– We Give You A Crown of Stars!
On Sunday, September 25, 2022, the diocesan leaders of all the dioceses in Paraguay, where the Schoenstatt Girls’ Youth is present, gathered in the shadow of the Schoenstatt National Shrine in Tuparenda. They came to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the discovery of their ideal: Like a star it has inspired and encouraged them as young women to become more and more a reflection of the Blessed Mother as:
the woman, clothed with the sun, the heart of the kingdom of God.
Some of the young women shared their experience with us through their testimonies:
“From the beginning it was a great joy to know that after a long time we would have a common celebration at the national level, that is, with all the dioceses of the country: the girls‘ youth from San Lorenzo, Asunción, Ciudad del Este, Concepción, Encarnación, Villarrica, Caacupé and even with the diocese that was just recently founded: the girls from Ayolas.
The more the jubilee team worked, the more we wanted all of the dioceses to be represented. (…)
We found that the image of the Immaculata is very much alive in us. In September 2017, during the celebration of the twenty-fifth jubilee of the discovery of our ideal, a statue of the Immaculata was erected in Tupãrenda. It represented the girls‘ youth from all of Paraguay. We realized that in these now 30 years, God is not telling us to deepen our ideal by trying to understand the exact meaning of every single word, but rather, we should look to our great model Maria Immaculata in order to discover the very essence of woman, of the woman clothed with the Sun, the heart in the Kingdom of God.”
Renata Talavera – University Student – Diocese Asunción
“With great enthusiasm and filled with expectation we prepared a welcome for many young women from all of Paraguay who are enkindled by our ideal that was given to us thirty years ago. Now we wanted to celebrate our common journey in Schoenstatt with our Immaculata.
When we realized that the Immaculata statue in Tuparenda has no crown, a very beautiful stream arose that united us. The wish awakened in us to embody each of these stars. We wanted to show that for thirty years, now and forever, the Blessed Mother is the Queen of All the Hearts of the Schoenstatt Girls‘ Youth of Paraguay.
With great joy, more than 320 young women feverishly awaited this day. We burned with love for the woman clothed with the sun, the heart in the kingdom of God, and we departed to bring our ideal everywhere.
The celebration, and the entire preparation for it, lives in me as a time of countless graces, sustained by rich gifts and by the blessing of a Father who was palpably present and a Queen who once again accepted the crown that we all gave her together.”
Rossmary Rodas – University Student, Diocese Asunción
“I really had the feeling that each one of us present was called and chosen to be here on this day. As Jesus says in the Gospel of John: As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you.—Not you have chosen me, but rather, I have chosen you and appointed you to go forth and bear fruit and this fruit will remain forever.
I think the Blessed Mother told us and tells us every day that it is she herself who has chosen us and she wants us to remain faithful to her love. And then, finally, to see all the signs of our surrender to her, our faithfulness, our concerns, our wishes, and everything that represents our capital of grace realized in this wonderful crown of stars–that filled us with joy and gratitude.”
Mariana Ruiz – High School Academy of the Diözese Asunción
- “To come, to be at a holy place, to participate in the crowning, and to have been a part of this meeting was something so beautiful, a unique experience; to feel this peace, the love, the closeness and the being sheltered by the Blessed Mother in the shrine was something very profound for me (…)
- To be educated and guided by the Mother of God, to feel that unconditional love and affection of a Mother who embraces and protects me is something absolutely special.
- Knowing that she will never leave me alone, that she will be my light in darkness and that she will always give me her hand to help me stand up is my way to live and fight for everyday sanctity.
Dayeli Villanueva – High School Academy of Colonias Unidas