If an ideal is not worth dying for, it’s not worth living for either.

Sister Marie Day’s visit to Washington, D.C.

La Hna. Marie visita El Rincón, en el centro de Washington Sr. Marie visits Schoenstatt Place, in Washington, DC Schw. Marie besucht “El Rincón“, das Schönstattzentrum in Washington
Charla en el Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo con 50 asistentes Talk at the Inter American Development Bank with 50 attendees Vortrag bei der Interamerikanischen Entwicklungsbank mit Teilnehmern
Encuentro con matrimonios Meeting with couples Treffen mit den Ehepaaren
Retiro en Virginia con la Familia de Schoenstatt en Washington Retreat in Virginia with the Schoenstatt Family of  Washington Einkehrtag für die Schönstattfamilie von Washington Fotos: Enrique Soros © 2008

USA, Rosario Santos, Enrique Soros. "If an ideal is not worth dying for, it is not worth living for either," expressed Sr. Marie Day in a talk to fifty people at the Inter- American Development Bank in the heart of Washington, D.C. Sr. Marie Day, who is responsible for the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary, who work for the Movement in the United States (except Texas), visited Washington, D.C. along with their spiritual advisor, Sr. Iraida Guerra. It was a blessed time for everyone.

The first gathering was at Schoenstatt Place, 353914^th. St. NW, in an Hispanic and African American Washington neighborhood, where we meet every Thursday throughout the year from 7p.m. to 9p.m. Sr. Marie gave an enthusiastic talk about our mission as Christians and Schoenstatters, following St. Paul’s steps; it was a great motivation for the missionaries of the Pilgrim MTA and for everyone.

Highest ever number of participants in an international institution in Washington D.C.

On Friday, the Sisters visited the Inter American Development Bank. Members of that institution along with those from the Pan American Health Organization and from the Organization of American States attended. Hugo Cáceres, Director of the Bank representing Paraguay and a member of the Schoenstatt Family Federation, invited all employees of the Bank. The attendance was the highest in memory for a Schoenstatt meeting at an international institution in Washington, D.C.: fifty people! Sr. Marie’s talk touched the hearts of all.

On Saturday morning, there was a brief but intense and profound retreat at St. Michael’s parish in Virginia for the entire Schoenstatt Family. Saturday evening there was a meeting with couples, and a special decision was made: five couples want to prepare for their covenant of love as a group. It will be the first time that a couples’ group in Washington, D.C. will seal the Covenant of Love. An historic moment! They don’t think small. They are considering eventually doing it at the Shrine in Milwaukee.

On Sunday Sr. Marie and Sr. Iraida met with the women’s group in Maryland at Allahí Botello´s house, where Fr. Dieter Haas blessed her Wayside Shrine during his last visit.

Father Kentenich visited Washington D.C. and Maryland Sixty Years Ago in 1948

The theme of one of Sr. Marie’s talk was: Our mission for the world. She spoke about the preparation for the big celebration in 2014, the centennial of the founding of Schoenstatt. She said that Schoenstatt has a great mission for the whole world, and that we, as Schoenstatt children, have to conquer the world for Jesus and the Blessed Mother. Any small effort that we make is a contribution to this change. Father Kentenich visited this area in 1948, sixty years ago. He came to the United States because he wanted to see how he could establish the Schoenstatt Movement in this country, since it was and is a world power, so that the Blessed Mother can work from here to the whole world. He stood before the White House, meditating on these ideas.

Sr. Marie mentioned that he returned to the United States in 1952 on his way to the exile, and one of the first things he said was, "if God sends me to the United States, then the United States has a mission for me and I have a mission for the United States." Sister Marie expressed how this place is part of the whole exile legacy, because Father came here beforehand, sowing the seeds. That is why we have to treasure this area. Then, one day, when he is recognized by the Church, canonized and beatified, we will be able to say with great joy and enthusiasm: a saint walked here, how beautiful this is!

We are commemorating Father’s visit during the year of St. Paul, one the greatest of all the apostles, and we can say that our founder, Father Kentenich, is in some way the Saint Paul for our modern times. The apostle Paul has no equal in world history, and according to Church dignitaries, our Founder is someone so great whom God only calls somebody like him into the world every three to four hundred years. We, as Schoenstatt children, have a worldwide mission: to save the world and to be like Saint Paul. Everything that is done toward that goal is a contribution for the renewal of the whole world. In order to accomplish this mission, we need the Shrine; the rock is the Covenant of Love. By working hard and reaching out to many more people to build groups for the Blessed Mother, we know she will have her Shrine in Washington, D.C. soon.