March 24, 2019: The initiative “Praying together” took place in many locations throughout Germany.
The Adoration Sisters on Mount Schoenstatt also participated and offered the time of prayer in the Adoration Chapel.
From Gabi Wehner from the diocese of Fulda came the initial spark: “Everything is in upheaval: in the parish, in the church, in the families, in politics … Couldn’t we make a prayer action from the Pilgrim Shrine project to call down God’s blessing on our time?”
In many other places, sisters were involved in stimulating common prayer in their sphere of activity. An 85-year-old Sister of Mary, who visits a retirement home every week and offers contemplative times for the residents, tells the story:
“I was not able have the prayer time in the evening, but on the 25th in the morning. The hall was full again. I interrupted the rosary a little with music and in between I told something about the Marian Feast. We were together for a long time”.
The director of a Schoenstatt center told:
“We thought about whether we should offer anything at all, because the prayer action took place in all the surrounding places. But then we said: We should also pray in the Shrine, even if we will be few. And then 16 people came. Afterwards everyone said, ‘Can’t we do this again?’ – The prayer sheets were gladly taken along by all to pray again in the congregations or prayer groups”.
The team of those responsible deliberately chose the evening before the Feast of the Annunciation of the Lord as the date for the initiative. For more than 2000 years ago the initial faith of an unknown girl in Nazareth caused God to intervene in world and human history: God became man in Jesus Christ, a part of human history. Today is an apostolic time, time for faith in a new beginning of God in our world and time. In the Covenant of Love with Mary, we believe: In the power of the Holy Spirit, the impossible can become possible – TODAY.