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A son of Schoenstatt was ordained bishop for the Argentinean episcopate

A son of Schoenstatt was ordained bishop for the Argentinean episcopate

Monsignor Jorge Esteban González, 54 years old, originally platense, was ordained Auxiliary Bishop of La Plata, in a celebration that was followed by a large number of faithful catholics through the social networks. "Magnificat! Because I experience this step as another sign of the love of Mary who was always by my side. Thank you, Mother," said the new bishop.

By María Jimena Ciuró

In the middle of the pandemic, and in a historical scenario, Jorge Esteban González was consecrated auxiliary bishop of La Plata, in the main temple of that city. In a Cathedral without faithful, where the only participants were bishops, priests and seminarians, his family and a few laymen representing the people; Father Jorge became the first Argentinean bishop born from the Shrine. The consecration Mass could be followed through the social networks. Small but eloquent symbols deeply united the celebration to a new anniversary of Father Kentenich’s passing: the chasuble with the cross of unity that the new bishop wore was a gift sent from Milwaukee by the founder to Monsignor Plaza on the occasion of the blessing of the La Plata Shrine; and the chalice used in the Eucharist was also a gift from Kentenich to Pope Paul VI on his return from the United States.

Dilexit Ecclesiam means that Christ loved his Church

The Archbishop of La Plata, Monsignor Victor Manuel Fernandez, was the main consecrator and Monsignor Guillermo Garlatti, Bishop Emeritus of Bahia Blanca together with Monsignor Gabriel Mestre, Bishop of Mar del Plata and Monsignor Alberto Bochatey, Auxiliary Bishop of La Plata, were the co-consecrators of the celebration. “Dilexit Ecclesiam means that Christ loved his Church and washed it with his precious blood. Those same sentiments will be yours no matter what happens. And you are ordained because Pope Francis proposed it to you and he did it so that you would accompany him on the path that he presents in Evangelii Gaudium: return to the heart of the Gospel, return to the essential, to missionary fervor, to a sense of community and society.

That is why love for the Church must also be love for the earth, love for the world, society and people. And help so that the Church can converse with the world and be able to tune in to what may be in common, because the Holy Spirit sows good things everywhere with an enormous divine freedom,” said Archbishop Fernandez.

“We know your ability to work, your affability, your good treatment and let’s offer all this to God so that it becomes a blessing for his people” said Archbishop Fernández and asked the new auxiliary bishop to imitate Mary “the one you love so much, that she can teach you that receptive and happy confidence until you say yes even among black clouds… For all of us this ordination is a day of joy.

It is not a diploma of Jorge in his career, the Sacred Order is a gift totally oriented to the good of the people of God, and for that reason from today there will be more grace in each one of us, for the Archdiocese of Plata, for this world, and as Pope Francisco tells you, the gifts of the Savior will be more effective”, Fernandez finished.

As Francisco says: walk with others and enter into dialogue

After the rites of ordination the new bishop offered some heartfelt words: “As my episcopal motto I chose from the reading of the disciples of Emmaus that always marked my life strongly: ‘He came and walked with them’. This accompaniment of Jesus with us gives rise to the image of a pilgrim Church, on the move, called to discover the face of Christ in the Eucharist.

A journey made with the people of today, with their challenges, and why not with the provocations. It is a matter of approaching them with respect and knowing what desires and needs the human heart harbours today in order to be able to communicate the message of salvation coherently, as Francis says, to walk with others and enter into dialogue”.

“Magnificat,” repeated the new bishop on several occasions, and in this way he gave thanks for what God has worked in each one, for the call and the confidence of Pope Francis, for the accompaniment of the archbishop, for the priests, for the Federation of Schoenstatt Priests, for the laity; for his mother and father who accompanied him in this context in spite of his advanced age.

“Magnificent because I am living this step in a national Marian year; our Mother of Heaven did not hide and continues working in our lives. Personally, I experience it as another sign of the love of Mary who was always by my side. From my childhood I grew up to a life of faith in the Pilar, together with an experience of the conciliar Church,” he said.

Fr. Kentenich encouraged and motivated my presbyterate

He continued: “My vocational path matured in the shadow of the Shrine of the Mother Thrice Admirable, Queen and Victress of Schoenstatt. My experience as a father and pastor of a community was forged in a few long years lived in the heart of Mary in City Bell. These last brief and intense years I spent with her, the one who remained at the foot of the cross, the painful one, and it is in her day that as pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows, I receive the Episcopal consecration.

Thank you Mother! Finally, if my heart speaks of gratitude, I cannot fail to mention another great companion on the road: Father Joseph Kentenich who on a day like today, 52 years ago, was returning to the house of the Father. His life encouraged and motivated my priesthood, his love for Mary shapes my spirituality. That is why I choose to say goodbye by placing on my lips a prayer born in the hell of a concentration camp, from the captivity of this son of Mary: ‘Make us like you and teach us to walk through life just as you did, strong and worthy, simple and kind, spreading love, peace, and joy. In us you walk through our time preparing it for Jesus Christ. Amen. With this prayer Monsignor Gonzalez ended his greeting.

Thanksgiving, joy and emotion among those who are close to him

The faithful through the social networks shared their excitement and transmitted their greetings and closeness to the new bishop. Pamela Pagalday, a member of the 18th course of the Apostolic Federation of Schoenstatt Families, expressed her profound joy for the episcopal ordination of Monsignor Jorge González, saying: “He is a son of our shrine in La Plata.

For us, the members of the movement of this diocese, it is something very significant, because it will be a deepening of the relationship with the local Church and a confirmation of our mission. It also comes on an important date for Schoenstatters because it has the mark of Dilexit Ecclesiam: he loved the Church”.

On his part, Father Tomás de la Riva, of the Schoenstatt Federation of Priests, expressed: “The rite began in the Shrine with the profession of faith of Jorge and his promise of loyalty. There we also prayed a prayer for him, as we have been doing since the moment of his election. This encounter with the Blessed Mother, in community, renewed us to accompany him in his ministry at the service of the entire Church.

Thanks to God, several members of our Region, the Fathers of El Plata, were able to be present accompanying this brother of ours in this unique moment. This ordination is a great joy for all of us. We definitely see his election as a grace from the Blessed Mother to take another step towards the Church of the New Shore,” concluded the young priest.

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Monsignor Jorge González: an Argentinian bishop born of the Shrine

Monsignor Jorge González: an Argentinian bishop born of the Shrine

On September 15th, he will be ordained auxiliary bishop of La Plata, Argentina

By: María Jimena Ciuró

Jorge Esteban González, 54 years old, has been a priest for 27 years, and in the next few days he will be ordained as auxiliary bishop of La Plata, the first Argentinian bishop who was born of the Schoenstatt Shrine and is deeply united to the movement. “As children of the Blessed Mother, we experience the spirit of the Covenant; from this certainty, I abandon myself and take up this mission that the Pope is asking of me,” expressed Msgr. González in an exclusive interview with Schoenstatt.com.

His episcopal ordination will be next Tuesday, September 15th, on the anniversary of Father Kentenich’s death. During the celebration, there will be many important signs since Msgr. González will use the chasuble from Father Kentenich’s golden priestly jubilee which the founder sent to Msgr. Plaza for the blessing of the Shrine of La Plata. Msgr. González will also use the chalice that the founder gave to St. Paul VI when being rehabilitated to his functions with the Movement, after his exile.

With his deliberate, but Spirit-filled dialogue, Msgr. Jorge González shared his personal story with us as well as the pastoral imprint his episcopate will have. “I would very much like to be able to make the Covenant of Love present in life,” he emphasized, outlining the path he will begin to take as pastor of the Catholic Church.

Msgr. Jorge González, first of all to know more about you, we would like you to mention some important notes or milestones of your life and pastoral formation.

I am Father Jorge Esteban González from the Archdiocese of La Plata, ordained a priest in 1992. Born in the city of La Plata and I was part of the Schoenstatt boys’ youth since I was young. In 1984, I entered the diocesan seminary having already sealed my Covenant of Love here in the Shrine of Liberation (La Plata). As a seminarian, I quickly became part of the branch which was being formed at that time in Argentina, and I decided with other seminarian brothers to join the Federation of Diocesan Priests almost at the same time.

Until then, only one course had been formed in Argentina and two more courses were being formed. That is how I experienced the process of growth and expansion of the federation in our country. I belonged to the third course of federated priests and when my course made the final incorporation, we constituted ourselves as “Region Fathers of La Plata.”

Once I was ordained, I worked as a parochial vicar at the cathedral, then as a formator at St. Joseph’s Major Seminary. I spent a few years studying spiritual theology in Rome and returned in 2001 where I took over the Immaculate Heart of Mary parish in City Bell and remained there as pastor for 18 years.

