Interview with Fr. Gonzalo Illanes Fuertes, national director of the Schoenstatt Movement in Chile:
Registrations have already entered the waiting list phase. How many people have registered and from which countries? Why is it necessary to limit the number?
We currently have a total of 1400 people registered, many of whom are pilgrims from outside of Chile. There are about 300 people coming from Brazil, Argentina, United States, Germany, Ecuador, Paraguay. For us it has been a great joy to have full registration with over a month to go before the Jubilee. Unfortunately, we had to limit the number of participants for logistical reasons since the space in Bellavista does not allow us to accommodate more pilgrims.
What are the main objectives of this Jubilee?
The objectives of the Jubilee are:
– to go on pilgrimage together;
– to open our hearts;
– and to renew our Covenant of Love with the Blessed Mother.
On May 31st, we want to go on pilgrimage to the Shrine of Bellavista, but also to all the Shrines of the world, to thank Mary for teaching us from there to follow Jesus Christ and to encounter God in each person. We also want, during these Jubilee days, to gather as an International Family, opening our hearts to the Spirit and asking Him to enlighten us and help us to better understand both our history and our present. In short, we want to renew our Covenant of Love with the Blessed Mother and thus celebrate together this milestone in our history. We will ask the Blessed Mother to grant us the gift of renewing our enthusiasm for the mission that Schoenstatt has for our times.
Where are we in the preparation for the Jubilee celebrations and how is the Schoenstatt Family participating in this process?
The preparation is well underway. We have commissions composed of members of the different branches, federations, and institutes of the Schoenstatt Family at the national level. We have also been in permanent dialogue with representatives of the Movement from different communities at the international level.
It has been a gift to see how the symbol of the jubilee is present in the most diverse Shrines of the world and how they are praying for this celebration. We are very happy to see that there is an atmosphere of celebration of the 31st of May that has been spreading throughout the international Schoenstatt. For example, we have been sharing reflection topics and online interviews that are being very well received and disseminated.
What can pilgrims expect from this pilgrimage?
The first thing that we would like a pilgrim who comes to Bellavista to experience is that these are days of festivities, of celebration of the charism, of rejoicing for the Covenant and for the mission that has been entrusted to us. We want to encourage the pilgrims to strengthen bonds of friendship and establish ties with people they may not have known before. In a global sense, we want it to be a great family experience, where we can feel that we are on the way “in each other” towards the heart of God and of the Blessed Mother.
As for the more concrete experience, we want to share with you that during the Jubilee we want to give special emphasis to spirituality and religious experience: Mass will be offered on the three days of the Jubilee, with a special focus on the Mass of May 31st, as it is the day of the milestone, and on the final Mass of June 2nd, during which the new Unity Cross will be enthroned and presented as a gift to Bellavista. Also, after each Mass there will be prayers and moments of spirituality around the Cenacle Shrine.
As for the agenda, we want to address the different topics through panels with guests who will speak based on their different areas of expertise. We will talk about the context, the message, and the projection of the May 31st milestone. We also wanted to offer the possibility of having workshops, in which pilgrims will be divided into interest groups to share in a more specific way on the topics that concern them.
Will people who do not go to Bellavista in person be able to participate in some way? Will there be some kind of live broadcast?
All Schoenstatters throughout the world are summoned to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of May 31st. And we are called to celebrate, in the first place, in person. That is why we are “campaigning” so that each Shrine, Wayside Shrine or local Schoenstatt Family will gather on May 31st to have a Mass or liturgy of “gratitude for the third milestone”.
We also want to invite Schoenstatters from all over the world to join the live transmissions that we will broadcast from almost every part of the Jubilee. Except for a few blocks, the entire Jubilee will be streamed on YouTube. So, Friday, May 31st, Saturday, June 1st and Sunday, June 2nd, you will be able to connect with the live streaming and join the Jubilee celebration. All the links can be found on the jubilee website at jubileo31demayo.schoenstatt.cl and will be transmitted through the YouTube account of Schoenstatt Chile.
What is your special wish for this Jubilee?
I would like that during this Jubilee the Blessed Mother would grant us the gift of being able to assume our Covenant mission with new strength and creativity, that she teaches us how to vitally unite the natural with the supernatural, the profound communion of man with God. I would also like there to be a current of gratitude and sending forth in our entire international family, taking this celebration as an opportunity to relive together this charism for which Father Kentenich risked everything.
