Roma At St. Peter’s, Rome, together with Santiago, one of the missionaries in Rome Auf dem Petersplatz zusammen mit Santiago, einem der Schönstatt-Missionare in Rom
En los Jardines Vaticanos At the Vatican gardens In den Vatikanischen Gärten
En el Santuario Cor Ecclesiae, con JM de Roma, y el Padre Ludovico Tedeschi At the Cor Ecclesiae Shrine, together with Men’s Youth from Rome, and Fr.Ludovico Tedeschi Beim Cor Ecclesiae-Heiligtum zusammen mit SMJ aus Rom und Pater Ludovico Tedeschi
Ermita en los Jardines Vaticanos Wayside Shrine in the Vatican Gardens Bildstock in den Vatikanischen Gärten Fotos: GM Roma © 2008

SCHOENSTATT, MKF. On February 28th at noon, three young men from Córdoba rang the doorbell at the Press Office: Cito Tey, Lucas Aliaga, and Javier Malbrán from the Boys’ Youth of Córdoba, Argentina! "We are looking for Father José Maria Garcia", they said, "He does not answer the telephone…" He cannot answer, because at this moment he is Córdoba, Argentina! Laughter, and then a question: "Ah, we thought that he could find a place for us to stay tonight? Between a cappuccino and a phone call, the problem was solved, and the three could begin to enjoy this sunny afternoon in Schoenstatt.

They took advantage of their vacation time to make what they called "the trip of a lifetime," a tour of Europe, "Where Schoenstatt had to be included of course!" They are group brothers of the two Argentinean missionaries who are in Rome: they already visited them, and spent some days in Rome, where as Gonzalo Crespo writes, "They stayed at the ace headquarters of the Boy’s Youth in Italy (our apartment in the Tiburtina area). The great gift was thanks to a friend of Schoenstatt who is a lawyer at the Vatican. They were able to go together to the Vatican Gardens, a very exclusive place, and they had their moment of prayer in front of the Lourdes grotto, where our Pope Benedict consecrates himself to Mary every day. Walking through this beautiful place where John Paul II also prayed and meditated, we encountered a surprise…a MTA Wayside Shrine!! She is the great missionary, and she works the founding miracles from this simple wooden wayside shrine."

Sisters of Mary on the train!

On the train traveling to Schoenstatt they met two Sisters of Mary from Liebfrauenhohe, Sister Silva and Sister Janika. They gave them directions of how to get to Schoenstatt so they arrived without getting lost. Upon entering Sonnenau, to her surprise Sister Thereslitha received greetings from her aunt, Sister Silva! At the same time, Lucas Aliaga was happy to meet Christel Sinnhuber, Sister Lisann’s sister: My aunt and uncle were in Sonnenau and they spoke affectionately about Sister Lisann!"

The first visit in Schoenstatt was to the Original Shrine. "We have seen so many postcards, so many photos of this place, and now we are here…it is a dream," says one of them. "We are truly on the way to the Original Shrine…" "It is so small, so simple, so humble, and the source of something so great," adds another one. What other person besides the MTA could organize it so Sister Beatriz appears precisely when we arrive at the Original Shrine? She helped them with "everything about Mount Schoenstatt." On their map of the place, there are other places: the Family Shrine, Mount Sion (with the seminarians of the Schoenstatt Fathers), and the House of the Boys’ Youth…After several hours, they return from their time in Schoenstatt. Early on February 29^th they were off traveling again to other places in Europe…

More visits

During the week there were several other groups visiting Schoenstatt: students from Belgium at House Sonnenau for a retreat, mothers from the Diocese of Trier at House Marienland for different conferences, a young couple with their son, and a pilgrimage from Gymnich, the place of Father Kentenich’s birth.

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