“Give thanks to the Lord …”
This is what we can sing from the fruit and vegetable cellar again this year. So many people are suffering from hunger and drought, others from flooding–even near us there was a bad storm and hail damage – and we have had such good weather; everything flourished wonderfully!
“Prayer is the greatest (educational) power in heaven and on earth,”
asserted our founder Father Joseph Kentenich. Like him, we are convinced that our trust and our prayers are needed. God gladly gives, but we also have to petition him.
Our wayside shrine at the Liebfrauenhoehe
The Rogation Days before the Feast of the Ascension are a cherished tradition for us. In the early hours of the morning we pray and sing every day before one of our wayside shrines at the Liebfrauenhoehe, each shrine made with a specific intention, and we pray for God’s blessing in the forthcoming months.
Included is the little wayside shrine in the orchard, the first MTA- wayside shrine at the edge of the trees. It was made with the petition that our work here at Liebfrauenhöhe would be fruitful.
Then there is the large, impressive, and beautiful image of the Mother Thrice Admirable above the barn on our farm. This image of Mary reminds us that we appointed the Mother of God the Queen of Agriculture.
We may not overlook the wayside shrine facing the freeway. In 1979, we were filled with fear and trepidation because this freeway would be so close to our Schoenstatt Center. But the freeway has become a blessing because many people become learn of us through it. Our large church in the shape of a crown is a beautiful site for everyone who passes by on the freeway. At this wayside shrine we thank for the protection we experience over and over again on the road.
Thanksgiving – a feast of gratitude!
In front of the altar, in large letters for all to see, are the words Give thanks to the Lord!
We truly have much to thank for:
♥ for the protection that we experience each day anew;
♥ for our health, also that of the animals;
♥ for the many visitors to our place of pilgrimage day after day, year after year;
♥ for our life;
♥ for every large and small joy we received this year;
♥ for the people who gift us again and again and for those with whom we live and work;
♥ for our vocation;
♥ and for much more.
An altar of thanksgiving – motivating us to thank
This wonderful altar of thanksgiving, made with much love, is meant to motivate the people who come here to reflect upon what they can be grateful for also. Little pieces of paper have been prepared on which they can write their thanks. We sisters very consciously include this thanksgiving in each Holy Mass.
It is a great joy for all the visitors, whether adult or children, to be given from the boxes of apples here a blessed apple that they can take with them.
The following video clip shows the rich harvest that we gifted with this year: