Mexico radiant with lilies, yesterday, today, and always

On the weekend of August 22-24, the Schoenstatt Girls’ Youth in Mexico had the joy of celebrating the Jubilee for the 50th anniversary of its founding. It was a deeply moving experience, full of grace and hope, in which we felt once again the strength of the ideals that each generation helped to build, but above all to live.

In Schoenstatt’s spirituality, a jubilee signifies a return to origins with gratitude, a time of special grace in the Shrine, a renewal of the Covenant of Love, and a launch into the future with renewed missionary zeal. Therefore, more than a commemoration, this jubilee was an encounter of renewal and sending forth.

Communion between generations

One of the great gifts of this jubilee was the opportunity to bring together all generations of the Girls’ Youth. On the surface, differences could have created distance: different ways of thinking, speaking, relating, or even dreaming. However, in Schoenstatt, these differences did not become obstacles, but rather a source of richness.

What seemed like distance was transformed into a bridge, because what unites us are not fashions or styles, but eternal ideals: practical faith in Divine Providence, the Covenant of Love with Mary, and the desire to form free, strong, and responsible personalities. In this coincidence of ideals, the different age groups embraced each other, and what in another context could have been a rupture was experienced here as a profound communion that transcends time.

Lily, the flower of purity: a symbol that goes beyond generations

The talks, activities, and dynamics wove together a climate of communion that culminated in one of the most significant moments of the jubilee: the solemn act of placing the Lily in the frame of the Mother of God. For us, the Lily is much more than a flower; it is the symbol of the Girls’ Youth, representing Mary and expressing the desire to be pure, free, strong women deeply rooted in the Covenant of Love.

The celebration began with Holy Mass and continued with a pilgrimage to the Shrine, where the flags of each generation, marked with their mottos and ideals, were waved. Being able to hold the lily in our hands was a deeply meaningful and moving gesture. Amidst songs, cheers, and our anthem, tears of gratitude and joy flowed: an indescribable emotion that reminded us that this ideal is not a thing of the past, but a living mission that continues to flourish in each generation.

Fidelity and shared mission

The first generation was entrusted with the responsibility of responding to Fr. Joseph Kentenich’s call, transmitting and spreading the Schoenstatt message in Mexico. Our desire was to be a foundation and source of life in the Covenant of Love, rooted in the “Faithful Heart of the Church” Shrine, for future generations.

With gratitude, we were able to see that today’s new generations have taken on this heritage with heroism, fidelity, and creativity, giving continuity to the mission of the Girls’ Youth in the midst of the current challenges facing the Church and society.

Looking toward the future

The jubilee is not only a festive memory but also a pivotal turning point in missionary work. It impels us to continue being a source of life for the world, joyful, free, profound, and strong women, faithful to the Schoenstatt charism and to our ideal: to be little Mary in today’s world and to build a Mexico radiant with lilies.

From this encounter, we take the certainty that the Blessed Mother continues to act: she calls us, unites us, and sends us forth. Trusting in her guidance, we renew our mission to embody the ideal of the Girls’ Youth, the ideal of purity, nobility, and fidelity, so that future generations may find in us a living witness of fidelity and hope.

The 50th anniversary of the Girls’ Youth in Mexico has been a school of gratitude, communion, and mission. The story continues because the Blessed Mother continues to write new pages for the Church and the world in us. Our commitment is to keep alive the fire that ignited the first generations so that the Schoenstatt Girls’ Youth may continue to be, today and always, a source of life from the Shrine to the world.

Translation: Sr. M. Lourdes Macías