A little over a year ago, as the Schoenstatt Boys’ Youth (JM) of Guayaquil, Ecuador, we experienced an unfortunate event: our flag mysteriously disappeared.

A few months later, we met with Fr. Eduardo Auza, a former moderator of the JM. On that occasion, he told us that previous generations of the Schoenstatt Boys’ Youth in Guayaquil had made a pilgrimage to Chimborazo, where there is a wayside shrine of the Schoenstatt Mother—according to what we’ve been told—the highest in the world, which they had built themselves. It was then that we became convinced that the Blessed Mother was inviting us to repeat the gesture of past generations.

Chimborazo is an inactive volcano in Ecuador; its summit is 2,072 meters farther from the center of the Earth, making it the point on the entire planet closest to the sky. The mountain huts on Chimborazo consist of two stations within the Chimborazo Wildlife Reserve: the Hermanos Carrel Hut (4,845 meters above sea level), which can be reached by vehicle, and the Whymper Hut (5,042 meters above sea level), which is reached after a one-hour hike from the first station.

A Shrine at the Summit

The image of the MTA was located at the Whymper Refuge. Unfortunately, for several years now, this refuge has had limited public access, so it is not possible to visit the Blessed Mother on the heights of Chimborazo.

With a providential outlook and convinced that Mary was calling us to take this step, we knew the answer: Yes, Mother!

We then began preparing our pilgrimage to Chimborazo—the point on Earth closest to the sun—with a twofold purpose: on the one hand, we wanted to reclaim the lost flag, renewing not only the physical banner but also deepening our commitment to the ideal it represents: Yes, Mother, Light of Christ, Tabor of the world. On the other hand, we wanted to make it easier for more people to visit the Blessed Mother, so we had in mind to move the image from the second shelter to the first, the one most visited by tourists and adventurers.

Despite the cold, our hearts were on fire

With these aspirations and after months of preparation, we set out. The university students, along with some older pioneers, embarked on this adventure. We made our way to Pallatanga, where we spent a day in fellowship, prayer, and deepening our understanding of the ideal of youth, looking toward the future and renewing our commitment to be faithful to this invitation from God.

At 5 am. on Sunday, June 7th, the alarms went off. We traveled for just over two hours to the nature reserve. There, Chimborazo—Ecuador’s highest volcano—welcomed us majestically; although we didn’t have time to acclimatize, our hearts were determined.

We began the ascent and soon felt the lack of oxygen. The altitude took its toll on some of us, but with slow and steady steps, we continued forward. The Blessed Mother walked beside us, and the new flag reminded us that it is worth fighting for our ideals. Each step was a silent offering to the Capital of Grace.

A High-Altitude Covenant

At over 5,000 meters, the temperature dropped, but our hearts were ablaze. We sang, encouraged those falling behind, and celebrated the highest Mass of our lives. Visitors from various places joined us for the Eucharist, reminding us that the Covenant is for everyone. It was a different kind of Corpus Christi, yet deeply meaningful. Jesus made himself present on the mountain, just as he accompanied his disciples on Mount Tabor. He walked with us, encouraging us to keep going, to persevere in the struggle, and to bear witness to our faith and our love for Mary.

After Mass, we entered the Whymper Refuge and renewed our Covenant of Love before the image brought there by our predecessors. Our mission was to bring the Blessed Mother closer to those arriving from different parts of the world; that is why we moved the image to the first refuge, Hermanos Carrel, so that more people could visit her and encounter her.

Although it was neither a great feat nor an extraordinary challenge, we offered this small effort and the entire journey we undertook so that the banner of our ideals might fly once more—not only in the heights of the Andes, but also in our daily lives.

Translation: Sr. M. Lourdes Macías