The Shrine of São Paulo Celebrates its 50th Anniversary
A "luminous lantern" in the largest metropolis of the Americas
Luisa Monteiro
The Tabor Shrine of Victorious Confidence in the Father, in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, commemorated 50 years of existence on July 8, 2020. The activities around this jubilee included three days of preparatory triduum, more than two million prayers gathered for opening day, holy Masses of Commemoration – one of which was presided by Cardinal Don Odilo Scherer -, and one day of sharing shrine experiences. The agenda followed the theme “Anchored to the Father, with the Queen of the Covenant, to turn the shrine into a hidden pearl, a luminous lantern for São Paulo”. This celebration is the apex of three years of preparation, which involved all the branches, communities, and apostolates of the Schoenstatt Work. The shrine, located in the neighborhood of Villa Mariana, was the fourth to be founded in Brazil and the second in the city of São Paulo.
The first event on the jubilee agenda took place twenty days before the anniversary of the inauguration of the shrine. On July 18, the Schoenstatt Family of Villa Mariana, including those devoted to the Pilgrim Mother and the connected dioceses, proposed to pray one million prayers of Confidence for the Mother of God – a goal that was successfully achieved and which resulted in the presentation of 2,345,605 Prayers of Confidence as a gift to the Mother and Queen.
The Blessed Mother goes out to meet her children
The sunny morning of July 5 coincided with the festivities of Jubilee Sunday. With the current pandemic, people were unable to visit the shrine. However, they did not stop greeting the Queen. The picture of the MTA was removed and placed on the road in front of the shrine to bless the community. Many people passed in front of her, in cars and on foot – many came on their knees- and carried flowers and gifts of their offerings to the capital of grace.
For the festivities, a small group composed of the members of the Council of the Schoenstatt Family gathered in the shrine. Those who could not attend because of health measures were fully represented as a table full of gifts, sent by the members of the Movement, was placed next to the shrine. Around the garden, dozens of signs highlighted the name of each branch and diocese. The families were also called to spiritually witness the event, and during the experience day, a scroll with more than seven thousand names of families, sent by the community during the week before the jubilee, was presented to the Blessed Mother.
A new crowning
The Golden Jubilee Holy Mass, presided over by Cardinal Don Odilo Scherer, was witnessed by many from afar. It was a celebration that commemorated the history of a small shrine, whose presence, in the words of the Cardinal “became significant in our city and for many people who found there well-being, joy, and blessing, a refuge for their encounter with God and Our Lady, Mother and Queen of us all.
Don Odilo’s wish is that “the celebration of this 50th Anniversary, may mean a renewal, a deepening of the mission that the shrine and the Movement assume here in São Paulo. So that, in this time of new evangelization, of missionary renewal, we can radiate this presence of grace, of mercy, of the goodness of God throughout our city.
The celebration ended with a new crowning of Mother Thrice Admirable in the shrine, Tabor Shrine of Victorious Confidence in the Father, by Don Odilo. Around the shrine participants raised their pictures of the Blessed Mother, and were joined by spectators and pilgrims from their houses, in their home shrines. The day referred to by many internet users as a “day of heaven on earth”, concluded with the crowning prayer and the beautiful Schoenstatt tradition of consecration of hearts, once again, to the Blessed Mother.