On Saturday, September 5, the Schoenstatt Family in Paraguay gathered in Tupãrenda to celebrate and give thanks for the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Secular Institute of the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary. Under the theme “Mary, Light of Our Hope,” approximately 400 people from various branches, groups, and dioceses across the country gathered to celebrate a century of history, dedication, and mission.
The celebration began at 4:00 pm. with a solemn Eucharist of Thanksgiving at the Church of Santa María de la Trinidad, presided over by Father Tommy Nin Mitchell and concelebrated by Fathers Óscar Saldívar, Manu López Naón, Pablo Pizani, Javier Arteaga, and Reginald Ibe, along with the presence and accompaniment of the novices.
Present during the celebration were the Sisters who currently live and work in Paraguay: Sr. M. Kathia Martínez, superior of the Sisters in the country; Sr. M. Candelaria Sturla, Sr. M. Georgina Noro, Sr. María Beatriz Nery Huerta Santacruz, and Sr. M. Betiana Zmiak. Also present for this occasion were Sr. Cecilia María Flecha Cosp, Provincial Superior of the Sisters of Mary of the Province of Nazareth; Sr. María Luz Afrontti, Sr. María Victoria Herrera, and Sr. María Marta Luis O’Hara, the first Paraguayan vocation among the Sisters of Mary.
A Holy Mass to celebrate a century of mission
The liturgy was marked by various symbols that expressed the history and mission of the Sisters.
The light placed before the altar symbolized the daily and silent dedication of so many Sisters. A notebook containing prayer intentions reminded them of their mission to accompany, intercede, and bring to God the needs of those entrusted to them.
The white flowers represented the Paraguayan Sisters of Mary, while the colorful flowers evoked all those who passed through this land and left the fragrance of Schoenstatt behind. Along with the bread and wine, they also offered gratitude, life, and a commitment to continue serving with love.
In his homily, Father Tommy invited everyone to reflect on these 100 years through the lens of faith and gratitude, acknowledging God’s guidance, Mary’s maternal presence, and the generous dedication of so many Sisters. The Jubilee, he noted, is also an opportunity to renew hope and the commitment to continue building, together with Mary, a living, missionary, and servant Church.
During the Prayer of the Faithful, the community offered special prayers for the Sisters celebrating this anniversary, for all those who, over the course of a century, have dedicated their lives to the service of Schoenstatt and the Church, and for new vocations to this community.
A life made up of being present
One central moment of the celebration was Sr. Cecilia María’s reflection.
As she looked out at the packed church and the gathered community, she invited everyone to recognize that “the life of each one of us is made up of being present”: the presence of God, that of those who accompany us, and also that of those people who remain in the memory of our hearts.
Therefore, as we celebrate these 100 years, she invited us to recall the specific face of that Sister who, at some point in life, shared her light, her listening ear, or her prayer. In those faces, we also remembered the pioneers, all the Sisters who preceded them, and those who today continue to dedicate their lives to daily service.
Because, in essence, being a Schoenstatt Sister of Mary means “making ourselves a presence of Her, a presence of Mary,” noted Sister Cecilia María.
The Sister also recalled with gratitude Father Joseph Kentenich, who recognized in Mary the beauty and dignity of the consecrated woman’s soul and left the Sisters with a phrase that continues to resonate a century later: “You are my promise to the world.”
A “Yes” that endures
The celebration continued with a pilgrimage to the Shrine, where the Sisters shared a more intimate moment of prayer and renewed their consecration and commitment to the Schoenstatt Family.
There, they especially entrusted vocations, the Sisters working in Paraguay, and all the people and communities entrusted to them.
It was also a way to renew the spirit of self-giving of the first Sisters, recalled by Sr. Cecilia María with a question that continues to challenge today’s mission: “Young blood, what will you dare to do?”
Faced with the challenges of the present, the Sisters thus renewed their desire to continue being a living presence of Mary in the world: offering their feet to journey alongside those entrusted to them, their hands to build a culture with the face of a family, and their hearts so that no one lives out in the open and everyone may find shelter and a sense of belonging.
A Family that celebrates and gives thanks
The day culminated with a toast in front of the Pilgrim Hall. Sr. M. Kathia welcomed everyone present, and Bishop Claudio Giménez blessed the food, leading to a moment of fellowship and fraternal celebration.
The afternoon was accompanied by music and a video prepared especially for this Jubilee by the organizing team, which gathered testimonies from people across different branches and groups of the Movement whose lives had been significantly touched by the Sisters.
Each testimony allowed us to look back on these 100 years as a story written on faces, in bonds, in encounters, and in transformed lives.
The closing was marked by a particularly meaningful moment: as the candles were blown out, the sky over Tupãrenda lit up with fireworks, bringing a day of gratitude and the celebration of a history that continues to transform lives to a close.
Magnificat Foundation: supporting a mission
In Paraguay, the Magnificat Foundation’s primary objective is to support the mission of the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary, ensuring this work can continue to grow and bear fruit.
As part of this centennial, the Magnificat Foundation was responsible for organizing the celebration, in collaboration with representatives from the various branches and levels of the Schoenstatt Family in Paraguay. Thus, the event was also a concrete expression of a mission built together and of a community that recognizes, gives thanks for, and celebrates a history that belongs to it.
One hundred years after that first “yes,” we, too, renew our commitment to accompany this mission and to continue building together whatever God, through Mary, intends to bring forth in our land.
Toward a new century
Celebrating 100 years does not mean merely looking back. It also means acknowledging the history we have received and asking ourselves what we are called to build upon it.
The history of the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary continues in every vocation, every community, every person who allows herself to be accompanied, and every heart willing to respond to God’s call.
From Paraguay, the Schoenstatt Family gives thanks for this century of presence, dedication, and mission, and entrusts the future to Mary’s hands.
As Sister Cecilia María said at the end of her remarks, “We are entering a new century with the certainty that our future has a face, and that face is Mary.”
Happy 100 years of history, dedication, faithfulness, and mission, Sisters!
