The Lord has conquered the chains of death, now nothing is impossible for us because He has risen

An abundant variety of activities during Holy Week in Schoenstatt

Jóvenes de la Republica Checa, con la Hna M. Lenka Youth from the Czech Republic, with Sister M. Lenka Junge Frauen aus der Tschechischen Republik mit Schw. M. Lenka Foto: Sr. Damiana Czogala © 2008
Liturgia de la Pasion en la Iglesia de Peregrinos Good Friday Liturgy in the Pilgrims’ Church Karfreitagsliturgie in der Pilgerkirche Foto: Sr. Anne-Meike Brück © 2008
Domingo de Ramos Palm Sunday Palmsonntag
Liturgia de la Pasión, en castellano Good Friday Liturgy, in Spanish Spanische Karfreitagsliturgie
Búsqueda de huevos Easter egg hunt Ostereiersuche
En el Santuario Original, domingo de Pascua Easter Sunday in the Original Shrine Ostersonntag im Urheiligtum Fotos: POS Fischer © 2008 Álbum de fotos – photo album – Fotoalbum

SCHOENSTATT, mkf. All of Schoenstatt was covered with snow, temperatures were below zero and the most courageous spring flowers ran the risk of freezing during the cold nights. Winter and spring, darkness and light, sorrow and joy. Good Friday and Resurrection: two faces of the same coin called salvation, called: Jesus, God who suffered for me, who suffered for us, and who suffers in each person suffering today; God who rose for us, for me, and is resurrected in each person who conquers suffering through joy, frustration, through the giving of self, egoism, through selfless service, selflessness through love, and the gathering storm through retelling the stories of God with us.

Just as on Good Friday during the Liturgy of the Spanish speaking Schoenstatt Family, everyone who suffers today in countries at war, broken families, and everyone who endures illness, hunger, poverty, and loneliness was taken spiritually to the cross. On Holy Saturday they went out along with Mary to take Easter joy to entire world!

The winter weather (or Christmas weather, as many commented) did not hamper many people who arrived from all parts of Germany to participate in conferences, retreats, and liturgies, nor did it hamper the great number of pilgrims from Switzerland, Spain, Brazil, Ecuador, Chile, Mexico, the United States, Argentina, Paraguay…from experiencing a blessed and unique Holy Week in Schoenstatt.

When the Girls’ Youth from Germany left House Sonnenau on Holy Thursday, a group of Girls’ Youth from Switzerland arrived for their Easter retreat. Some girls from Germany spent the Easter days on retreat. There was an Easter retreat for couples in the Family House, and just as there is every year, there was a marriage preparation seminar on Mount Moriah.

Four youth from the Czech Republic – two Kristinas, Lucie, and Anexa – who are leaders of the Girls’ Youth in their country, along with Sister M. Lenka, spent this week in Schoenstatt to deepen their Schoenstatt spirituality. Currently in the Czech Republic, there are a total of one hundred girls in the Girls’ Youth.

Several liturgies, each one with its own style

After a brief introduction to Holy Week in common during the Covenant Mass, several liturgies were celebrated each one with its own style. Apart from the liturgies of the closed groups, there were classic liturgies in the Adoration Church, liturgies concentrated on families with children (Pilgrims’ Church), and liturgies for the Spanish-speaking pilgrims (Pilgrims’ House).

On Palm Sunday there was a procession with "palms"(in Germany box tree branches are used instead of palms) in the Pilgrims’ Church; they were decorated with roses and red ribbons. The children felt honored to be chosen the carry the larger and most beautiful "palms" to accompany Jesus.

Meanwhile on Good Friday many German families and their children went to the Pilgrims’ Church for the Liturgy of the Passion and others went to the Adoration Church. The Pilgrims’ House Chapel was filled with about sixty people from Spain and other different Latin America countries. Among this group, there was a large group of couples and their children from Spain.

The Liturgy of the Passion was experienced more deeply than other years

It was Maria A.’s, from Madrid, idea to call Father Patricio Moore ahead of time to ask about the possibility of Easter liturgies in Spanish. "I understand German," she said, "but I thought about the many people who would be in Schoenstatt, and they would not understand any of the German liturgies." It was a great joy to her when she found out that the seminarians of the Schoenstatt Fathers would take charge of the choir for the Liturgy of the Passion and for the Easter Vigil.

Was it the invitation of Father Patricio Moore to take to the cross of Him, who died for me, during the Veneration of the Cross, all those personal crosses as well as the crosses of those who suffer because of war, illness, loneliness, and abandonment? Was it the profound songs, heartily sung by the seminarians, or the joy of being able to celebrate the most profound mysteries of faith in Schoenstatt and in our own language? Afterwards, many people commented that it was the most profound Liturgy of the Passion that they had experienced many years…

Witnesses and bearers of the light of Christ

The Schoenstatt Fathers’ seminarians concluded a truly apostolic week with the Easter Vigil in the place of origin – since they departed early Sunday morning for Rome. "But it was a joy and an honor for us to do it," said Pope Perira from Parguay, as he bid farewell. "It is the mission we have."

A few minutes before lighting the Easter fire, the team from the regional TV Channel appeared to do some filming. The two young men were impressed by the atmosphere that reigned in the place. "We have never been in a church celebration with so many children," said one of them. After the readings (which they did not understand, since they were read in Spanish) the other one commented: "It was a very strong religious experience for me… It makes one think about one’s relationship with God."

Again there were about sixty people present – this time there were also some families who live close to Schoenstatt – along with many children. Everyone devoutly and emotionally followed the Vigil, and they allowed themselves to be infused with the Easter joy, which was strongly transmitted through the songs. During his homily, Father Patricio Moore referred to Chiara Lubich in a very thoughtful manner and the founding of the Focolare Movement "around the fire." On nights during the war when there was no light, she and her companions gathered around the light of a fire – "foco" in Italian. This process of life not only gave this movement its name; more importantly it is the symbol of its spirituality. It is something that is experienced every Easter Night, he continued, from where we gather in the darkness around the new fire, it is the symbol of the light of the resurrection light of Christ –the light that we bear to the dark chapel to illuminate it.

May we be bearers and witnesses of this light, a light that will never be extinguished:

The Lord has conquered the chains of death, now nothing is impossible for us because He has risen.

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