Re-discovering the mystery of the Rosary

Illuminated Rosary in the Adoration Church at Mount Schoenstatt

Cada vela, cada rosa significa una cuenta del Rosario Vivo Each light, each rose means a bead of the Living Rosary Jedes Licht und jede Rose ist eine Perle des lebendigen Rosenkranzes
Elke Lehnen, de Kleve, pide por personas sin techo Elke Lehnen from Kleve praying for homeless people Elke Lehnen aus Kleve betet für Obdachlose, die sie betreut
Coro Choir Musikalische Gestaltung und Moderation: Nordkreis der Berufstätigen Frauen
Una corona de rosas vivas A crown of living roses Ein Kranz lebendiger Rosen Fotos: Clemens Mann © 2008

SCHOENSTATT, Clemens Mann. At the end there were 59 candles and 59 small, yellow roses in front of the altar. Each candle was lit as a sign of the love which Christ and Mary give us and at the same time it is an invitation to ask ourselves how we include both of them in our daily lives, and each rose is a symbol of our positive response to this declaration of the love of God. The roses are placed when each Hail Mary and Our Father is prayed. But the candles and the roses also express a concrete petition: a very concrete situation for which gratitude is expressed, a very concrete need...

"I want to pray for my grandchildren, especially for Tino", said an older participant before she prayed a Hail Mary and lit a candle of the rosary that was beautifully prepared before the altar, with the Pilgrim MTA in the center. Gratitude was also expressed for work and the good relationship with the colleagues at work, or the petition for a lady that is pregnant. About forty participants attended the rosary on Saturday, September 6^th at 4:00 p.m. in the Adoration Church on Mount Schoenstatt to pray the illuminated rosary that some of the members Women's League had prepared. This special way of praying the rosary began within the Schoenstatt Rosary Campaign in Argentina and from there it arrived to Schoenstatt.

A prayer extended throughout the world

The rosary is very personal and it comes from the most profound in each person. When the rosary is prayed each person feels connected with all the people in the world who are praying the illuminated rosary and who share their personal intention in this way. So it is obvious that in Schoenstatt it was also prayed for the nine girls from Chile who recently lost their lives in an accident. The parents of one of the deceased girls – Bernardita, who was a member of the Schoenstatt Movement – are very grateful that their sorrow for the tragic death of this girl is also shared in Original Schoenstatt, and that we also prayed for the driver responsible for the accident.

The illuminated rosary will again be prayed in Schoenstatt on October 12^th in the Adoration Church (with the participants of the Diocesan Pilgrimage of Aachen) and at 1:30 p.m. on October 18^th in the Chapel of House Marienau, as part of the October 18 celebrations in Schoenstatt.