The Schoenstatt Family in Maringá, in the state of Paraná, Brazil, is experiencing another remarkable moment in its history: the declaration of the ideal of its Shrine – Tabor Aurora of the New Nazareth. The announcement marks a new stage in the mission of the Shrine, eight months after its inauguration, and is the fruit of a journey of discernment guided by the Holy Spirit.
The announcement took place in the early hours of Sunday, May 18, Covenant Day, starting at 5:00 a.m. and attended by members of the different branches of the Schoenstatt Family. In an atmosphere of expectation and prayer, everyone gathered for a moment of shared experience and reflection and then walked with torchlights to the Shrine, as the sun rose. At dawn on this new day, under a slowly brightening sky, they heard for the first time the ideal that will illuminate the life and mission of this place.
An ideal that points to the rising of the sun, the transfigured Christ
“Tabor Aurora of the New Nazareth” takes its references from the prayer book “Heavenwards” written by Fr. Joseph Kentenich. It is an ideal that arises from recognizing the Shrine as a place of transformation and missionary sending, where the Blessed Mother molds new creatures and awakens a new culture of encounter, love, and hope.
The term “Tabor”—which represents the national ideal of the Schoenstatt Movement in Brazil—recalls the experience of the Transfiguration: the Shrine is a place of revelation and light, where Christ manifests himself alive and glorious. It is a place where the Blessed Mother forms new personalities, capable of radiating God’s presence in the world.
“The Aurora” symbolizes the birth of a new era: hope reborn, light dispelling darkness and anticipating the full day. Just as Mary was the dawn that preceded the Sun of Salvation, the Shrine is called to be a sign of a new beginning for the Church and the community.
The element “New Nazareth” refers to the idea of transforming the Shrine into a genuine school of family communion and holiness in daily life. Inspired by the life of the Holy Family, “New Nazareth” is a call to renew society from within families, turning them into true “holy islands” in the midst of the world. In times of crisis, the Mother of God wants to bring Christ back into homes, rekindling the hope that a new era is possible.
As Fr. Joseph Kentenich teaches, only in the power of the Covenant of Love can families be formed according to the image of Nazareth. The ideal of “Tabor Aurora of the New Nazareth” is therefore a concrete response to the need for restoring social order through the sanctification of families, making the Shrine a place where the extraordinary is manifested in ordinary life—where, day after day, Christ is born in the midst of the home, and each dawn brings with it the hope of a new beginning.
Ver essa foto no Instagram
Translation: Maribel Acaron
