From November 6 to 17, Pope Leo XIV will make his first visit to Latin America. Over 12 days, the Holy Father will travel through Argentina, Uruguay, and Peru on a packed itinerary that includes meetings with a wide range of people from these countries: civil authorities, church communities, young people, and those in vulnerable situations. He will also visit shrines and places of special significance in his personal history, including Chiclayo.

For the Church in Latin America, the visit will be an opportunity to encounter the Pope and a call to renew faith and commitment to the mission. For the Schoenstatt Family in Argentina, Uruguay, and Peru, these days are being prepared through prayer, service, and active participation in the Church’s initiatives.

Argentina: Preparing for the visit through prayer and service

In Argentina, the Schoenstatt Family has embraced the preparation for the visit as an opportunity to deeply experience their belonging to the Church. The first step, explains Father Santiago Ferrero, the Movement’s national director in the country, was precisely prayer.

“The first thing we wanted to do was pray. The Pope’s visit to our country is a visit by the successor of Peter, who comes to strengthen us in the faith and renew our passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

As a Marian Movement, the Schoenstatt Family chose the Rosary as one of the concrete ways to spiritually accompany the visit. The goal was ambitious: “When the Church learned of this initiative, it also asked us for a very concrete contribution: to prepare 20,000 rosaries—prayed and donated—to give to the volunteers who will serve during the visit in Buenos Aires, Luján, and Córdoba,” says the national director.

“We want each rosary to be a true spiritual gift: a rosary that is both donated and prayed for the Holy Father’s visit, for its fruits, and for the Church in our country.”

The preparations also include an organizational component. Two teams have been formed—one in Buenos Aires and another in Córdoba—to coordinate the Schoenstatt Family’s participation during those days and to keep the various communities across the country connected and informed.

The invitation, however, extends beyond the Movement’s own activities. Schoenstatt wants to participate in the visit as part of the Argentine Church, collaborating especially in the service and in initiatives promoted by ecclesial structures.

“We do not want to organize something separate, but rather to contribute to this great ecclesial event through our charism.”

The Schoenstatt Family will primarily travel to Buenos Aires, Luján, and Córdoba. Given the intense schedule, each community and each person is invited to discern where to participate so they can deeply experience the encounter with the Pope there.

“We are the Church, and in the spirit bequeathed to us by our Father and Founder, we want to accompany the Holy Father: with joy, a willingness to serve, and the hope that his visit will renew our faith and our commitment to the Church’s mission in Argentina.”

Uruguay: A Pilgrimage of the entire family

In Uruguay, the Schoenstatt Family is preparing to welcome the Pope in a true pilgrimage of the entire Family. Sister María Felicitas Savini, moderator of the Girls’ Youth, explains that the intention is for Schoenstatters to come together and participate in this historic moment, especially in Florida, where the main celebration will be held.

“We decided that we are all going to set out together as the Schoenstatt Family on a pilgrimage to Florida, where the main celebration will be held.”

On November 6, a meeting between the Holy Father and religious and consecrated persons is scheduled to be held at the Cathedral of Montevideo. The Sisters of Mary have already registered to participate “and thus continue celebrating the community’s 100th anniversary.”

One of the proposals for spiritual preparation is a simple yet meaningful gesture: on Saturday, October 17, the Schoenstatt Family will carry out the traditional “Crusade of Mary” to the world’s first daughter Shrine in Nueva Helvecia. This year, it will be offered in intention for Pope Leo XIV’s trip, accompanied by the recitation of the Rosary.

The following day, October 18—the Shrine’s feast day—the plan is to continue praying the rosary with the hope of presenting them to him during his visit, so he may then give them as gifts to the people he meets.

Sister María Felicitas reports that preparations for the Pope’s visit are in full swing in Uruguay.

“God willing, we look forward to welcoming the youth from Brazil who, together with Sister M. Daiane Freisleben, will travel to take part in this ecclesial experience.”

Thus, through pilgrimage, prayer, and many contributions to the capital of grace, the Schoenstatt Family in Uruguay is preparing to welcome the Holy Father with joy and enthusiasm.

Peru: A visit experienced in a particularly intimate way

In Peru, the visit holds special significance. Pope Leo XIV is a Peruvian national and spent many years carrying out a significant part of his pastoral mission there. For this reason, the Schoenstatt Family in Peru is living these preparations in communion with the entire Peruvian Church, with special closeness to Chiclayo.

“Indeed, the Schoenstatt Family is united with the entire Church during this time as we await the visit of Pope Leo XIV,” explains Father Eduardo Auza, national moderator to the Movement in Peru.

The Schoenstatt Family is preparing to participate in the major gatherings, wearing badges that publicly affirm their membership in the Movement. But alongside in-person participation, spiritual preparation takes center stage.

“What is important is that the entire Schoenstatt Family offer their contributions to the Capital of Grace in the shrines and wayside shrines throughout the country.”

Father Eduardo also reminds us that participating in these major gatherings sometimes involves effort and sacrifice. Long waits, difficulties in accessing certain locations, and the lack of amenities can become a concrete way to offer one’s own efforts for the intentions of the Church and for the fruits of the visit.

In Chiclayo, in October, the Schoenstatt Family will organize the traditional Illuminated Rosary at the Cathedral and at St. Joseph the Worker Parish, where the image of the Blessed Mother is enthroned. The invitation is open to the entire community, and we will offer prayers for the special intention of the Pope’s visit.

Preparation that crosses borders

Argentina, Uruguay, and Peru will experience Pope Leo XIV’s visit in accordance with their own realities and traditions, but the Schoenstatt Family’s preparation has one common element: accompanying the Pope and the Church through prayer, service, and dedication to the Capital of Grace.

Young Schoenstatters from Brazil and Ecuador will join this experience as pilgrims. Thus, the Holy Father’s visit also becomes an opportunity for Schoenstatt communities across Latin America to come together.

Beyond the large crowds, public events, and intense schedule of these twelve days, the Schoenstatt Family wishes to prepare for this event in its own unique way: by placing Mary’s hands at the service of the Church, offering contributions to the Capital of Grace, and praying that the Successor of Peter’s presence may renew the Church’s faith, hope, and apostolic commitment in Latin America.