Romania: Getting closer to God during vacations

During the vacation camps for girls in Romania/Temeswar, the fact that God, faith, and vacations go hand in hand became clear.  G. enthusiastically comments: “I really enjoyed starting and ending each day with God. Something that was very nice for me was that we had Holy Mass every day”. The activities were wonderful: water games, evenings with various activities, olympics, singing together …. Thank you for the beautiful Holy Masses and for this wonderful camp”. V. says: “I feel like I have a new heart after this camp. With a new heart, there is no problem in believing in God and accepting others. If you want a new heart, you can ask God for it.”

Who or what is right for me?

This very important question was explored with girls older than 13: Who or what is good for me? K. reports: “The program also included several outdoor games, group classes, a visit to the city where we had ice cream, several workshops such as T-shirt painting and making very nice home shrines. Also, it was a great experience for us to have Merci and Zsuzsi (members of the group of girls from Hungary) introduce us to the world of colors, talk to us about make-up, clothes and fashion, and what suits our type, skin color and much more.”

Housework can also be fun

B. sums up her impressions as follows: “In between fun and laughter, we also participated in housework, taking turns washing dishes, sweeping and mopping, setting the table and doing other chores. These activities helped us to learn practical things for life. The Blessed Virgin, who also did housework, is a model for us. We can always count on her as a friend.”

Commitment to others

M., who was the oldest of the girls between 9 and 12 years old, recognized her ability and interest in getting involved with the younger ones: “I enjoyed these days very much. For me it was interesting because I was the oldest of the girls and I was able to help them discover and that is something I really enjoyed. Unfortunately, the time passed very quickly, but I’m already looking forward to the next vacation to take part in a camp again.”

Evening soirées with different activities were a successful element of the camp.  The girls performed either individually or in groups to demonstrate amusing scenes from the camp or from their lives. Talents are always discovered here that otherwise would have been left undiscovered. The “secret friend” was also very popular: the participants anonymously gave each other small gifts and performed good deeds. It was only on the last day that they revealed themselves to each other with a small final gift.

Five girls sealed the Covenant of Love with our Blessed Mother. T. is convinced: “We learned many virtues from the Mother of God such as purity, kindness, service, generosity; the list is endless. We also learned about Father Joseph Kentenich’s life, which inspired me a lot. He has a great personality and learning about his life touched me deeply”.

The girls felt very comfortable during the vacation camp. This is confirmed by A.’s testimony: “I thank the Blessed Mother that I have a beautiful family at home, and I thank her that I also found a home here. Here I could be myself and nothing was uncomfortable or embarrassing at all.”

Making friends and “being a burning light”

Befriending others as well as some “heavenly friends” is also a new and life-directing experience. M. expresses it this way: “We have found our place in Schoenstatt and in doing so we have embarked on a path of self-education that consists of seeking perfection by accepting our imperfections and striving to become more and more like the Blessed Mother”.

Based on the experience of feeling loved, the girls want to transmit this experience to others: “We know that we are loved because we have experienced it here among the Schoenstatt Girls’ Youth in Romania, and we also know that it is our task to transmit this: ‘to be a burning light in the darkness that changes the world’.” L., speaking about the fact that Schoenstatt did not come about because of an apparition of the Blessed Mother and that Father Kentenich formulated at the time that we all had to become “Marian apparitions”, sees it this way: “Wherever we are, wherever we are present, we have to love and behave like them”.

Schoenstatt our home – we are beloved and noble daughters of God

T. writes after the vacation: “In Schoenstatt I am at home. Here I can be myself. I have found my place. We all have dignity and are allowed to wear a secret crown on our foreheads because we are all precious, beloved and real children of God. It is not important what others think of you. It is important that God and the Blessed Mother love you infinitely just as you are.”

The Sisters of Mary’s filial home grows

At the moment, the Sisters of Temeswar are preparing two rooms in the attic, because September of 2022, two new Sisters arrive and then there will be nine.

We thank the Blessed Mother for all the blessings she sends from Temeswar to the country and to the hearts of the people. We wish the Sisters strength, continuity and loving hearts.