(mkf) The song at the beginning: "Father come in our Midst" set the tone for the whole afternoon. The radiant autumn weather and the Fr. Kentenich statue at the middle of the stage in the Auditorium brought vivid reminders of May 31st 1999.

The first video clip took us back to the first days of the celebration in Chile. The songs, music and pictures spoke without needing lengthy explanation: the procession of the flags, the performance with the hats for the capital of grace, the procession to the shrine, the covenant renewal in all languages. Some of the October Week participants spontaneously began to pray with: My Queen, My Mother ... ¡Oh Señora mía, oh Madre mía ... Ò Senhora minha, ó minha Mãe ... O Pani moja i Matko moja ... O meine Gebieterin ... World wide covenant of love.

A professional film made for the Jubilee celebration brought all participants in deep contact with the events of May 31, 1949. A deep impression was made using: black and white filming technic, with the footsteps of Fr. Kentenich as a child, a simple song with words from our Father and Founder, the secretary's hands typing on the manual typewriter, and the footsteps of the Sisters going through the mud (like it was on May 31st 1949).

As the film faded out, the song: Familie Patris - Cor unum in Patre ... Tua res agitur, tua res agitur, from the 1985 centennial celebration was sung. Representatives of many countries where Schoenstatt is active came to the stage (along with members of the Boys' Youth to carry the flags of the countries with no representatives present!)

After a short break, experiences were shared from May 31st in Chile and in Schoenstatt: through a video interview Johanna Riebesehl (Girls' Youth, Köln), about the Schoenstatt celebration from Bernhard Irsch (Boys' Youth, Trier), from the Bellavista celebration: Mrs. Helmich (Mothers' League, Münster) and Mr. and Mrs. Josef Wieland (Family Federation).

Example: Mrs. Hellmich shared with much humor about the three husbands who joined the Mothers' League for the pilgrimage to South America. By the end of the trip, these men were sure they could lead a Mothers' League group without a problem. Even one of the husbands put his hand in the hand of the Fr. Kentenich statue she told him: "That is danger. Once Fr. Kentenich takes your hand, he never lets go." He replied: "That's fine."

Mr. and Mrs. Wieland - he is German and she is from Chile. Mr. Wieland shared about the many gifts received in Bellavista from fantastic weather, to snow in the Andes, to the many contributions to the capital of grace offered by all the Schoenstatt members in Chile, etc. Rosa Maria Wieland told about her longing to be very close to her beloved Bellavista shrine on her last day in Chile. What does it mean that so many people come to the shrine. It was as if the MTA says that all of these children belong to her and to our Father and Founder. The most important thing that Fr. Kentenich did was to give us the covenant of love with our Mother Thrice Admirable. When we take his hand, he will lead us into the new millennium for the church and world.

Some video clips were then shown from the covenant of love with our Father and Prophet - with the participants of the Jubilee gathered around the Cenacle shrine. We could join in the joy of this moment with the fireworks that took place after the celebration - via video.

The climax of the afternoon encounter for the October Week participants was when Rose Maria Wieland presented a bouquet of red roses to Fr. Kentenich - at the Father Statue on the stage. "Thank you for the gift of this jubilee. We want to give everything possible for your mission."

After a moment of silence, everyone was invited to receive a photo from the Father Statue in Bellavista. Spontaneously one of the men took a pile and began to hand them out saying: "This should be a gift - hand in hand." A spontaneous, joyful crowd descended upon the stage. One participant shared: "That is almost like Chile!"