"I have called you by name, and you are Mine."

Seven young women answered God’s call to enter the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary community on March 2^nd, 2008

Procesión de entrada Entrance procession Feierlicher Einzug
Lectura – en ingles; en el fondo sacerdotes de todos los continentes Reading – in English; in the background priests from all continents Lesung – in Englisch; im Hintergrund sieht man Priester aus allen Erdteilen
Artistas filipinas; en el fondo el coro de la Juventud Femenina Artists from the Philippines; in the background the choir of the Girls’ Youth Künstler von den Philippinen; im Hintergrund der Chor der Mädchenjugend
Novicias de Kenia y Alemania: peticiones Novices from Kenya and Germany during the petitions of the faithful Novizinnen aus Kenia und Deutschland bei den Fürbitten
Sopresa de la juventud: globos Surprise – balloons with congratulations Überraschung der Jugendlichen: Luftballons mit Glückwünschen
Fotos: POS Fischer © 2008 Álbum de fotos – photo album – Fotoalbum

SCHOENSTATT, Melissa Ann Schmid. Within the great fortress walls of the Adoration Church, hundreds of people stood waiting in complete silence. Suddenly, the magnificent church bells rang loud and clear announcing the arrival of seven beautiful brides of Christ. A large procession of family members carrying flags, priests, the novices, and the celebrants moved reverently to the Alter as music from four heavenly choirs heralded them in. The Eucharistic Celebration of the Solemn Reception into the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary on this day of March 2^nd, 2008 had begun!

"Welcome one and all, especially welcome to the seven novices! And let us rejoice on this Laetare Sunday!" The main celebrant, Msgr. Hermann Zimmerer, General Director of the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary, showed his appreciation to the congregation for the support of the novices. Everyone had come to celebrate with the seven novices as they entered the Sisters of Mary community. The novices were dressed from head to toe in elegant white gowns, and flowers were intricately woven in their hair. They radiated with beauty, but not just physically. Anyone could see Christ’s light shining forth from them.

"It is truly a beautiful wedding," Edit Babik, a young woman from Hungary observed, "The decision they are making is so important, and it is a sign to us all. They are witnesses to the faith in their deep relationships with God." As the novices commit themselves to God through the Sisters of Mary, they answer God’s call. He called each one of them by name, and like Mary, they said "yes".

A heart-felt message from Msgr. Hermann Zimmerer

Maybe it had to do with Msgr. Hermann Zimmerer being the novices’ retreat master, or maybe it was the atmosphere, or perhaps it was because leaflets of the sermon in English and Spanish were distributed to all the non-German speaking visitors ; whatever it was, the entire congregation was awe-struck by his powerful homily. During this Lenten season, we are engaged in preparation, which means, "following Christ always with a view on Mary and in unity with her." In the first reading, God proclaimed to Isaiah, "Be not afraid because I am with you. I have called you by name, and you are mine." Then, the second reading from the letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians stated, "Live as children of light!" Even in the Gospel of John, the blind man who was given his sight declared to Jesus, "I do believe, Lord!" The novices are living witnesses to these three excerpts from the Bible.

Times have changed. There are fewer and fewer people today choosing Christ over self. It is a tragedy, and one often wonders, "Where should possible vocations for the pure, chaste, and virginal life still come from? But God is a God who performs miracles! And Mary also searches for young people today who suit this lifestyle, and she finds them… A living proof of this is our novices," smiled Msgr. Zimmerer as he gazed bright-eyed at the seven young women. He closed with a battle cry that affirmed each of the novices, "is a proof that Mary as the Three Times Admirable Mother, Queen and Victress of Schoenstatt, doesn’t stop looking for people to form" in holiness, and he challenged everyone present to seriously contemplate the "yes" of the novices.

"Yes, we are ready."

After a lovely Marian Litany, the seven novices came forth to ask for the Marian dress of the Schoenstatt Sisters. They replied to Msgr. Zimmerer’s questioning them with, "We want to wear the dress of the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary as a sign of our undivided self-surrender to Christ and our love for the Mother Thrice Admirable. It should always remind us of our mission to cooperate in the Marian formation of the world in Christ to the greater glory of the Father." Then, Msgr. Zimmerer further asked, "Are you ready to lead an austere life of sacrifice as a Sister of Mary, out of love for Jesus and His mother, so that many may find their way home to the Father?" Without hesitation, they answered, "Yes, we are ready." They proceeded to solemnly receive their new names, new dresses, belts, veils, medals, candles – their new lives.

Music created an inspirational atmosphere

Many people contributed their musical talents to the Reception in order to make the event extra special for the novices. The Schoenstatt young girls and women choir, the Sisters of Mary choir, the youth choir Jezimus, an ensemble consisting of singers from Spanish-speaking countries, a singer and guitarist from the Philippines, all performed various pieces in their native tongues. Songs of jubilee made the celebration even more spectacular. The music set the prayerful mood and was well-interspersed throughout the Mass. Everyone was thankful to the musicians who had spent time and effort to prepare such meaningful hymns.

"The Mass has ended. Go in peace!" – And everyone went peacefully to the Mt. Schoenstatt Shrine

The two-hour Mass finally concluded, but no one seemed to notice it had lasted so long. The entire Schoenstatt family present followed the new Sisters of Mary out of the church and to the nearby Shrine on Mt. Schoenstatt to pay tribute to Our Mother Thrice Admirable. Despite the cool temperature and cloudy skies, everyone was filled with warmth. "We are just so excited and happy that everyone is so nice in Schoenstatt! It is like one big family, and that makes us feel warm inside," remarked young girls from a Scout troop (hailing from the Black Forest, Germany) as they walked along.

"We of course wanted to be present, too, and accompany the novices with our prayers", commented the seminarians of the Schoenstatt Fathers from Latin America who are in their tertianship on Mount Sion. "Germany is the land where Schoenstatt comes from, and we wanted to know how such an event is celebrated here. It was really beautiful."

At the Shrine, a colorful balloon bouquet filled with prayers for the novices that families and friends had written in the Saturday night vigil blew gently in the breeze. Song and dance enlivened the crowd, and warm embraces kindled the heart. Family and friends of Sr. Lydia, the first Schoenstatt Sister of Kenya, who had made such an effort to come as a collective group to Schoenstatt, literally "conquered" the Shrine and filled it with African joy, songs and dances of praise. Everyone knew that God and Mary were present in their midst, and they praised the Lord again and again in thanksgiving for the seven courageous young women who, like Mary, said "yes" when God called them to be His.

• Video of the congratulation and Kenyans singing in the Shrine