For many of those years, I was an advisor to the girl’s youth in Argentina when Fr. Horacio Sosa died. When the change of bishop took place and Msgr. Victor Fernandez arrived, he asked me to be vice vicar general of the archdiocese and rector and pastor of the cathedral. I returned to be near the Shrine, where the journey had begun.

How was your connection to Schoenstatt? 

My entire spiritual journey was made in the Covenant of Love and I was fundamentally linked to this federation community that grew throughout all these years. I was also able to attend the formation of some of the courses for priests and witness, with much joy, the constitution of the International Federation of Diocesan Priests. This was an important step for our community and the Schoenstatt family, where Providence also placed a brother Argentinean, Fr. Alejandro Blanco, as General Secretary.

I believe in this way that the Movement is enriched with the contribution of the different cultures and views, which are helping its international structure. As you will notice, it is in the federation that expresses the strongly diocesan identity that I always felt in my vocational path and in some way, from where the mission spreads. The Shrine of Liberation, of which I am a son, has much significance. That is why when I returned as pastor of the cathedral, I experienced it as a very big grace…again close and pastor of the Shrine. That always gave me much joy.

From its birth, this Shrine was very connected to the figure of Fr. Joseph Kentenich as well as this mission that is expressed in the roots of the Shrine, the love for the Church, and the sense of communion between Schoenstatt and the Church. In some way on this path of the episcopate, God’s providence also makes a sign of all this in the role and in the task that I have to carry out. It is not by chance that the first Schoenstatt bishop of Argentina comes out of this shrine and this place… It is one more sign of the Blessed Mother and I think it should be read as such. Precisely on the day of my ordination, September 15th, it is the memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows where I am the parish pastor.  It is also very significant for us because it is the day of Fr.Kentenich’s departure to the house of the Father, precisely the anniversary of his death.

God willing, I will be ordained with the chasuble which Father Kentenich received as a gift on his golden anniversary as a priest and which he personally sent from Milwaukee as a present to the then Archbishop of La Plata, Msgr. Plaza, who had taken the initiative to build the Shrine here. Those were the vestments he wore on the day of the blessing.

Also God willing, the chalice that will be used in my consecration Mass is the chalice that Fr. Kentenich gave to St. Paul VI when he called him again and reinstated him to the life of Schoenstatt, after his exile, a very symbolic chalice which reveals this mission of the post-conciliar Church. I believe that these signs express or contain the entire mission that I feel the Lord and the Blessed Mother place before me.

The calling

How did you receive Pope Francis’ call to be the auxiliary bishop of La Plata?

One never prepares to be a bishop, on the contrary, one evades it… – he mentions between laughs-. In fact, I lived very happily as a local priest for so many years, as I was telling you. For me, it was a beautiful experience to have been a parish pastor in a concrete community such as City Bell, in its chapels, in its schools. I was also able to carry out other tasks in my priestly life: advising the Schoenstatt Girls’ Youth which was a great treasure throughout the country, all the work within the federation, and others related to the formation of the laity. I thought that the new phase in the Cathedral and in the diocese was beginning when a new call, a new mission came to me. We always talked about availability and I had nothing left to do but think of the Blessed Mother. How much surrender! And without being very clear about how or why, she abandoned herself…and said “fiat”…and here we are. 

Clearly, I did not have this new mission on my horizon. When God calls and one clearly interprets that it is a call from God and a very concrete service to God’s people, many fears and insecurities and a very deep sense of fragility are intertwined. If one adds to this the very complex context we are living at the national and international level with all the meaning of the pandemic crisis, then it seems impossible to bear. But one also knows that it is not about one’s own work but about the mission, the fidelity of God, and as children of the Blessed Mother we experience the spirit of the Covenant; from this certainty, I abandon myself and I assume this mission that the pope is asking of me.

What impact did the news of your appointment have on other bishops?

I have felt a lot of affection and closeness from the bishops of Argentina about the appointment. They quickly welcomed me, they greeted me with much simplicity and fraternity, and they also made me feel precisely this belonging to Schoenstatt. They spoke to me about the Blessed Mother, one of them called me from the Shrine of Rosario because he knew that precisely for me the Shrine was a beloved place on my vocational path. I believe that these are subtleties that are not only very pleasant emotionally, but they also show the value of the identity of the other, and I believe that this is a very beautiful sign.

