A group of young people from Argentina and Brazil, with support from the Schoenstatt Sisters and Fathers, organized a pilgrimage to the homeland of the Venerable Deacon João Luiz Pozzobon: Santa Maria, Brazil. Seeking to experience a new Pentecost, 48 young and adult pilgrims—laypeople and consecrated members, all eager to learn more about the life of Mr. Pozzobon—undertook a transformative journey from May 21 to 25, uniting nations and languages in a single spirit.
Our group, made up of Paraguayans, Ecuadorians, and even a young woman from Germany, shared a weekend of pilgrimage and mission, touring the “holy land” where the Pilgrim Mother Apostolate was born. We experienced this trip as a true pilgrimage to see firsthand the places where this lay apostolate began and where, in the person of the Venerable João Luiz Pozzobon, it set out from the Tabor Shrine to travel the entire world.
A meeting of generations
From humble beginnings in a Schoenstatt Shrine on the “peripheries” of Latin America, a current of missionary life with a global reach emerged from a person who knew how to say “yes” to bringing Mary to families and who gave himself completely to that mission. That international leap also took place, as is often the case with God’s work, through a small group of pilgrims who, together with Fr. Esteban Uriburu, traveled in 1984 to meet Pozzobon and ask him for some pilgrim shrines to distribute in Argentina and the Americas.
Curiously —or rather, providentially —this pilgrimage—originally intended to include only young missionaries from Argentina—also drew some adults, specifically from the generation of young people who had participated in the first pilgrimages held between 1984 and 2000.
A beautiful sign of providence is this intergenerational connection, through which the older generation was able to bear witness to that “sacred history,” which reached a milestone in 1984 and was now being renewed by a new generation of young missionaries.
An encounter with history
Among the experiences we were blessed with, we can highlight that on the very day we arrived, we were welcomed at the House Museum by Mr. Pozzobon’s three surviving children: Humberto, Pedrolina, and Nair. Despite the very recent passing of Vilma (Pozzobon’s daughter, who had died the day before), they decided to spend time with us and were happy to see so many young people.
They shared a beautiful testimony about their father’s life as a husband and father, as a Christian and missionary, and about how he influenced each of their lives. One of Humberto’s phrases stuck with me: “If Mr. Pozzobon were alive today, he wouldn’t say that the ‘Apostolate of the Pilgrim Mother is now going by plane, but rather that the Apostolate is now going by rocket’.” I see this as an invitation to go even “higher and farther” than before.
Two memorable experiences
But on this pilgrimage, we didn’t just visit historic sites like the House Museum, the São Pedro Parish, or Mr. Pozzobon’s birthplace; we also got to experience what he used to do when he went on pilgrimages: being with the people. That is why two significant experiences were walking the 9 km that separate the three Capelinhas (Chapels) that João Pozzobon built and spending a day of mission in the underprivileged neighborhoods to meet the residents there, just as Mr. Pozzobon did more than 40 years ago.
We know this: it is not the same to see a photo or read a book about someone’s works as it is to make the journey yourself and be an eyewitness to what happened. We made the same journey, praying the rosary at the three little chapels that João visited every week and bringing the Pilgrim Mother to the neighbors. That is how we came to know the Blue, Pink, and White Little Chapels, which symbolize the three graces of the Shrine. There we learned more about the history of “Vila Nobre da Caridade” (Noble Village of Charity) and met neighbors who still pray there.
Missionary experience in practice
On Sunday, we celebrated the Solemnity of Pentecost and experienced it in a very special way. Nearly 70 young missionaries were sent from the Tabor Shrine to carry the image of the Pilgrim Mother to the very same neighborhoods João Pozzobon used to visit many years ago. We went in smaller groups to make house-to-house visits, block by block, carrying prayer cards and the Pilgrim Mother to pray with the neighbors.
I want to share a personal experience: I was deeply surprised when I visited the first house in a neighborhood on the outskirts of Santa Maria called “Estação dos Ventos.” A woman in her 70s welcomed us into an old, extremely humble wooden house. In “Portuñol” (a mix of Portuguese and Spanish), we introduced ourselves as Catholic missionaries and showed her the Pilgrim Mother. She recognized her immediately and said to me, “I knew Mr. João Pozzobon. He’s a saint! He helped me a lot when I was a child. He used to visit us with the Virgin and helped me make my First Communion; he got me what I needed. And later on, he married me.”
Needless to say, her testimony left a deep impression on me, as she recalled events from over 50 years ago as if they were happening today. It’s one thing to read about someone who did noble deeds worthy of sainthood… and quite another to hear it, face-to-face, from someone who lived through them.
Setting out “by opening the windows”
We concluded Sunday afternoon by sharing our reflections on the past few days’ events in the Shrine’s gardens. We were blessed with a simple yet eloquent sign to take back to Argentina: we were entrusted with an original “window” from the Capelinha Rosa. We will surely be able to give it many meanings in the future. Still, it is undoubtedly an invitation to go out and “open the windows” of the Pilgrim Mother Apostolate so that many others may “come in and look” at the treasure within.
