(ZENIT News / Vatican City, 02.05.2026).- A small Marian image that has crossed continents—and millions of household thresholds—has now reached the Vatican.
During an audience on February 2, 2026, Pope Leo XIV welcomed Father Alexandre (Alexander) Awi Mello, Superior General of the Schoenstatt Fathers and president of the International Schoenstatt Movement. Their conversation, described by the Brazilian priest as warm and personal, revolved around two closely linked realities: the worldwide Apostolate of the Pilgrim Mother and the advancing beatification cause, Permanent Deacon João Luiz Pozzobon.
For Leo XIV, the meeting also stirred memories of Peru. Before his election, the Pope served as bishop of Chiclayo, where Schoenstatt had an presence. Awi Mello recalled that the Pontiff spoke readily about priests from the movement who had led retreats for the local clergy, his encounters with seminarians, and the Pilgrim Mother Apostolate already established in the diocese. That shared pastoral history became the natural starting point of the audience.
What began in a northern Peruvian diocese now spans the globe. The Pilgrim Mother Apostolate—initiated by Pozzobon in Brazil—operates today in more than 200 countries. Its simple structure is also its strength: a small image of Mary travels monthly from home to home, usually among groups of 10 to 15 families, remaining several days in each household. The visits are meant to foster common prayer, reconciliation within families, renewed attention to relationships, and a habit of recognizing God in everyday life.
Over time, the initiative has expanded far beyond private residences. The Pilgrim Mother now regularly enters hospitals, prisons, schools, and even workplaces. In Brazil alone, more than four million families receive the image every month—an extraordinary figure that makes it one of the largest grassroots Marian initiatives in the contemporary Church. During this latest round of visits, Awi Mello noted, the image also made a symbolic stop at the Pope’s own residence.
The Schoenstatt superior brought Leo XIV two gifts: an image of the Pilgrim Mother and the Cross of Unity. The latter holds particular theological significance within the movement. Awi Mello said he and the Pope spoke about this Marian perspective in light of Catholic doctrine, highlighting how it resonates with the Church’s contemporary understanding of Mary’s mission.
Equally central to the meeting was João Luiz Pozzobon himself.
Born in Santa Maria, Brazil, Pozzobon was a husband, father, permanent deacon, and committed lay member of Schoenstatt. It was he who carried the Pilgrim Mother from door to door for decades, laying the foundations for the apostolate’s remarkable global spread. On June 20, 2025, Leo XIV authorized the decree recognizing Pozzobon’s heroic virtues, formally declaring him Venerable and moving his cause forward on the path toward beatification.
According to Awi Mello, the Pope showed keen interest in the process and stressed the broader significance of Pozzobon’s witness. A permanent deacon and family man advancing toward the altars, he noted, could become a powerful model for thousands of deacons worldwide—a concrete reminder that holiness is not reserved to clergy or religious life alone but is fully compatible with marriage, work, and everyday responsibilities.
The audience also touched on the wider life of the Schoenstatt Movement. Among the topics raised was the upcoming centenary of the Sisters of Mary, to be celebrated in 2026, marking one hundred years of their contribution to evangelization and pastoral service across continents.
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