On October 25, we celebrated 75 years of the Schoenstatt Pilgrim Mother Apostolate in Moscow, Russia. We are very happy to experience this important moment with the presence and leadership of Archbishop Paulo Pezzi of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Moscow.
The celebration began with a pilgrimage of the community with the images of the MTA. We entered through the Jubilee Door of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Moscow and obtained the Jubilee Indulgence. Archbishop Monsignor Paulo addressed those present: “Brothers and sisters, we gather before the cross of the Lord, the anchor of our salvation and hope, to celebrate the jubilee of the Pilgrim Mother Apostolate together with God and all those who welcome this image. May Christ, our peace and our hope, be our companion on this day. May the Holy Spirit, who remains with us, lead us to the fulfillment of faith, hope, and love.”
In the church, we joined the parish community and prayed the joyful mysteries of the rosary together. Together with the Cathedral choir, we sang joyfully at the beginning of Holy Mass, the hymn to the Pilgrim Mother: “Admirable Mother, Pilgrim Virgin, it is your visit that enlightens me.”
Pilgrims from Bethlehem
In his heartwarming and paternal homily, Archbishop Paulo Pezzi reflected on the human pilgrimage and its meaning:
“As we celebrate the jubilee of the pilgrim image of the Mother of God, Thrice Admirable, our thoughts immediately turn to the family of Nazareth. That family, that house, the place God chose to visit his people, was a pilgrim house.
Shortly after the birth, before moving to their home in Nazareth, this family had to flee to Egypt. We then understand that this family’s pilgrimage was not always taken as a decision to travel somewhere due to the need to find work, but unfortunately it was also related to persecution. The same thing happens to us. Our daily pilgrimage is perhaps even more profound: the need to find work, to protect our family, for example, our children, so that they do not fall into some kind of addiction. Sometimes families have to move far away, to an unfamiliar city, where they have no close ties. In all this, in all our pilgrimages, we must not forget that this family accompanies us. Mary and Joseph, looking at Jesus, accompany us all. And how do they do this? Today, the first reading tells us that the main companion in life is wisdom.”
Monsignor Paulo Pezzi affirms that wisdom manifests itself through different virtues and highlights three of them: simplicity, sincerity, and meekness. “Dear brothers and sisters: Let us ask the Lord that our journey on earth be marked by these virtues. So that we may savor, at least in part, the gift of full happiness that awaits us in heaven.”
At the end of Holy Mass, the missionaries of the Pilgrim Mother renewed their prayer of consecration. Together with everyone present in the church, they recited the little consecration. The missionaries received the pilgrim images from Archbishop Paulo. The prayer in the church ended with a group photo.
Reflections and testimonies
After Holy Mass, we gathered in the hall for a get-together. The event began with the hymn Agni Parfene, performed by the parish choir. Then, in the reflection prepared for the jubilee encounter, we heard news about the jubilee celebration in September in Brazil. This celebration gives each one of us the joy of feeling part of a large international family. We also had the opportunity to learn more about the person of Venerable John Luis Pozzobon from the perspective of the jubilee grace of hope. The life of the “little disciple of Father Kentenich,” as he liked to call himself, shows us the different faces of hope that we encounter on our journey with Mary. We focused on hope as a “pilgrim virtue,” which reveals to us the need to develop a “pilgrim consciousness” and a “sense of home.”
After the reflection, we listened to several testimonies and sang various songs. In the first testimony, we were able to rejoice in the experience of one of the circles in which Mary walks among friends and at work, always being, above all, the Mother of human hearts, regardless of religion. In the second testimony, we heard how communication and news about the life of the Schoenstatt Family, accessible from different countries around the world on the international website, have transformed the perception of Schoenstatt. The third testimony confirmed this experience of “surprise” at how grace works in our lives. Thanks to John Pozzobon, who begins his diary entry by saying: “I didn’t really know Schoenstatt yet…” Yes, many years after his first contact with Schoenstatt, the Shrine, and the spiritual retreats, John got to acquire the experience of knowing it “for real.” For many of us, this realization is precisely what makes John a kindred spirit: suddenly, we realize that truths that were seemingly known until then become very vivid and personal, thus bringing with them the joy of the mission.
An inspiring presence: the first Pilgrim Mother in Russia
The story of Mary’s pilgrimage through the hearts of the people of our country began many years ago thanks to the MTA image, which left the shrine in Oviedo (Argentina) on July 18, 1987. The image, which is in the sacristy of St. Louis Church in Moscow, contains this valuable information: “Image No. 60. Shrine Guarantee of January 20. Blessed on 7/18/87.” Thanks to the church’s sacristan, the Pilgrim Mother found a home in the sacristy of the Lubyanka Church in Moscow, which for many decades was one of the few functioning Catholic churches in Russia. For our community, this image is the “first,” the pioneer, the one who started it all. That is why it has a special place in a stylized frame reminiscent of that of the Auxiliary Pilgrim Mother, which we use in celebrations. Through this image, we experience and understand our connection to the Schoenstatt Shrine. Currently, the Pilgrim Mother visits her children in Russia in many parishes, hundreds or thousands of kilometers away.
Photos: Olga Khrul
Translation: Maribel Acaron
