Less than a month ago, the whole world turned its attention to this place on the map: Chiclayo, Peru. Everyone wanted to know how and where the new pontiff, Pope Leo XIV, had arrived. The International Schoenstatt Family also kept an eye on this place and sought to discover if there were any Schoenstatters in this special corner of South America.
In Chiclayo, we found a lively, active, and missionary Schoenstatt Family with members of the Pilgrim Mother Apostolate, the Mothers League, and several diocesan priests who sealed the Covenant of Love.
25 years of history
A few days after the election of the Pope, the Schoenstatt Family in Chiclayo gathered to celebrate its history. On Sunday, May 25th, a solemn celebration marked the 25th anniversary of the Schoenstatt Apostolic Movement in the diocese.
The members of the Schoenstatt Movement gathered in the evening at the altar where Pope Leo XIV had celebrated Holy Mass many times in the Cathedral of Santa Maria, the seat of the diocese.
The Holy Mass was presided over by the diocesan vicar, Fr. Jorge Villegas. The homily was given by the national coordinator of the Schoenstatt Movement in Peru, Fr. Eduardo Auza. Several priests who have already sealed the Covenant of Love concelebrated.
Be builders of peace, like Pope Leo
In his homily, Fr. Eduardo said he was happy for the opportunity to be the first Schoenstatt Father to celebrate in the cathedral where the Pope had belonged for so many years. “I want to take this beautiful opportunity to greet you. I am not Peruvian, I am Ecuadorian and I live in the Diocese of Guayaquil, so I want to greet you and congratulate you for having a Peruvian Pope,” he said, drawing applause from the community.
Fr. Eduardo spoke about the Year of Hope and emphasized peace, which was the theme of Pope Leo XIV’s inaugural address. “For us Christians, peace is not just the absence of war and problems; it is not living in total passivity; it is not going on vacation and lying in a hammock or on a beach chair… What Jesus tells us today is that we must be builders of peace. It is a peace that, as Pope Leo XIV said, serves to build bridges. It is a peace that must be missionary. It is a peace that must be achieved through disarmament and unarmed forces. It is a peace that looks to Mary.”
This diocese, more than any other, must launch itself
When speaking about the three graces of the Schoenstatt Shrine, the coordinator of the Movement says that the Blessed Mother offers us apostolic fruitfulness “so that we do not fall asleep, because hope is not something to be waited for.” He explains: “Sometimes we speak of hope as if we were waiting for the bus to pass. Hope is a commitment to the world. Peace is a commitment to the world. We want to promote this very much throughout the entire Church, especially in this diocese. It has to launch itself for peace. It has to launch itself to build bridges. It has to launch itself to be missionary, to have a lucid Marian piety that always leads us to encounter Christ.”
Fr. Eduardo, celebrating the silver jubilee of Schoenstatt’s presence in the diocese, said: “She (Mary) comes to us every day to bring us her Son Jesus. She wants to make my heart a beautiful place. Mary, the Virgin of Schoenstatt, who has been on pilgrimage in this diocese for 25 years, wants to continue on pilgrimage in homes, hospitals, seminaries, prisons… to bring this important message that we so badly need. And so, we give thanks to God that we can praise Him for centuries to come. Amen.”
Translation: Sr. M. Lourdes Macías