22 November 2021 · 2021-11 newsletter
Mother Thrice Admirable, Queen and Victress of Schoenstatt, Mother of Mercy and Queen of the Family
It had been hoped that the 5th Crowning Anniversary of our Mother would be a big celebration but due to the ongoing pandemic lockdown, it was not possible. We are grateful to the technology of the Zoom platform which gave us a chance to celebrate this event virtually. The celebration was held on Sunday 12 September – the Feast of the Holy Name of Mary.
In preparation for this event, the regional coordinators and circle members offered their strivings for the Capital of Grace – our joys, weaknesses, difficulties and prayers – in addition to a 9-day Novena ‘Courage of Faith’ with Fr. Kentenich. In this challenging time, we hoped that our novena would inspire us and challenge our faith, and ultimately give us courage and strength to pass through this pandemic.
At 2.00pm we started the program. There were about 35 participants mostly from the region and a few invited guests. Sr Luisa Maria gave an input on the theme: “Why do we crown our Mother?” The following is a summary of the inspiration she gave us.
She referred to Fr. Kentenich’s sermon at the crowning in the original Shrine on 10th December 1939: “Every consecration, be it the little dedication in the morning and evening, be it in a course or a family consecration is nothing else but a renewed and deepened election of the Blessed Mother as a Queen of our lives…”
Speaking to the Blessed Mother, Fr. Kentenich said: “You shall take the sceptre into your hands…You shall lead, direct and guide our family … We will give you this right… you shall be our Queen. By virtue of this original right of election you shall govern us, lead us and steer the little vessel of each individual life and that of the whole family.”
Furthermore, Father Kentenich added that the Blessed Mother is Queen by right of inheritance, Queen by right of conquest and Queen by right of election. From the beginning, God already chose Mary as a ‘Queen by right of inheritance’. Christ is the King and so Mary became the Queen. She inherited this title from God, and it is secured by the eternal, infinite plan of God. … ‘We crown the Blessed Mother because the Eternal God crowned her … through her election as Mother of God and Bride of God’.
Our Blessed Mother is ‘Queen by right of conquest’ because she cooperated in the work of our salvation. Through her work as the Saviour’s constant companion and helpmate in the whole work of salvation, our Blessed Mother is ‘Queen by right of election’.
We choose to crown her, and she has the right to have the crown. Whenever we crown our Mother, it is an act of recognition and gratitude that the Blessed Mother has shown herself to be truly generous in the realm of our family (15/5/1941). Lastly, what are we doing when we give our Mother the crown? We recognise and profess anew that our future and the future of our family is completely dependent on her love, her protection, her favour, her intercessory power at the throne of her Son, the throne of the Triune God.”
After the input we had a Silent Adoration ‘on line’ for about 10 minutes – the Blessed Sacrament was exposed on the altar in the Joseph Kentenich House Chapel. This was followed by the renewal of the crowning of our MTA as “Mother of Mercy and Queen of the Family”. After the renewal we presented our intentions to our Queen. It was such a beautiful gathering and everyone experienced the great joy of meeting and seeing each other through the Zoom platform. We fostered such a sense of belonging and connectedness.
Edna Aldana
I would like to include some of the comments and reflections from participants:
- Thank you for organising the event via Zoom. It was moving. My mum participated and it was lovely to see you all. I was at the actual celebration 5 years ago.
- It was great to see everyone. I felt very comfortable to be there. I think it is just so important to have celebrations like this during this time of isolation. Thank you for the efforts to get everyone there. Many thanks to Sister for the work on the day.
- It was really good. It makes me closer to Mama Mary. She is our Queen and we are her little queens. Everything I do, I do with Mama Mary. Let me know if you have another session for spiritual growth.
- It was lovely. A beautiful gift for me. Fantastic! A step closer to pray together. Thank you.
- That was a very moving service. Sr Luisa Maria explained the crowning very well. God bless you for all you do to bring us closer to Jesus through his mother.
- What a wonderful and memorable event … Mary is truly our Mother and Queen for she knows in her heart when to gather her children at the right time, when everyone is longing to be with each other in person, amidst lockdown and restrictions due to pandemic. …. O, Mother, as you are ever faithful to us, may we be faithful to you always.
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