He returned 40 years ago, and today he also returns

The Schoenstatt Family recalls the "The Miracle of the Holy Night" in the Original Shrine

24 de diciembre de 1965: Misa de Gallo en el Santuario Original December 24, 1965: Father Kentenich celebrates the Christmas Mass in the Original Shrine Heilige Nacht 1965: Pater Kentenich feiert im Urheiligtum die Christmette Foto: Sr. M. Zita © 1965
A las 16 horas, 200 personas aproximadamente se congregaron en el Santuario Original At 4:00PM, some 200 persons gathered in the Original Shrine Gegen 16.00 Uhr kamen etwa 200 Personen am Urheiligtum zusammen Foto: Barrientos © 2005
En medio de villancicos, el Padre Günther Boll rememoró los acontecimientos del 24 de diciembre de 1965 Christmas carols resounded, and Fr. Günther Boll remembered the events of Christmas Eve 1965 Weihnachtslieder wurden gesungen, und Pater Günther Boll ließ die Ereignisse von Heiligabend 1965 wachwerden
Cayeron las cadenas... The chains have fallen... Die Fesseln sind gefallen…
En momentos en que todos entonaban "Cayeron las cadenas", dos jóvenes llevaron espontáneamente el cuadro del Padre al Santuario Original. Two girls from Chile carried the picture of Father Kentenich into the Original Shrine Zwei Jugendliche aus Chile trugen das Bild von Pater Kentenich ins Urheiligtum Fotos: Santos © 2005
En momentos en que todos entonaban "Cayeron las cadenas", dos jóvenes llevaron espontáneamente el cuadro del Padre al Santuario Original. Two girls from Chile carried the picture of Father Kentenich into the Original Shrine Zwei Jugendliche aus Chile trugen das Bild von Pater Kentenich ins Urheiligtum Fotos: Santos © 2005

SCHOENSTATT, mkf. "The chains have fallen! Let a song of thanksgiving jubilantly resound to heaven from all within Schoenstatt’s holy halls." To the sound of this song of gratitude, intoned by about 200 persons, who in spite of the light rain, gathered in front of the Original Shrine on the afternoon of December 24^th, Father Kentenich entered his Original Shrine once again. "Fourty years ago he returned to Schoenstatt and he entered the Original Shrine as a free man…" Father Gunther Boll said earlier. "The chains have fallen!" Spontaneously, two young girls took the picture of Father into the Original Shrine, placing it at the communion rail, from where he accompanied the ceremony. The Christmas tree, the lights, the flowers, the singing, the flash from the cameras, the radiant faces of all those present- everything contributed to the sensation of reliving on this Christmas Eve 2005, just as 40 years ago, Father’s return to his Original Shrine, in his Schoenstatt.

On the 24^th of December, at 4:00 p.m., approximately 200 persons gathered in the Original Shrine to recall with gratitude the 40 years of Father’s return to Schoenstatt after 14 years of exile. At the request of the General President, the Institute of Schoenstatt Ladies prepared the celebration. Many Sisters of Mary congregated –those in tertiary were also present, along with members of the Women’s Federation, many of which had arrived at Schoenstatt for the General Chapter of Federation that would begin on the 27^th of December, Brothers of Mary, Schoenstatt Fathers, couples and some 40 youth from Chile, Brazil, Ecuador, Argentina, Hungary, Spain and the United States. But not only these 200 hundred persons were present, there were also hundreds of Schoenstatters who had sent their "stars" during the days before the 24^th of December with the names of their loved so that they could be placed in the Original Shrine, the Bethlehem of our time. Many concretely expressed in their emails: "We want to be present at the celebration of the 40^th Anniversary of Father’s return. It is an anniversary that would be celebrated on the same day in his many Shrines and Wayside Shrines. Liliana Laurent of Concordia, Argentina writes: "At 3:30 p.m. we will gather at the wayside shrine to pray the Holy Rosary, recalling Father’s arrival in Schoenstatt and we will pray for his beatification".

