Here is what Phil said Dear Friends,
I bet most of you caught wind of this by now: I’m leaving tomorrow. Yeah, I’m moving to South America. God called me down there just like He called Jonah to Nineveh. Only in my case, I decided to go there by plane, not by whale. And also, I'm not going there to teach the people, but rather to get taught. Hmmm, maybe I better re-iterate exactly what I’m doing, just in case some of you don't know what I'm talking about. I’m starting seminary with the Schoenstatt Fathers Community. They don’t have a seminary anywhere closer than Chile, so that’s where I need to go! The only big thing I’ve got against Chile is that it’s so far away. I won’t be able to come home very often…actually the opposite of often, say, every few years. And seminary is no quick process either. It’ll be a decade of formation before I come back to live here for good.
; (
They say that life is short. That would mean that 10 years is really short. I'm starting to question that saying.
I guess this is my farewell to all of you. Milwaukee, Waukesha, Crete, St. Paul, Minneapolis …this is home. I’ll miss everybody I met in these places! I guess I’ll have to practice the art of remembering without seeing or hearing, because what I thought was rare will be even more rare, that is, the times I got to see you. May God help me, cuz it won’t be a cake walk.
Good things to know though: I’ll have internet for most of my formation time, excluding just one year I believe: March 2010-Marchish 2011. I’ll keep my Facebook up, and my email won’t go anywhere (this Gmail one).
I’m not a very sensitive and deep guy most of the time, but I’ll try to break that trend for a second at least. I’ll miss you, every single one, even if it never seemed that way to you before. I have each one of you in my prayers, personally and distinctively. Have me in yours! And let’s not just pray, but also sacrifice and build capital of grace! I know that the MTA speaks Spanish as well as English, and that she is there in Chile, present in the shrine just the same way as she is here. So nothing is breaking after all!
A word for the Schoenstatt people in northern MN! There is an important task at hand. The movement in MN may seem stagnant now, but that is no way to let it stay! Maybe what we need is a uniting factor, and maybe we are starting to forget one of the key elements of Schoenstatt. That is, we have a vital and real attachment to the shrine. It is not only a pilgrimage place somewhere off in the distance. It must also become a home. And how can it become a home for us if it is too far away? GOOD QUESTION! It can’t really. We want and need a shrine in northern MN! History proves that nothing’s impossible in Schoenstatt. We don’t need monetary prospects. Mary has a knack for money, so that always gets taken care of. We want to invite Mary to dwell in the northern metro, erecting her throne of grace in a new shrine. Obviously, she is cool with that, because she tells us “It will please me to dwell in your midst…” What more proof do we need? Like I said before “Maybe what we need is a uniting factor, and maybe we are starting to forget one of the key elements of Schoenstatt.” Well, this is that unifying factor, and this is that forgotten key element of Schoenstatt! To work then! This is something I can participate in, even while I’m in South America. First, we can build up spiritual capital. We need to build Capital Of Grace for the Twin Cities. For that reason, I attached the “COG for TC” form. Print it off and fill it up by adding color to another element of the picture every time you contribute. Do we want Mary to set up her throne in the cities? Yeah, so let’s “prove by our deeds”! Beyond that, we could start a fund for the shrine. Every dollar we raise will be a sign and proof of our desire. Who cares about the amount of money! It’s effort and also the amount of people Mary’s looking for. She’ll take care of the fiscal numbers eventually. In some ways, I’ll be able to contribute in the money effort from South America too. Time will tell how much. But I’m just one person anyway. The whole thing depends on the whole MN Schoenstatt family.
I’m a member of the Boys Branch. For that reason, I personally address the members of the Knights of the Cross and the Pioneer Builders of Schoenstatt. I challenge you to put your hearts and heads together for a strong starting team of striving for the shrine! Try to think of practical things you can do. Maybe you could choose an item in the shrine to save up for, like the Ver Sacrum Light (sanctuary lamp), or the bell, or something else, and then plan some ways to raise the money. Or maybe you’ll just do a capital of grace effort that involves everyone in your families. That’s important, at least do that! The shrine depends on you! I’m starting right along with you! If you start any effort of striving (money or COG), let me know! I want to join you!
