"I’ve waited the whole year for this! I’m almost there!"

10,000 pilgrims visit the Tabor of Freedom Shrine in Confins

Entrega del Vía Crucis Presentation of the Stations of the Cross Kreuzwegstation
Pasando por la ermita By the wayside shrine Vorbei am Bildstock…
Um sim à lasquinha de cruz que o Pai me oferece Un „Si“ a la cruz que el Padre me pide... A “Yes” to the Cross the Father offers to me... Ein “Ja” zu dem Kreuz, das der Vatergott mir reicht…
Mais de dez mil filhos na casa da Mãe Más de 10 mil peregrinos en la casa de la Mater More than 10,000 pilgrims in the House of the Mother Über 10.000 Pilger im Haus der Gottesmutter
Dom Joaquim Mol,  bispo auxiliar de Belo Horizonte Mons. Joaquim Mol, obispo auxiliar de Belo Horizonte Auxiliary Bishop Joaquim Mol,Belo Horizonte Weihbischof Joaquim Mol, Belo Horizonte
Após longa espera, está chegando a minha vez A pesar de la larga espera, voy a llegar ... Despite the long waiting, I will be there... Trotz (oder wegen?) des langen Wartens kommt meine Stunde… Fotos: Ir. M. Nilza © 2009-06-02 Álbum de fotos – photo album – Fotoalbum

BRAZIL, Sr. M. Nilza. "We gathered as a beautiful family around this Tabor of Freedom." These words were spoken by the auxiliary bishop of Belo Horizonte/MG, Joaquim Giovanni Mol Guimarães, when he saw 10,000 pilgrims gathered around the Tabor of Freedom Shrine in Confins to commemorate the sixth anniversary of its inauguration.

This large family began to arrive at Mother’s house very early in the morning. At 6am the intercom announced the arrival of the "first bus from Montes Carlos." Shortly afterwards, the welcome committee gathered in the parking area with a smile on their faces and ready to assist each new arrival. With each passing minute, the number of buses and cars grew: 50, 100, 120 and finally 175 buses and hundreds of private cars.

A long wait for the moment of grace

The queue of people outside the shrine began to grow as the pilgrims prepared to wait for several hours to greet our Mother and Queen and to hand over the experiences of an entire year. An emotional pilgrim who reached the door of the shrine said, "I’ve waited the whole year for this moment! I’m almost there!" Her emotion reflected the sentiments in the hearts of each of the Blessed Mother’s sons and daughters who came on pilgrimage and echoed in the hearts of the Family League couples who organized the pilgrimage. "It’s so difficult to tell them they cannot stay long in our Mother’s company," confessed an emotional lady. But, if we looked at the number of people who were still waiting in line, there was no other way.

A group of missionaries spent the day adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament in the adoration chapel behind the shrine and next to the large stage. They prayed for the intentions of each person who worked to organise the event and that each pilgrim would receive the graces they most needed from the shrine.

A fragment of the cross

Each pilgrim received a small piece of wood on their arrival. They looked at this fragment without understanding and waited. During the morning’s programme, the small piece of wood took on a very special meaning: it is a fragment of the cross that God the Father has placed on each of our shoulders.

Various groups conquered the Stations of the Cross as a gift for the shrine’s sixth anniversary and this gave rise to an even deeper spirit of prayer around the shrine. The day’s reflection focused on this gift. The pilgrims reflected on the fragment of the cross they carry in unity with Jesus, the blessing this represents for each one of them, their families and the whole of society. Each person was invited to say ‘yes’ to the Father’s choice of love by uniting their small fragment of the cross to Mary and prepare their hearts to accept their task with love by participating in the redemption that Christ won for us.

It was touching to watch the expression on the faces of those present and their outstretched hands while the message was presented in the readings and a skit.

We were truly camped out around the shrine and nobody moved from their places. The heat of the sun did not bother anyone as it brought them even closer to the Blessed Mother as they sought refuge under the shade of the surrounding trees. In their hands they brought chairs from home and a heart filled with gratitude for all the gifts received from this shrine of grace.

Missionaries, don’t lose heart but have courage!

The afternoon’s programme included touching Stations of the Cross, followed by holy mass. This was the first time that Bishop Joaquim presided over the Eucharistic celebration on the shrine’s anniversary. His joy was visible. In a matter of minutes, he was one with the multitude of pilgrims. The mass was concelebrated by Fr. João de Deus Dantas, Fr. Lourival Felipe Soares, Fr. Geraldo da Cruz Viana and Fr. Giovanne.

In his homily, Bishop Joaquim opened his heart before our Mother and Queen’s picture, confessing: "I’ve come to give thanks for what our Mother and Queen does in our lives." He sidestepped the day’s scripture readings, focusing rather on its application to life by saying that "we are gathered as a beautiful family around this Tabor of Freedom! We are people who work in many ways as a servant family, because in this family, we have a Mother and Queen who was the Kingdom’s first servant. A family whose father is God and whose mother is a Queen who walks with us and leads the way to Jesus…

I invite each of you to be filled with Mary’s love

Don’t give up. I know that in groups with 30 families, sometimes only one family receives our Mother and Queen with devotion. But don’t give up! Bit by bit, people will understand what a blessing it is to receive our Mother and Queen in their homes once a month. She has the power to forge paths. Missionaries, don’t lose heart but have courage! Many others prepared the way for you and in the future, others will do the same. Continue to participate in your community so that each of our Blessed Mother’s groups may be witnesses to unity, enriching the Church and helping to make the world a better place."

He invited the pilgrims present to participate in the archdiocesan campaign, "I Belong," which aims to maintain and develop communication networks, and the widespread "Clean Record" campaign which aims to prevent politicians with dubious legal cases from becoming electoral candidates again. The highlight was when he asked everyone to give a shout of "viva" for our Mother and Queen. The resulting "viva" could not have been any louder. The bishop joked that it was still not loud enough for Archbishop Walmor, who travelled to Divinópolis for the blessing of its new bishop, to hear. With the help of all the musical instruments, the shout of "viva" echoed throughout Confins and there is no doubt that the Blessed Mother was laughing with all of her children from inside the shrine.

At the end of the celebration, Bishop Joaquim received a gift of a Unity Cross and a small brick indicating that he is a contributor in the work of the shrine and was asked to plant a jequitibá tree, the lifespan of which is about 800 years. In the presence of the pilgrims, he promised that during the jequitibá tree’s 800-year lifespan, he would visit the Blessed Mother in her Tabor of Freedom shrine at least once a year.

The celebration concluded, he blessed each of the Stations of the Cross and the group that conquered it.

Nobody returned the way they arrived

The thousands of pilgrims began their homeward journey. They were no longer the same people who arrived in the morning. They were different: they were more blessed, happier and lighter. They returned filled with special graces from the shrine and they left a small fragment of the cross God has given to each one of them. They left with renewed strength to face their daily lives and the conviction that in each situation they encounter, our Mother and Queen is at their side. And with her, each one is a missionary in their families and communities so that Brazil can become the deeply longed for land of freedom where God’s smallest desire becomes a joyful decision.

Translation: Sarah-Leah Pimentel, South Africa