We are aware that this pilgrimage has been a transformative experience that leaves its mark on us and opens new horizons. During the Pentecost Mass we celebrated near the Tabor Shrine, we renewed our missionary commitment and, like the apostles, received the gifts of the Spirit, returning to our homelands as witnesses, inspired by the mission to take Mary “further and higher” than before.
Here, the pilgrims share their testimonies from these days:
Santiago Inchauspe, Schoenstatt Boys’ Youth, San Isidro, Argentina
In the lands of Mr. Pozzobon, we came to know his heroism. There, in Santa María, we experienced firsthand the profound impact he had on everyone who knew him. I was struck by the simplicity of his actions and his perseverance. For 35 years, he carried the Blessed Mother and prayed the Rosary. So simple, yet so difficult. Over 140,000 kilometers, he walked faithfully to his Covenant.
I returned home with the conviction that it is worth doing good and simple things with perseverance over a long period of time. For whoever is faithful in little things is faithful in much.”
Santiago Inchauspe, Schoenstatt Boys’ Youth, San Isidro, postulant of the Schoenstatt Fathers
Rosario Hail, Schoenstatt Girls’ Youth, Belgrano, Argentina
My experience of the pilgrimage to Santa Maria was marked by feeling sheltered once again in Mary’s Tabor. I had the grace to witness the 75th anniversary of the Pilgrim Mother Apostolate last September, and that is what motivated my desire to return.
This pilgrimage touched my heart; I felt once again that I am an instrument of Mary, every day and in every aspect of my life, and I also felt the importance and responsibility we inherit as the feet of the Blessed Mother on earth. I was able to continue deepening my bond with the Mother and Queen and with our beloved Venerable João Luiz Pozzobon, who, I am sure, accompanied us every step of this journey—steps that also bring us closer to his beatification—to promote the spread of this testimony of love to the whole world.
The bonds were not only with God, Mary, and Mr. Pozzobon but also with our “hosts”; everyone who welcomed us in Santa Maria was a wonderful reflection of Mary during these days. We formed bonds that will undoubtedly endure, accompany, and nourish our paths toward holiness throughout the Apostolate.
We hope to return next year and continue to help Mary reach every corner of the world.”
Rosario Hail, Schoenstatt Girls’ Youth, Belgrano, Argentina
Belen Folonier, Schoenstatt Girls’ Youth, La Plata, Argentina
Sharing with the Youth from different parts of Argentina and Brazil was also wonderful. Everyone was on the same wavelength, united by a mission: to take Mary wherever she wants to go, just as Mr. João Pozzobon did 75 years ago.
Also, on a personal level, this experience meant so much to me because I was able to consecrate myself as a missionary of the Youth Pilgrim Mother Apostolate at the Tabor Shrine, choosing to be an instrument of Mary and carrying the missionary fire with me.
Belen Folonier, Schoenstatt Girls’ Youth, La Plata, Argentina
Isabela Ventorini, Schoenstatt Girls’ Youth, Santa Maria, Brazil
“Participating in this pilgrimage reminded us of the joy of being part of the Schoenstatt Family. We come from different places, speak different languages, and have different cultures, yet we are united in the Covenant of Love, with the Shrine as our Home. We prepared extensively to welcome the pilgrims, and it was incredible to share experiences, sing together, compare mates (is Brazilian chimarrão better than Argentine mate?), and live moments of faith.”
How beautiful it is to see the expansion of the Pilgrim Mother Apostolate and to know that the venerable João Luiz Pozzobon continues to touch hearts all over the world! I hope that everyone here has experienced the true “Tabor” and that together we can exclaim: ‘How good it is to be here!’
Isabela Ventorini, Schoenstatt Girls’ Youth, Santa Maria, Brazil
Maria Isabel Dalcin Dotto, Schoenstatt Girls’ Youth, Santa Maria, Brazil
Hosting the Argentines these past few days has been a very special and memorable experience for all of us Brazilians. From organizing and preparing every detail to realizing that every effort was worth it, it was wonderful to see how everything unfolded, their joy, the integration among the youth, and how quickly we formed bonds, despite the fatigue and the rush at times.
Spending the past few days with the young people from the Youth Pilgrim Mother Apostolate in Argentina taught us a lot about our mission.
Sharing conversations, simple moments, laughter, prayers, and the entire pilgrimage experience made us feel like one family, further strengthening the start of the Youth Pilgrim Mother Apostolate formation we are beginning here in Santa Maria. It made us realize that we are building something greater with people who share our love for the Blessed Mother and our desire to bring that love to others.
Maria Isabel Dalcin Dotto, Schoenstatt Girls’ Youth, Santa Maria, Brazil