Considering your connection to Schoenstatt in this particular time for the Movement, is it a certainty that the Church sees that Schoensttatt can make an important contribution from its charism, for the episcopate?

I feel that there are many providential dimensions this year, with all the challenges that this new time of the pandemic and post-pandemic presents and what it means to rethink our pastoral structures, our experience of Church, our service to the world and to our country. I also think about the meaning that Schoenstatt has for the Church, what it means and has been for us in this particular year. I also think about the figure of Father Kentenich and the challenge that we have to be able to live as children of our father and founder, and to be able to free his charism and his figure that we see that he still continues with so many ties in the mission and his person. I believe that there is also much to talk about, to say, to work on, and to discover.

You are the first Schoenstatt bishop chosen to be part of the Argentine episcopate. What are your feelings?

There are several Latin American Schoenstatt bishops, some Schoenstatt Fathers, several Federation bishops in Brazil, Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, Chad (Africa), and I am the first in our country. After so many years of work, it is a great challenge to be able to share our charism, our vista of the times, of the Church and of the world… with simplicity and humility, I will try to contribute with what I have lived and know. Fr. Kentenich insisted to St. Paul VI something that always resounded within me and in the conscience of my community: to be guarantors of the spirit of the Second Vatican Council. That is the most important thing that we have to discover in this time: it is nothing other than to assume all the challenges that Pope Francis is leaving us as Church to all.

In that sense, it is very important to follow the pope’s thought, fundamentally in Evangelii Gaudium and in all his teaching, in these rich intuitions that he has in this time. He is a man of the Spirit and helps us to discern what the Lord is asking us: the change of era, the post-pandemic. Francis is insisting that after this we cannot come out in the same way; either we come out better or we come out worse. We must engage in the construction of a new world. I believe that all this is very related to our entire Schoenstatt world and I believe that we all have to work on this.

I would like very much to be able to make the Covenant of Love present in life, and for this to be something more recognized and more naturally felt by all. I will have to work as a bishop in a very concrete area which is the area of education in the province of Buenos Aires. Working in this very complicated time of crisis and in relation to all the schools of the religious institutions, I also see it as the providence of God since the pedagogy is very important in the charism.

I believe that more important than talking about the charism is that we can live this in a dimension of service, of common construction and a way of leading that is proper to Schoenstatt’s pedagogy and that is what I would fundamentally like to contribute.

Pastoral Priorities

Thinking as a bishop and pastor of the Church, what important aspects would you like to emphasize?

Regarding pastoral priorities, I will be an auxiliary bishop which has a very particular pastoral development. Clearly the father of the diocese is the bishop; the diocese does not have two bishops but one with whom it makes that particular commitment; and in our case it is Archbishop Víctor Fernández, its pastor. I come as an auxiliary bishop to work and accompany his pastoral ministry. I have just begun this journey and I will have to carry out those tasks, missions that he will entrust to me in order to incorporate me into his ministry as pastor in the areas that he entrusts to me.

It seems to me that I cannot think of myself as a pastor in any other way than in the manner of Jesus the Good Shepherd and in the spirit that Pope Francis encourages us to live. I will have to walk in that line.

If you had to say in one word, where would you like to spend more time?

In this sense the expressions: a Church that goes out, a Church that walks together with the other, Mary, mercy, consolation, peace… are expressions that move me a lot and I think they have to do with the essence of our faith. A more kerigmatic and missionary Church are central elements that will have to give color to my pastoral ministry as bishop. More than saying a few things, let me live and may the path I walk mark out my priorities.

  On the day his appointment as bishop was published,  Msgr. Jorge González recorded this video

https://www.facebook.com/schoenstattinternational/videos/302901227394281/

The celebration of the episcopal ordination of Msgr. González will take place on Tuesday, September 15th, at 6:00 p.m., local time. It will be broadcast on YouTube: bit.ly/iglesialaplatayt and Facebook: bit.ly/iglesialaplatafb. There will be a preview, starting at 17:30. 

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Diaconal Ordination in the Community of the Schoenstatt Fathers

Diaconal Ordination in the Community of the Schoenstatt Fathers

With the motto "On earth as it is in heaven" (Mt 6:10), the community of the Schoenstatt Fathers celebrates the ordination as deacon of the Brazilian seminarian Rafael Tavares da Mota. He was ordained in São Paulo on Saturday, August 15, 2020, in an open-air Mass in front of the Sion Shrine in the neighbourhood of Jaraguá.

