Pilgrims of the Shrine

Costa Rican Couples Group 13 discovered their name

COSTA RICA, Federico González Pinto. There is great joy among the entire Schoenstatt Family from Costa Rica. Couples’ Group 13 has discovered the name they now will be called: Pilgrims of the Shrine. Many of those who attended Conference 2014 were spontaneously touched when they heard the name…Isn’t this what the entire Schoenstatt Family should be and wants to be during these years leading to the centennial of the Covenant of Love? Pilgrims of the Shrine, Pilgrims of the Original Shrine…

One of the "Pilgrims of the Shrine" relates the moment in which they discovered their name and mission:

Today there was a supernatural and miraculous dawn…it was five o’clock sharp when the jungle was refreshed during the morning twilight by the soft dew and with the peacefulness of the night that had elapsed creating a blending of colors whose hues were mixed with the colors of the birds and their melodious song in harmonious conjugation that was almost perfect with the loud howl of the monkeys. All of this was sublimely in the background and was elevated before Him, who is the Lord and Creator of the Universe.

That day, Saturday, April 25, 2009 was just like every other day when upon opening our eyes and hearing such a melodic symphony, the soul and all our senses are united to remind us that life and everything in it is a precious gift from God, and with fervent prayer, we dialogued with our loving Father in the company of our tender Little Mother.

The genesis of a very special day

This morning was the genesis of a very special day, since Vanessa and I awaited our Schoenstatt brothers and sisters from Group 13 at our Biological Reserve. During our family prayer, we thanked God for everything, and we asked the Angels and the Saints along with our Little Mother would accompany us and guide us throughout the entire retreat.

Our goal as hosts was to have beloved friends who we enjoy and brothers and sisters who we wanted to serve.

Each one of the group members began to arrive at the same time as if it had been planned. With embraces and smiles we went to the terrace to share what we had to contribute and to enjoy. How easy and how beautiful it is to be able to converse among the children of God, where everything that flows is sound, and everything that is said comes from the heart, and it is pure and clean. As Manfred said it very well, we spoke about the family, about Schoenstatt, about religion, work, politics, and sports. Everything that was said and done was before the loving gaze of our Little Mother…with Christ and it was truly enjoyed as a family. I prepared paella with much affection, which was shared and savored by everyone present.

Then our beloved monitors, Nella and Manuel Emilio, with their charism, their gift for teaching and their giving of self gathered us for workshop. We went to a place that is very special for me, since that is where I usually go to meditate and to ask God forgiveness for my smallness with a constant prayer for His help to someday obtain my personal holiness in gratitude to Jesus for giving his life and loving us so much.

Then, after finishing the group discussion and because of the coolness of the afternoon, we decided that the best thing to do was to go to the hall to continue with the results of our sharing. We began with a prayer thereby invoking the presence of the Holy Spirit and the intercessory and influential presence of our Little Mother.

"I still have goose bumps, and I am impressed, because of the development of the process to decide the name of our group. Although we agreed in many ways that became evident when they were prioritized, it truly did not seem that the name was forthcoming. We spoke about fraternity, the new man, the way or the road, pilgrims, intercessors, missionaries, spiritual growth, transformation, solidarity, commitment, self-education, organic growth…but the name was not clear…" Vanessa relates. "We were going to set it aside to reflect on the entire workshop, and to give ourselves another opportunity during the next meeting, when Nella brought up the subject that the pillars of Schoenstatt are: the Little Mother, Father Kentenich, the Shrine…and the ‘secondary cause.’ A channel of the Holy Spirit emerged, personified by Ana Cecilia, when she said seriously with great conviction and with authority: ‘Pilgrims of the Shrine.’

Olga followed, affirming, as if a treasure had been discovered. "That is it."

All of us took an affirmative position, filled with emotion, thanksgiving, unity…It was a feeling comparable to when a family is expecting the birth of a child and the eager cry is heard…and everyone is happy!"

The door of victory

The hand of God and the Little Mother was seen guiding us to clarify and to establish the mission that was already in their plan since eternity. What impressed me is that Our Father inspires this mission, and we can count on the graces of the Blessed Mother; then our yes and the desire to serve with humility opens the door to victory. So that the Schoenstatt Shrine in Costa Rica, for the Central American area, can become a reality.

Then she gave us a motto, which reminds us of the virtues of our Mother, and that demands a strong commitment from each one of us: humility and service.

We concluded by thanking God for his presence, which was felt, and in prayer we committed to serve Him and to serve our Church through our Schoenstatt Family.

We finished late into the night sharing snacks and friendship between the twinkling of the glowworms and the stars of the firmament.

Pilgrims of the (Original) Shrine will open the doors that are still closed…

Translation: Celina Garza, San Antonio, USA/amj