IGNIS: Vigil of the International Boys Youth and crowning of Mary as their Queen.
The Boys Youth encounter IGNIS took place last Friday around the Original Shrine. "IGNIS started over 8 years ago, when the Boys Youth began to discover what where the elements in the different countries that identify them as branch. It is clear that each youth has its own identity, but what we really have in common and what identifies us deeply as International Boys Youth is the fire we carry for our mission. Every year and for every WYD, the IGNIS encounter has been a trend that has developed with the Boys Youth around the world", said Diego Jaramillo regarding the origins of this meeting.
The opening meeting started at the heroes’ graves behind the Original Shrine with a minute of silence in their honor. At that moment, the International Boys' Youth faithfully promised to guard their legacy, and offered them all their strength to victoriously hand it over to future generations. Diego commented about this: "After the vigil we met at the Original Shrine. It was a very special moment, we could experience our unity that has its origin in the love we all have for the MTA. All the countries were represented with their songs in different languages, so it was very exciting. Then we had a moment of silence with the hero sodalists and we asked them to help us be faithful to our Covenant of Love as they were."
With their hearts ablaze, the long way that began some years ago reached its culmination, when the International Schoenstatt Boys Youth crowned our Blessed Mother as their Queen. So said Eric Bernard from Paraguay: "After being with the sodalists, we entered the Shrine and had the moment of the crowning, which was very solemn. We brought the fire from our countries, and together with the torch of the “Fackellauf”, we joined these streams and gave a crown of fire to the MTA. We want the Blessed Mother to establish her throne in our hearts so we can be the sodalists of this century."
To finish the encounter and to give thanks for what was received, the International Boys' Youth gathered at the Adoration Church to start the 18th with Father Kentenich, and in Adoration. There, the each country had the possibility to meet at the Founder’s Chapel and experience his closeness in these days as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of Schoenstatt. About how this moment was lived, José Tomás Alcazar, from Chile, talked about his experience: “All the vigil was incredible, the encounter with the sodalists, the crowning in the Original Shrine, the moment of Adoration in the church, everything has been a great gift. The truth is that I feel very blessed for all that we have lived, but being in the Founder’s Chapel together with the youth of my country exceeded all the expectations I had about this moment. We could truly feel his closeness and commit ourselves with him. Undoubtedly, this was the moment that marked me the most during these days. I am very happy for the experience.”
After the international meeting, some boys gathered by country to renew their Covenant of Love in the Original Shrine and some of them sealed their Covenant for the first time, full of emotions on the day of Schoenstatt’s 100th anniversary.