30 April 2022 · 2022-04 newsletter
Do you have friends who rave about and can’t wait to do again one of the Camino Walks offered overseas in Spain, Portugal or France? Most of these walks centre on spending many days walking hundreds of kilometres and coming home having made many friends, seen numerous Cathedrals and spent a lot of time eating strange food, sleeping in strange beds and having spent a bundle of money!
Well, the only thing the idea of a ‘Camino Walk’ around Mt Schoenstatt, planned for the first Sunday of Advent in December, has in common with these overseas grand journeys is that a Camino Walk is meant to elevate and enhance your appreciation and wonder at the power and love of God and in doing so deepen your spirituality!
The initial idea came from ‘wandering around the property’ in my dream state and waking up standing beside Sr. Bonitas’ Grave, with my mind having focused on the question, ‘Why not have a mini-Camino right here in Australia at Mt Schoenstatt to enhance our spirituality?’ While thinking about places on the property, I realized that another reason people travel the overseas routes, is for the history.
Mt Schoenstatt has an amazing history, having begun with four Sisters arriving in WA in 1951 right through to today when we are able to enjoy the beauty and serenity of Mt Schoenstatt itself.
So, after much discussion with the other mothers of the ‘Mary and Martha’ Mothers’ Group, we decided on the idea of building devotion to both the Shrine and nine other places on the property that point to the history of Schoenstatt here in Australia. If you think about it, “How much do you really know” about the Sisters who came from Germany? – Joseph Engling; Fr. Evans (the first Australian Schoenstatt Father) and Fr. Boes; Fr. Kentenich himself; the Wayside Shrine; the Father Room; the St Joseph Statue; the Home of Light, and Sr. Bonitas’ corner. Then how much do you know about the Unity Cross and the Father Eye symbols in the Shrine, these being among many to be tied to the nine stations?
‘Simplicity’ became the keyword. We decided that information could be presented in a way that those who know nothing of the history or the different symbols could understand, and give those who are dedicated to the Movement a ‘refresher course’. We would present one of the nine places each month and have people do a short walk to a nominated place ‘Station’ (e.g., Sr. Bonitas’ grave as the first one) and focus on one symbol in the Shrine. These would then build up to a full ‘Camino Walk’ in December using all the nine Stations and we would hope that, like the first Sisters, we would get many people and families to join us to re-create here, Sr. Bonitas’ favourite pastime in Advent (a ‘Shelter Seeking’ exercise walk around the Tardun, WA, property), so that “Christmas ‘becomes’ meaningful to (all and) to give them all the love and care which Christ brought to us at the first Christmas” (Taken from “Sr. Bonitas, A Life for Schoenstatt, by Shirley Hall).
See you at the Shrine or enjoy, a ‘meditative’ virtual walk available on the Schoenstatt website at: www.schoenstatt.org.au
Angela
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