The International Presidium of the Schoenstatt Movement visited the Generalate of the Society of the Catholic Apostolate – the Pallottine Family – in Rome. The meeting took place on November 8th during the conference of the Presidium.
Together they took part in the Eucharistic celebration and in a time of exchange. Fr. Alexandre Awi Mello, President of the General Presidium of the Schoenstatt Movement, recalled that there have already been other visits by Schoenstatt representatives to the Pallottines: “It is an encounter that has already taken place on other occasions. We participated in Holy Mass and in a moment of prayer; we had dinner together with the members of the Pallottine government. It is a visit from friends, from brothers, so that we can keep this contact alive,” he explained.
As brothers before the altar
The Holy Mass was celebrated by Fr. Alexandre at the altar where the body of St. Vincent Pallotti rests. At the beginning of the celebration, Father Jacob Nampudakam, President of the SAC (Society of the Catholic Apostolate), welcomed the members of the Schoenstatt Family, also on behalf of the Rector General, Father Zenon Hanas, who was in Rome. Fr. Jacob recalled that it was St. Vincent Pallotti who brought the two spiritual families together for this moment of celebration, whose spiritual and apostolic ideals are shared by both communities.
Both Father Alexandre Awi Mello and Dr. Christian Löhr, Rector General of the Schoenstatt Institute of Diocesan Priests, expressed their joy at the privilege to celebrate Holy Mass at the altar of St. Vincent Pallotti. Both expressed their gratitude for the spiritual and apostolic heritage that they were able to share with the Pallottine Family.
“It was an extraordinary experience for me to experience the welcome and joy of the Pallottine community to meet with members of the Schoenstatt Movement this afternoon. I also realized again how important the common root of the two works of evangelization is in the person of St. Vincent Pallotti. I am certain that with our charisms we can make a very concrete contribution to solving the current problems of our Church today. This meeting was synodality in action,” said Sr. M. Cacilda Becker of the International Schoenstatt Coordination, recalling a theme that was highlighted during the meeting.
