Children of the Prophet

"Notes from Rome," October 2008 – Observations and Commentaries from the Matri Ecclesiae Shrine

ROME, Francisco Nuño. The Ordinary Synod of the Bishops in Rome closed on Sunday. We had the opportunity to attend the Eucharistic celebration at the official opening on October 5^th. It was held at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. The Pope and all of the Bishops who are members of the Synod were present. It was a special gift to "almost" touch the Pope upon his entering and leaving the celebration as he passed through the central aisle of the Basilica. The Holy Father participated in the meetings of the Assembly and he also let his words as pastor and Father be heard.

For example, on Tuesday, October 14^th, he spoke in the style which characterizes him in regard to some problems and risks which he sees with modern exegesis. I will quote some words which remind me of our Father and Founder’s legacy (and ours!?) in regard to "Practical Faith in Divine Providence." "The history of salvation – said the Pope – is not a myth. It is a true history and, therefore, it must be studied with serious historical methods of investigation. Nevertheless, this history possesses another dimension, that of Divine action….." He was speaking to the bishops, to the "learned ones" and professors, therefore, I will not extend myself further on this. His mentioning the "divine action" dimension in history, reminds me of our Schoenstatt history and of the capacity we now have as Schoenstatters to contemplate the daily happenings of the Family, and to "dare to allow" that divine action to lead our way. We all want to be children of the prophet…..!

Schoenstatt, where are you?

In regard to the audacity and the risk of the prophet, and in regard to the work in the Synod by the Bishops, the lack of representatives from our Schoenstatt Movement in the Synod sessions has caused me great pain. Among others, addressing the Pope and the Bishops, have been: Kiko Arguello, the founder of the Neocatechumenal Way; María Voce, President of the Focolare Movement; Andrea Riccardi, founder of the San Egidio Community; Luis Fernando Figari Rodrigo, General Superior of the Christian Life Sodality from Peru; Michelle Moran, President of Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services; Moyses De Azevedo Filho, founder and general moderator of the Shalom Catholic Community of Brazil; and the Spanish priest, Julián Carrión, President of the Communion and Liberation Fraternity. Many other general superiors and personalities from our Catholic world have contributed to the Synod by writing commentaries which have been very interesting. I have not found the mention of Schoenstatt in any of the press releases.

Invest in Rome

It is evident that we who live in Rome, at the footsteps of the Vatican, ask ourselves for "that which pertains to us," and looking for the presence of Schoenstatt and for the presence of our Father and Founder in the persons and institutions of the universal Church. I know and I confirm that the personal surrender each one of us has given is total and complete. I lack – sometimes – knowing the capacity that we as Schoenstatt Family have – united and as "acies bene ordinata" – to "invest in Rome" and in the Italian Schoenstatt. We rejoice and we are grateful for the small large steps which our Schoenstatt communities here present make on a day to day basis. For example, here in our Belmonte: with us are the Musolino family from the Institute of Families in Argentina. They assist us in our task as custodians of the Matri Ecclesiae Shrine and the Casa dell’ Alleanza. Recently, work on the pending construction of the first phase of the project foreseen for Belmonte has begun. We are aware of the economic efforts which our diocesan priests are making in this regard, and we are also aware of the need for a greater awareness and participation from the entire Schoenstatt Family to fulfill the wishes of our Father and Founder in Rome. At any rate, it could be a concrete contribution from each one of us for the 100^th anniversary of the Schoenstatt Work in 2014, which will in all probability invite us on pilgrimage to the Eternal City to offer to the Holy Father our Covenant of Love and allow us, through him, to offer it to the universal Church.

Encounters with St. Paul

To the Church which needs us: during the last few weeks, as representatives of the Shrine of our Madonna di Schoenstatt in Belmonte and as representatives of our Movement, we have had the opportunity to attend the Diocesan Pastoral Assembly which begins every year by the bishop of our diocese, the suburbicaria di Porto diocese – Santa Rufina. We have heard "strong" words at this assembly. For example, society’s "religious illiteracy" due to the lack of authentic enthusiasm in the evangelization process. The lack of announcing the Word! Bishop Gino Reali has invited all pastoral agents to a stronger effort for intellectual, religious and pastoral formation of the people who surround him, recalling that this is also a special effort of our Holy Father, Benedict XVI.

We, at the Casa dell’ Alleanza in Belmonte, want to make a small contribution in this labor of formation in our surroundings. We have organized an open cycle of nine "Encounters with St. Paul" thanks to the help of a Passionist priest who is our friend. He has offered to coordinate these encounters and present the topics. We have taken central aspects of the life and spiritual world of St. Paul which have been suggested to us from the chapters of the book which Msgr. Peter Wolf published with texts from our Father and Founder on the Apostle Paul (see In the School of the Apostle Paul, Patris Verlag). The presentations will take place on the first Monday of each month, beginning on Monday, Ocober 6^th and ending, God willing, on Monday, June 1^st. More than 40 persons attended the first session expressing gratitude for the initiative. They also demonstrated great interest in the development of the first topic.

The Feast of St. Gemma

While living in the shadow of the Matri Ecclesiae Shrine, I do not want to omit the celebration of the great feast of St. Gemma which was celebrated from the 8^th to the 12^th of October and which had two diverse community events at the footsteps of our Shrine. Our parish is also the "Church of St. Gemma" and, therefore, the feast of the saint is also celebrated with a procession. The Triduum in preparation began in our Shrine. It was excellent autumn weather and the festivities ended with a popular celebration on our grounds. Our Madonna di Schoenstatt "presided" from her altar in the Shrine at the presentation of awards which were given out at the conclusion of the various sports events. The custodians of the Shrine, Mr. Musolino and Mr. Nuño, were chosen by the pastor to present the cups and medals to the winners.

In Rome and in the shadow of the Matri Ecclesias Shrine, we, with our Mother Thrice Admirable and Queen of Schoenstatt, make our small contributions for the new evangelization. Thanks also to all the small and large groups of pilgrims who more and more visit our International Center and Shrine and who give us their affection and admiration for all that is being done at this holy place.

Translation: Carlos Cantú Schoenstatt Family Federation La Feria, TX USA 103108