By Sueli Vilarinho

Don Devair Araujo da Fonseca, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of São Paulo, presided over the Mass and declared the deaconate to be synonymous with service: “Word and service walk together. The diaconate is a sacramental service, where men who serve are chosen“.

This ordination takes place on the Solemnity of Mary’s Assumption into Heaven, so Don Devair says: “On this day we remember the Immaculate Virgin Mary, dogma of our faith. Mary taken into heaven. She listens and her first attitude is to place herself at service. Word and service are united, they do not separate. The reality was unknown [to Mary], but she was willing to do God’s will.”

Addressing the young ordained man, he emphasizes: “In your life as a deacon, you will also be sent to many places, perhaps without your will, but it is worth remembering the Gospel in which Mary places herself before her littleness and gives herself. Mary’s “Yes” is connected to the word of God and not to her weaknesses. This is how your ministry must be consolidated: the will of God – who today chose you, called you and gave you these graces – much more than your abilities.”

The weaker, the greater the Grace of God.

The Bishop advises the young man. “If you are frail or weak, greater is the grace of God that gives you strength, covers you with this strength and sends you out. Do not be afraid to respond generously to what God asks of you. Follow the path that God commands, even if it is rough and unknown.” 

After ten years of studies in Theology and Philosophy, pedagogical and apostolic stages, of diverse experiences, Rafael Mota prostrates himself on the floor, as a sign of humility and service. Following, he also receives the vestments proper to the diaconate and the Gospel.

At the end of the Mass, the newly ordained deacon thanks all the people who were on his way from childhood, youth, his vocational discernment and the journey to the seminary, especially his parents. They were present at this ceremony reserved for just a few relatives, friends and Schoenstatt Fathers. However, from a distance, thousands of people accompanied the live transmission through the social networks: “Our heart is happy for this vocation and also for having the opportunity to witness this, since we cannot be physically present,” commented Caroline Moraes de Freitas, from Pozos de Caldas, Rafael’s hometown. 

After the celebration, all the wishes and dreams of the new deacon are placed before the Mother and Queen, with the consecration prayer in the Shrine.

Sonia Mota, Rafael’s mother, expresses her gratitude for the experience of this day: “I ask that the Mother of God that she always leads him and helps him distribute, for many people, the generosity and human warmth that he has. The ten years of formation are not easy for a mother, but celebrating this day is indescribable. It is a blessing that he is on his way to the priesthood.”

The superior of the Schoenstatt Fathers of the Brazilian region, Father José Fernando Bonini, said that in spite of the obstacles generated by the pandemic, the celebration could take place and “it is a great joy for a brother to reach the end of his formation.”

Father Marcelo Aravena describes Rafael as a gift to the community and comments “The Diaconal service is an important step that prepares the heart and mind of the candidate for the priesthood. The diaconate is service to life, and even more so illuminated by the word of God. We are confident that Raphael will have a fruitful experience that can serve many people.”

Text: Sueli Vilarinho Pictures: Alex Formigoni

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The Pilgrim Mother Campaign is a missionary sign of a Church on the way

The Pilgrim Mother Campaign is a missionary sign of a Church on the way

"In today's fragmented life, where we risk losing the thread, the mother's embrace is essential”. This advice, which Pope Francis calls "medicine," may seem simple, but it has proven effective in the lives of countless families who welcome Mary into their homes and hearts. On September 10, the Campaign of the Pilgrim Virgin turns 70 years old and seems to respond vitally to the need expressed in the words of Pope Francis.

Written by: Karen Bueno - Schoenstatt Press Office Brazil.

The Campaign began in the southern region of Brazil, in the city of Santa Maria, and today it reaches more than 150 countries. Through lay leadership, the missionaries want to take the Church, in the simple image of the Virgin, in order to visit in a special way the most distant and difficult places, to bring Jesus and Mary to the fragmented homes.

“The Virgin Mary,” says the Pope, “embraces many concrete situations and is present where there is need: she will meet her cousin Elizabeth, help the spouses at Cana, encourage the disciples in the Cenacle… Mary is the remedy for loneliness and disintegration. She is the Mother of consolation, the Mother that “consoles”: she is with whomever feels alone. She knows that words are not enough to comfort; presence is necessary. And Mary is present as mother”. 

