In Guayaquil, Ecuador, on September 26, the musical theater production “Un Sueño Audaz” (A Bold Dream) was presented in two performances: a creative concept by Sr. M. Leticia Álvarez; content by Sr. María Auxiliadora Bohórquez; libretto by Silvia Bohórquez; direction and production by José Miguel Salem (Danzas Jazz); and stage logistics by Jenny Alvear.
In this way, the story became words; the words became scenes, music, dance, and theater… and all of it resonated in the soul, the mind, and the heart. The audience praised not only the production’s professional quality but also its fidelity to the history of the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary.
A hundred years in a story full of emotion
As the centennial of the Sisters of Mary approached, this work sought to highlight that, behind every stage, every country, every difficulty, and every achievement, the same reality emerges: a Bold Dream from God, which found hearts capable of saying “yes” to Him.
That dream was embraced by a man who knew how to recognize it and trust in it: Fr. Joseph Kentenich. He did not dream merely of a community of consecrated women. He dreamed of women who, in Covenant with Mary, would be instruments for bringing Christ to the world and collaborating in the transformation of the Church and society.
The Blessed Mother appears as a Mother who inspires, educates, guides, welcomes, gathers, and sends forth to sing her Magnificat everywhere. The Shrine becomes a home and a workshop where one learns to live with God, then brings that life into the world.
Perhaps that is why the history of the Sisters of Mary cannot be understood solely by major events, but rather by thousands of small “yeses”: leaving one’s homeland, starting over in an unfamiliar place, serving where needed, remaining faithful in difficult times, building a home, accompanying a life, and sustaining hope.
And that is what, a hundred years later, challenges and moves us most: the story is not over. The dream still has a face, a name, and a life. It continues to walk our streets, enter our homes, serve, listen, educate, and accompany… in every vocation as a Sister of Mary.
Looking back at the past while also carrying dreams into the future
These 100 years are not only a celebration of what the Sisters have accomplished but also of what their vocation continues to offer to so many—and to everyone.
May this Bold Dream continue to find, in every generation, hearts that make it their own and dare to make it a reality once again: in daily service, in the mission of bringing Mary to the world, and in new vocations that wish to dedicate their lives to this beautiful community.
For this brings joy to our Father and Founder and to the Holy Trinity: that the Bold Dream does not remain merely a memory but continues to find hearts that make it their own, embody it, and, once again, transform it into a consecrated reality, in service to God’s entire Plan.
