The Sisters of Mary from the Cor Ecclesiae Shrine were with Pope Leo XIV at the opening of the centenary year of their Institute.
On Wednesday, October 1, the community of the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary inaugurated its jubilee year, marking the lead-up to the centenary. To everyone’s joy and surprise, a group of Sisters was able to celebrate this inauguration together with Pope Leo XIV.
Divine Providence allowed the Sisters who live at the Cor Ecclesiae Shrine in Rome to be close to the altar during the general audience. Sister M. Clades Schwengber unexpectedly had the opportunity to greet the Pope.
Waiting for an entrance
The encounter depicted in the photo can be seen as a sign of Providence. The Sisters of Mary, who live in Rome, requested to participate in the General Audience to represent the Institute and greet the Pope on the anniversary date of the founding of the community.
Their request was accepted, and they received tickets to sit to the left of the altar. This offer is intended for individuals who have a special reason to attend and participate more actively. Despite being a privileged location, those who sit on the left, like the sisters, do not have the opportunity to greet the Pope personally. On the other hand, participants seated on the right form lines to participate in the “baciamano” (the kissing of the Pope’s hand) and have the opportunity to meet him personally, give him gifts, and offer a few words of greeting.
However, shortly before the audience, the Blessed Mother had a surprise in store for them.
Can you meet with the Pope today?
Parallel to the sisters’ request, a Brazilian member of the Schoenstatt Family League, Vinicius Kattah, received tickets for the “right side,” that is, for the personal meeting with the Pope. Vinicius got three tickets to be on the right side of the altar. He is a musician in Vienna and was in Rome to work at the Dicastery for the Laity.
Sister M. Clades recounts:
“He had requested tickets to attend the General Audience with his wife and, if possible, to greet the Pope. However, the response came too late, so his wife decided not to go to Rome. To Vinicius’ surprise, he received three tickets for the “baciamano,” the personal greeting with the Pope. Since his wife was not there, he invited a friend, who took the second ticket, leaving him with one to spare. He called one of our sisters shortly before the audience, not knowing that we were there, that we were opening the centenary jubilee, or that we had a great desire to greet the Pope at that moment on behalf of the Sisters of Mary throughout the world. Two unplanned encounters took place. Then Vinicius asked the authorities in charge of the meeting if he could call a sister also to greet the Pope, since he had an extra ticket. And they granted him that privilege. It happened just as the Pope was about to enter the square in the popemobile, which was full of people. So, you can imagine the emotion that suddenly and unexpectedly overwhelmed us.
When I said “Schoenstatt,” he smiled
In this way, Sister M. Clades arrives at the right side of the altar, accompanies the entire audience, and then greets the Pope personally and on behalf of her Institute.
“The first greeting to the Pope consists of kissing his hand and asking for his blessing. I told him that I was there on behalf of the Secular Institute of the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary, which was inaugurating its centenary that day. I showed him a sign with the number 100 and explained that we were 1,500 consecrated members of Schoenstatt from all over the world, from the Secular Institute, and that I was representing them and asking for his blessing. When I finished, he also showed interest when I said “Schoenstatt” and gave a sign of consideration, smiling, as we can see in the photo. When I said “100 years,” there was again a gesture of admiration for this jubilee. Then I opened the poster completely, revealing more information, although it was not possible to discuss the details I had written. Finally, I told him that we always pray for his intentions, that we are especially committed from the Schoenstatt shrines, that we have a mission for the Church, and that, particularly at this time of so many conflicts, we pray especially for him, for the Church, and for peace in the world.
The encounter was a special gift of openness for the entire Secular Institute of the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary, which on that same day celebrated its 99th anniversary with enthusiasm, gratitude, and anticipation for the many other surprises that will undoubtedly come.