"During all those years he never doubted that he would return to his Schoenstatt"

In the midst of the carols, Father Gunther Boll remembered the events of the 24^th of December 1965: We gather in the same place, the same day and almost at the same time as in 1965, so that the event of that year will again live in our hearts. It is the place from which Father departed on the 22^nd of October 1951. "This time the separation will not be as long as the last time", Father had manifested to the faithful with whom he had celebrated the last Holy Mass before saying farewell to Schoenstatt. Nobody could imagine that it would be longer than the 3 years of Dachau, that it would be a separation that would last 14 years.

It was not only an external separation, added Father Boll. There were ill fated predictions about him and his work: He will never return, they said. And many times the black clouds seemed to announce the waning of his work..

It was 40 years ago, on Christmas Eve of 1965, that the Founding Father entered the Original Shrine as a free man, and he knelt before the Blessed Mother. Respectfully and in silence we are before this dialogue between him and the Blessed Mother after all these years. He returned to the Original Shrine, the place from which he departed, and furthermore, the place where everything began. On Sunday the 18^th of December 1914, at 5:00 p.m. the great event took place that from the outside was not noticed much, but it was a new initiative of God: it was the moment in which the Blessed Mother made this chapel her dwelling place. It was at this moment that a new story began, a story full of adventures, a holy story, a story in which he was the main protagonist. He has lived, suffered and built this entire story as the human counterpart in this Covenant of Love. On the 24^th of December he returned home, he returned to his Mother who was his Queen, she, who was loyal to him as he was loyal to her during all those years, during all the suffering, in the midst of injustice, of darkness.

Then they went to the classroom of the Marian School. For the first time Father was able to meet with the large family. The manner in which he began his talk was very significant, Father Boll affirmed, knowing that not only were all eyes fixed on him but also that hundreds of hearts were open awaiting his first words. "I could stay with you on earth", he said at the beginning, continuing with when and how these events had happened. "But that is not what I want; rather, I want to rise along with you to the stars, to heaven". Father Boll resumed part of Father’s talk especially stressing how Father reflected on what was in his heart on this day. In his talk Father returned to the time when the phrase the Miracle of the Holy Night was awakened in everyone’s feelings on that day. An expression that was born on Christmas Eve 1941, based on a letter from Sister Mariengard. With the birth of the Marian Garden, as a symbol of the most profound unity between Father and his family, the expression of The Miracle of the Holy Night also emerged, fruit of the mutual giving of self between Father and the Family: The liberation of the Father to fulfill his mission and the liberation of the Family to always ally itself with him and his mission. After reflecting on the plan of God the Father for the Schoenstatt Family, Father affirmed two things: In all those years and in all those dark nights I never doubted, not even for a second, that some day I would return to my Family. The second affirmation: I never felt alone or abandoned, when the hand of God entrusted a heavy cross to me, because I always knew that you were carrying the cross that God had entrusted to us with me. That is how that profound community of destinies and hearts was born.

These are the fundamentals of Schoenstatt, expressed Father Boll: the foundation of the Covenant of Love and the foundation of the communion of hearts between the Founder and his Family.

To look back, he concluded, is not simply contemplating on past history; rather, it is as Father always repeated, an impetus for the mission we have before us, it is the road towards the future. What Father wants to say to us here and now is: Schoenstatt lives of the faith in the reality of the Covenant of Love and the communion of destinies between the Founder and his family.

"We now want to pray with him: Thrice Victorious, accompany on this road!"

Gathered as a Family around the Father

While all those present, or at least those who were in or close to the Original Shrine, contemplated the picture of Father in the Original Shrine with emotion, parts of Father’s talk were read and more carols were intoned. The Christmas spirit of joy, of family, of feeling the presence of the Father, who returned to his Original Shrine kept growing more

and more. When the Covenant of Love was renewed an atmosphere reigned of again being gathered around Father with all the family that was close and with those who were afar. Father Joseph Fleischlin imparted the blessing to everyone and also to those who gathered in other countries, he blessed all the Family.

Radiant with joy, the women distributed photos of Father in the Original Shrine and also shrine cookies.

Although it was afternoon and there were still a few hours before Midnight Mass, everyone spontaneously wished each other "Merry Christmas" in German, Spanish and English…And it was truly Christmas at that moment.

Translation: Celina M Garza, Harlingen/TX, USA

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