Mary is a discreet presence, but one of impact

Peter Jeya Kumar lives in Chennai/Tamilnadu, India, and tells of his experience: “In one of the Campaign groups in India, Our Lady was taken to a family with whom the neighborhood did not relate well. The members of the circle came to pray in front of the Blessed Mother, including the families who had relationship problems. Thus, the Pilgrim Mother unites many families who have problems with each other and also brings together people of other religions, such as the Hindus. 

In the conviction of Pope Francis, “Mary roots us in the Church”. This can be seen in the life of the couple Gislaine Lopes and José Maurício de Souza, Brazilians from the state of Alagoas. They had been living together for ten years, but only married as civil partners.

“We were happy, but we did not live in communion with the Church. We did not have the sacrament of marriage. Mauricio followed the spiritualist doctrine and I, although I was raised in the Catholic faith, did not give importance due to the Church” says Gislaine.

It was in a moment of matrimonial crisis when the presence of Mary made the difference: “In the year 2000 I received the invitation to receive the Pilgrim Virgin in our home, but I refused it. After five years, in 2005, our marriage was in a very big crisis, we almost separated. It was then that one night I found the Pilgrim MTA in my living room, someone left her in our house by mistake. I spent a few days looking for the missionary to return the Pilgrim MTA, and when I found him, I remembered the day I rejected her. But the Mother and Queen did not reject us. I immediately asked the missionary to put us on the list of families to receive our Mother at home. From then on, we had months of renovation in our relationship as a couple and with our children.

Little by little, month by month, I returned to the Mass and Mauricio was away from the spiritualist meetings. In September 2007 we married in the Church, Mauricio made his First Communion and the following year we received Confirmation together. Since then, we are missionaries of the Pilgrim Mother Campaign and agents of the Family Ministry”. 

God chooses the little ones

For the beginning of the Campaign, God chooses a simple man, a peasant and a merchant from the city of Santa Maria: the Servant of God John Louis Pozzobon, whose process of beatification is taking place in Rome. He is pointed out as a model father, husband, deacon and missionary: “The devotion to John is very strong among the group of missionaries who carry the Pilgrim Mother. We see in him the image of a strong man in body and spirit, who gives testimony of his smallness. His testimony awakens in the people a call and a mission consciousness that makes us ask ourselves: Why not me?” comments the young Emanuel Velasco De La Garza, from Querétaro, Mexico.

Silvia Sibay, from Tucumán, expresses: “Don João, for Argentina, is a humble yet great person, who started an extraordinary campaign. He is an example for thousands of missionaries throughout the country who continue to bring the Pilgrim Mother to those in need. His work, his sacrifice, his perseverance, made me understand that this is what I wanted for my life. So I have been a missionary for 30 years.

For the Archbishop of Santa Maria, Monsignor Hélio Adelar Rubert, “it is a joy for the Archdiocese to be the home of this apostolate, the birthplace of this ‘man of God’ who was John Pozzobon. An apostle “with his feet on the ground”, as well as Pope Francis, who goes to meet people in schools, in prisons, in families

70 years illuminating lives

According to Pope Francis, “when Mary arrives, joy overflows and explodes in hearts, because the invisible but real presence of Jesus fills everything with meaning. This explosion of joy is what transforms the lives of so many families through the Pilgrim Mother Campaign, a presence that embraces and illuminates, because “you bring your son Jesus with you, who is life, way, truth and light”.

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The greatest love: a YES to God’s call.

The greatest love: a YES to God’s call.

Against all odds and with the blessing of our Mother in Heaven, three young women from Brazil arrived at the Original Shrine to present their formal postulation to the Schoenstatt sisters.

By Luciana Loyola

With more than 10 hours of flight time and after a long road to cross the continents, the postulants of the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary arrived at the Original Shrine in Vallendar to begin their course of preparation for the beginning of this blessed process. Representing Brazil, from São Paulo, Paraná and from the interior of the State of São Paulo, the three young women arrived with much enthusiasm and predisposition for what will be the beginning of a stage of profound formation.

Under a rigorous control and healing measures due to the pandemic that affects the entire world, the girls of the Girls’ Youth were finally able to participate in their first Mass from the Original Shrine as candidates given to the entire will of our Father God and our Queen of Schoenstatt. 

Aline, Thalita and Larissa are the new postulants who even during a pandemic have firmly accepted to fulfill the will of our Father. An unprecedented journey to reach this place of grace that is the Schoenstatt Shrine.

In the video below you can appreciate the arrival of the 3 heroic young women from Brazil. The international Schoenstatt family wishes them much strength and encouragement in this new beginning.

 

 

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