Every time this symbol visits our Shrines, we will be united with the holy place of origin

The Father Symbol’s international pilgrimage began on 8 July at a sending out Mass in the Mother Shrine together with representatives from every continent

Una homilía programatica A programmatic homily Eine programmatische Predigt
Representantes de los diferentes continentes reciben el símbolo del Padre Representatives of the different continents receive the Father Symbol Vertreter der Kontinente erhalten das Vatersymbol
Dos jóvenes de México con el ramo de flores de las Americas Young women from Mexico bring the bouquet of flowers for the Americas Junge Frauen aus Mexiko bringen den Blumenstrauß für Amerika
Unas 300 personas en torno del Santuario Original Some 300 people around the Original Shrine Etwa 300 Menschen umstehen das Urheiligtum
En la Casa Marienau, durante el estreno del video At House Marienau, during the video presentation In der Marienau bei der Uraufführung des Videos

SCHOENSTATT, mkf. "We have grown into a large world wide family breaking down barriers and frontiers." This summary of the 2014 Conference, expressed by Mons. Peter Wolf at the start of his sermon on 8 July in the Mother Shrine, also summarises what we experienced on this cloudy and rainy morning. About 300 people from about 20 different countries witnessed and participated in a historic moment for Schoenstatt: the sending out of the Father Symbol, a gift from Father Kentenich to the Schoenstatt Family, as it begins its world-wide pilgrimage. It will return on 18 October 2014, carrying with it the graces of hundreds of Shrines and wayside shrines throughout the world and accompanied by hundreds and thousands of pilgrims from every continent.

Together with those who had the privilege of being physically present, many more Schoenstatters also participated via the internet – from more than 550 places around the world, including Singapore, Russia, Italy and Costa Rica. The event took place during the German summer holidays but for those in the Americas, it really was a "heroic feat" to be awake at that hour!

A 2014 Atmosphere

A 2014 atmosphere, the sense of Schoenstatt’s internationality could be felt all around the Mother Shrine on 8 July: Pamphlets with the Mass programme and the homily text in German, English, Spanish and Portuguese were handed out to the participants. The readings for the Mass, petitions and songs were not only heard in the "classic" Schoenstatt languages, but also in Swahili, Mende (from Sierra Leone) Hungarian, Malaysian, Tamil, Czech and French. Schoenstatt is a multi-cultural city with inhabitants from more than 20 countries and this became very clear during the course of the morning.

A missionary from Santa Maria, Brazil, who arrived in Schoenstatt on Saturday together with her daughter and her daughter’s boyfriend, couldn’t speak because she was overcome with emotion at being able to represent João Pozzobon’s homeland. Two young people from Mexico, who will return home on Friday, shone more brightly than the sunflowers they brought up to the altar during the offertory procession to represent the American continent. Two recently arrived Sisters of Mary from Mexico and the Philippines, who are here to do their tertianship, radiated with joy as they tried to see the Father Symbol up close.

The rain didn’t matter, the lack of chairs didn’t matter or the fact that we ran out of texts because there were more people than expected. What was important was to be present and be able to represent their branches, communities, countries and continents in this moment, which will one day form an important chapter in the annals of the Movement’s history. It was a day when the noise of our neighbour’s construction machines stopped after the simple request by one of the priests, a day filled with miracles that took our breath away. The sick were healed, lost youth restored – against all human hope. It is true. This was the emotion-filled comment at the end of this blessed day: if today we had the same faith as those first disciples who followed Jesus, then today we would experience the same miracles they did; we would be able to walk on water. Several people experienced this on 8 July 2009, the 99^th anniversary of Fr. Kentenich’s priestly ordination and the day on which "his" Father Symbol was sent out. Two large candles placed in the Mother Shrine with the names "Martina" and "Michael" bear witness to the day’s miracles and the fruits of the Covenant of Love.

Ambassadors for the Mother Thrice Admirable

"Dear Father, our Schoenstatt Family in Peru wants to be present on the anniversary of your priestly ordination. We want to thank God for the gift of you, for the holiness of your life, for your presence in our country, even if you only passed through it. We thank you for your words about our country, calling it a "country of gold" and saying that our saints (St. Martin de Porres and St. Rosa de Lima) were examples to follow. Your example, your legacy gives us life and inspires us to give witness to your work, to be like you: ambassadors for the Mother Thrice Admirable," wrote Manuel Huapaya, the Peruvian delegate at the 2014 Conference, on 8 July. "From our Shrines in Lima and Trujillo we are united in prayer and are accompanying the start of the Father Symbol’s pilgrimage. We know that God our Father looks on us with love, but we also remember your presence, dear Father – ‘our thoughts in your thoughts, our heart in your heart, our hand in your hand.’ Thank you for not only showing us the way, thank you for wanting to walk with us always."

"Since then (the 2014 Conference experience) we know that we are now on the way towards 2014 together and that we really do have something to celebrate," said Mons. Peter Wolf in his homily. "As we said our goodbyes the need to have a connection between all of us in the near future, could be grasped with one hand. The suggestion that the Father symbol should make a tour was for us the way to unite us all together as well as uniting us with this holy place from where everything started, where by the courage shown on 18th October 1914, our common source began."

Recalling God the Father’s love and his Divine Providence

"This most beautiful symbol reminds us of the love of the all merciful Father and his Divine Providence. It is a very fitting symbol for the maturing covenant of love with the Blessed Mother, to the covenant of love with the Triune God. Whenever this symbol visits our shrines it should reconnect us to this holy place of origin. At the same time it connects us with our father and founder, who in various ways gave testimony to the love of God the Father through his own life," continued Mons. Wolf. The whole Mass was conceived in such a way that "God’s paternal love can be made tangible in many ways" – with the careful planning of Sr. Luciane, Fr. José María García and his team – who made sure that each continent, branch, community and generation could have a role in the Mass, either by proclaiming a reading, taking up the symbols of thanksgiving in the offertory procession or receiving the Father Symbol as representatives of each continent in the sending out ceremony, when the passed it from one person to the next, symbolizing the way it will travel from continent to continent.

At the end of the Mass, and since there are still two months till the Father Symbol travels to the first country that requested it, the representatives of the Family Federation received the symbol and they will take it to their international chapter and then the International Family Federation retreat. While this was happening the community joined in singing "Canto a Dios Padre" (Song to God the Father), a hymn sung in Spanish and German.

Welcome to 18 October 2014 in Schoenstatt

After a very long photo session at the heroes graves, everyone was invited to House Marienau for tea to socialise and watch the premier of the video "Welcome to 18 October 2014 in Schoenstatt," a summary of the 2014 Conference which aims to be a bridge for us to walk together towards the centenary celebration of our Covenant.

The video will be released in German, English and Spanish and will soon be available.

• Video of the Mass is on schoenstatt-tv under the media archive for 8 July 2009
• More videos on the Schoenstatt.de Youtube channel
• Mass Readings (pdf)
• Homily (pdf)

Translation: Sarah-Leah Pimentel, South Africa