For a profound experience of God’s paternity

Pilgrimage of the Sisters of Mary to Rome – Pilar Jensen on the Pontifical Council for the Laity -Kentenich Itinery

Alegría del encuentro: intercambio con la Hna. M. Jacoba, Superiora General Joyful meeting with Sister M. Jacoba, Superior General Freudige Begrüßung von Schw. M. Jacoba, der Generaloberin
El matrimonio Musolino con el Cardenal The Musolino family with the Cardinal Ehepaar Musolino mit dem Kardinal
En Belmonte: el matrimonio Jensen con la Hna Jacoba y con la saliente superiora de las Hermanas de Mar ía en Roma, la Hna. Asunción In Belmonte: Luis and Pilar Jensen with Sr. Jacoba and the superior of the Schoenstatt Sisters in Rome , Sr. Asunción In Belmonte: Luis und Pilar Jensen mit Schw. M. Jacoba und der scheidenden Oberin der Marienschwestern in Rom, Sr. M.Asunción
Visita de las Hermanas de María en Belmonte The Schoenstatt Sisters visiting Belmonte Besuch der Marienschwestern in Belmonte Fotos: Francisco Nuño © 2008

ROME, Francisco Nuño. I am the eldest of five siblings, four brothers and one sister. Since my parents died, my sister has become the key figure of our family. She has the love, ability, and the constancy necessary to see that we continue being a family, in spite of the distances and the different worlds that surround us. This personal reference relates to the family retreat that we enjoyed in Rome on Sunday the 16^th thanks to our Sisters of Mary.

In the news bulletin of schoenstatt.de on November 14^th, we read, "Rome, November 16^th, Pilgrimage of the Sisters of Mary to Rome on the occasion of the installation of the Father symbol in the Cor Ecclesiae Shrine; the Schoenstatt Family in Rome is invited to the Holy Mass at Saint Stephen’s presided by Cardinal Martinez Somalo, which will be celebrated at 10:00a.m. followed by the solemn ceremony in the Shrine."

Holy Mass with Cardinal Martínez Somalo

We gathered in a church that is located in the Vatican Gardens behind the apse of the Basilica of Saint Peter’s with more than ninety Sisters of Mary from all the provinces of the world, where the Sisters are present; it is the Church di Santo Stefan degli Abissini. This church was originally the national church of Ethiopia in the city of Rome, and now it is widely known in Roman circles, because the last procession of the Month of Mary with the presence of the Holy Father departs from here. Around two hundred fifty people attended the Holy Mass presided by Cardinal Eduardo Martinez Somalo. In his homily, he referred to our Founder and Father, who remained in Christ throughout all his life, who had the peace and serenity necessary to confront the trauma from the vicissitudes of life by discovering the face of God behind each event. "Active faith in Divine Providence is surely an important trait of the charism that the Founder received from God for the Church of today, and the symbol of the Eternal Father that we will install today in the Cor Ecclesiae Shrine of our Sisters in Rome is the expression of this particular charisma."

Before concluding his homily he made reference to paternity: "The ordinary way in which God guides us to discover his true image, is the experience of a paternity in the image of God. It is this transparent and clear icon that levels the road for the children on the road to the Eternal Father". The Cardinal said, "This is where we touch on the ideal of life of the Founder of Schoenstatt: to open his own heart to a multitude of people to root in them a profound experience of the paternity of God. For him it was very important for the parents to form the conscience of being in their children, the first and very important step in the itinerary towards God. At the same time, he tried to infuse in the priests a true spiritual paternity, willing to give everything for those who had been entrusted to them. The "Father Eye" also speaks to us of this charisma of his.