Any boys who aren’t part of those two groups, be in contact with John Loomis, the MN district leader for the boys at jdloomis@comcast.net . I mean, he’s receiving this message at the same time as you, so he obviously doesn’t have anything together for this right now, but you could still talk about it with him. He’d be the guy. Maybe you could help him come up with some ideas.
I now take my leave. I hope to come back in ten years to a Schoenstatt Shrine in MN! Haha Just kidding, but that’d be cool though. Maybe less than ten years too…
United in our striving,
-Phil
Take the time and read it.... Pray Pray and Pray... we need a shrine nearby... to start
1.we need property... any suggestions? COG COG
The MN Leader
and in the Covenant
-John
Good Please please please, copy paste the letter below and send it to as many Schoenstatters as is possible!
Guys PLEASE copy paste this to as many Schoenstatters as you know! :)
Hello Schoenstatters! “Only living faith can conquer the world.”- Joseph Kentenich We have recently received a direct challenge to build a MN Northern shrine within the next ten years by Phil Carlson (he is off to South America to go to the Seminary). I think that we could do this; with faith like a mustard seed, and with the help or our dearest Little Mother. Because all things are made possible through God, and Mary holds a special influence in God's decisions.
The first thing that we need to do is Pray! We will call our Capital Of Grace's for the Twin Cities. COG for TC. We need to venture into deep waters and change our American Nation one step at a time. A Shrine is a good start to help "change" America, but is also a big one. In these waters we also have a Wayv that our MTA is pushing us on. This will help us in our strive for Sanctity, that is Holiness, and give us the sand which is our foundation.
In the deep waters prayer is like a life jacket, we need it to survive for long periods of time. So pray, especially in the "hopeless" times when it seems all is lost. The next step is up to the USA's Schoenstatt groups, we need to comprise a list of objects in the shrine (let me know what I missed :) and then have each group choose one spiritually. This group will pray fervently for as long as they feel is needed and then when the time is right they will make/buy their object. It may seem like we are going about this "backwards" but if we are all able to work united in one Covenant, the large things; like property, will be there when we need them to be.
BUY!!! Oh, no! We can't BUY anything, we don't even have a group account! As Phil said, "Mary has always had a knack for money." It will be there when we need it, as long as we do our part: Prayer, and work.
This shrine needs to happen, and Mary wouldn't want it to be a "distant far-off dream" but an amazing, God-Glorifying, reality. Our MTA would dearly love this, will we put the work, prayer, and time into this Shrine? Remember the COG for TC.
Here is a list of some of the objects in the Shrine:
1. Altar
2. MTA Picture
3. Belfry
4. Candles
5. Communion Rail
6. Crown
7. Crucifix (Unity Cross)
8. Door
9. Father Eye
10. Holy Spirit Symbol
11. Tabernacle and Key
12. Ver Sacrum Light
13. Sanctuary Lamp
14. Statue of St. Joseph
15. Statue of St. Michael
16. Statue of St. Paul
17. Statue of St. Peter
18. Stain Glass Windows
19. Stations of the Cross
20. Benches and Kneelers
21. Holy Water Holder
22. Bell w/accessories
23. Wood for the actual Shrine
24. Shingles
25. Insulation
26. Sheetrock
27. Paint
28. Most important Love
I know that some of these things seem pretty monotonous, and minor but all to their own. Everyone can find something on this list to pray for; and if we have a specific/small goal to achieve Mary will help us conquer our goals better. For as Fr. Joseph Kentinich said, "In order to conquer France, one must first have control of Paris."
Please contact me with your thoughts, and choices and also feel free to forward this to as many people as you can! Nothing without you, Mary, nothing without us. And as Jesus said in the Gospel of Luke, "For he who is not against us is for us." Are you going to strive with Jesus, or are you going to fall short of the goals that have been set?
In the Covenant and Through Our MTA,
MN Leader,
John Loomis
(763) 753-0772
jdloomis@comcast.net
