On Friday, the 19th, less than two weeks before the end of June, three containers (connected) were installed near the Original Shrine; they will serve as a space to allow the sacristy to continue operating.
We have until June 30 to move into this temporary space. On July 1, we must hand over the keys to the current sacristy to the Pallottine Fathers.
Why hand over the keys?
As reported some time ago (read here), the premises where the sacristy was located were rented, and the landlords—the Pallottine Fathers—terminated the lease because they needed the space for their internal activities. Given this situation, the Schoenstatt Movement, which currently does not have a building close enough to the Original Shrine to house the sacristy, will have to adopt a temporary solution until a permanent solution can be reached—a solution that is still being studied and analyzed in greater depth.
A challenge for all of Schoenstatt International
This is undoubtedly a major challenge. It is a new reality that will take quite some time to get used to. It means having less space to operate and to store liturgical items, garden supplies, and other materials related to the Shrine. We are going to have to “scale back.”
This news has disconcerted some. For others, it has brought hope, because it is by no means certain that we will be able to secure a temporary space so soon, where we can continue to serve the life of the Shrine. Perhaps, for many, due to the distance, this is not of great interest. However, it is worth noting that the sacristy is an important space for the entire International Movement, since it is where the webcam transmission cables are installed and where pilgrims from all over the world are welcomed.
We want to ask Mary—who was a mother and homemaker in Bethlehem and Nazareth—to help us adapt to this new reality: a more confined, more uncomfortable space, where generosity, joy, and service will have to be more present than ever.
The statement from the International Presidium, which informed us of this new situation, invited us to bring this new reality into dialogue with God.
“Although the decision of the Pallottines is not easy for us, we accept it and, in the light of the practical faith in Divine Providence, we recognize that this new situation can now give rise to something new.
For this to happen, we count very much on the spiritual and material support of the International Schoenstatt Family, so that the Original Shrine can continue to have an adequate sacristy to receive the numerous pilgrims from all over the world who come to this place of grace, the original source of our Family.”
The installation of the containers has been a prayerful and thoughtful step, as we have sought to follow what God has been revealing to us thus far. The authorization to keep them in the new place is for two years. This is the timeframe granted to us by the city of Koblenz and the time Providence has given us to plan for the future of the sacristy.
What now?
Now more than ever, we must be attentive to what God is revealing to us as events unfold. More than ever, we must ask Him for clarity and openness to understand those who think differently, to engage in dialogue, to place the Shrine at the very center, and to discern how we can continue to serve the life of the Covenant that the Blessed Mother bestows from this place.
We need prayer, the capital of grace, and the help of every one of you!