A family celebration

After the Eucharist, everyone went to Via Aurelia Antica to the residence of the Sisters, where the Cor Ecclesiae Shrine is located, and where the Father symbol was installed above the altar in a simple ceremony. In light of the Cardinal’s words in his homily, I also understood the Sisters’ gesture of asking Father Ludovico Tedeschi, one of our Schoenstatt Fathers in Rome, to receive the Father Eye from the hands of the Cardinal, and to install it above the altar, where later it could be seen by the more than two hundred people who attended the ceremony. A beautiful gesture and splendid family celebration with lunch included, that was served by the couples of the first group of the Schoenstatt Family Work in Italy.

More unity between faith and life

Among the guests were Luis and Pilar Jensen from Chile, members of the Institute of Schoenstatt Families. Pilar, Luis’ wife, is a member of the Pontifical Council for the Laity. She has been in Rome to assist in the XXIII Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council that has taken place during this time on the occasion of the Twentieth Anniversary of the Christifidelis Laici, the apostolic exhortation of John Paul II, considered as the Magna Carta for Catholic Laity. They lived at Casa dell’Alleanza in Belmonte during this time, close to the Matri Ecclesiae Shrine, and they have told us about their experiences during the assembly. The highlight of this event was undoubtedly the audience that the Holy Father granted to the members and consultants of the Council, on Saturday, November 15^th. In his talk, Benedict XVI insisted on the necessity of "more unity between faith and life" as a fundamental element of the mission of the laity in the world and in the Church. Pilar told us that the Holy Father made reference to the participation of the laity in public life, and the urgency of an evangelical formation for Catholics committed to politics. She also had the opportunity to personally greet the Pope and to speak a few words with him (what protocol allowed!) about Schoenstatt and about their participation in the Plenary Assembly of CELAM, the Latin American Bishops’ Conference, in Aparecida. Before returning to Chile, they were able to greet all the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary who came to Belmonte on November 17^th.

The Kentenich Itinerary

Our Sisters, who came from all over the world, are also following the footsteps of the Founding Father in the eternal city. There are many places that Father Kentenich visited in Rome and that are related to "strong" periods of his life and of the life of his Schoenstatt Family. Father was here at Belmonte on three occasions during his stays in Rome during the years of 1965 and 1966.

Some day we will be able to also develop a "Roman Itinerary" to walk with Father and to "find" him in Rome, following the example of the organizers of the "Pauline Year", who have traced the places where Saint Paul was. In this Pauline Itinerary, the pilgrims have the opportunity to visit, during the course of several days, sixteen places related to the Apostle: The Saint Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, the Church of Santa Maria di Popolo , the Church of San Paolo alla Regola, the Church of Santa Maria di Trastevere, the Forum and the Carcere Mamertino (Foro e Carcere Mamertino), the Church of Saints Cosmos and Damian (San Cosmas e Damiano), the church of San Pietro in Vincoli (St. Peter in Chains), the church of Saint Prudence, the Saint Prassede church, the church of Saint Stephen Rotondo, the Catacombs of Saint Sebastian, the Porta di San Pablo dell’Abbazia delle Tre Fontane, the Basilica of Santa Regina degli Apostoli, the plaza dell’Abbraccio, and the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls.

Rome is filled with holy places and reminders of historic events that determined in many cases, the history of our continent and of Christianity. In our Schoenstatt Family, we also find places that were witnesses to the footsteps of our Father and of ‘definitive’ encounters in the events and in the destiny of the Family. With Sister Pia, Anneliese and I were able to visit one of those places on Tuesday the 18^th – until now it is little known – where our Founder held some conversations with a Cardinal and other members of the Roman Curia. It is the Villa Saint Francis on Via dei Monti Parioli 64, which at that time was the residence of the Franciscan Brothers, and now it is the General House of a Spanish religious community, which has a residence for elderly women within their walls. To make this pilgrimage road to the Schoenstatt places in Rome easier, the Schoenstatt International Center in Belmonte has published a brief brochure titled: Schoenstatt in Rome – Places and communities that also include an historic summary of these places and the visits of the Founding Father in Rome.

Translation: Celina Garza, San Antonio, TX, USA/amj