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The 11th International Seminar for Married Couples

The 11th International Seminar for Married Couples began on Wednesday, September 29th with its theme: “Love does not seek for its own interest...” (1 Cor 13,5), and will finish with Holy Mass on Saturday morning. First lecture was held at 4 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon and participants joined the evening prayer programme in the church of St. James after 5 p.m. on the same day.  As in some of the previous years, this year’s lecturer is again Friar Ante Vuckovic, from Franciscan Province of the Most Holy Saviour, who is professor at Catholic Theological Faculty and Faculty of Arts of the University of Split.
Married couples who are coming to this seminar are not here due to problems and crisis they might be undergoing in their marital life, but are coming to thank God for the graces and blessings they have received.
Seminar is being broadcasted on radio “Mir” Medjugorje. (foto)

The 11th International Meeting for Married Couples

The eleventh International seminar for married couples will be held  in Međugorje from the 29th of September to the 2nd of October 2010
The theme of the seminar is: “...Love does not seek its own interests…” (1 Cor 13,5)  (Programme)

Bishop Hilarius Datus Lega from West Papua comes to Medjugorje for the first time

Bishop Hilarius Datus Lega, bishop of Diocese Manokwari – Sorong from West Papua, Indonesia came to Medjugorje for the first time.  He was ordained as Bishop in 2003 and he is normally very busy throughout the year, but he accepted the invitation of his friends who came to Europe.  He heard about Medjugorje in the very beginning, he thinks it might have been already in 1981. “Medjugorje is the world centre, place of prayer and peace”, says Bishop Hilarius and adds, “People are coming here because Our Lady is really appearing here, this is the place of renewal, conversion, new beginning. Medjugorje attracts many people; I can see personal relationship, this is all work of God, something that he does through His Blessed Mother and visionaries, I really like everything I see here. God is always at work, whether we see that or not, God’s message needs to be announced all over the place”, said Bishop Hilarius at the end, who will stay in Medjugorje for three days. 

PARISH CELEBRATION OF THE FEAST OF EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS

On Sunday, September 12, 2010 we celebrated the Feast of Exaltation of the Holy Cross in parish of Medjugorje. Holy Masses in the Church of St. James were at 6, 7, 8, 12 and 7 p.m. Solemn Holy Mass was at 11 on the top of the Cross Mountain, and prayer of the Way of the Cross and Rosary began at 10. The Feast of Exaltation of the Holy Cross is traditionally celebrated on first Sunday after the feast of Nativity of Blessed Virgin Mary. For all those unable to climb the Cross Mountain, Holy Mass was celebrated at 12 p.m. at the White Dome. On Monday, September 13th, the time and schedule of liturgical prayer programme in parish of Medjugorje is changing. The Rosary will start at 5 p.m. and Holy Mass at 6 p.m. After Holy Mass prayers of blessings and healing will follow and it will end with third part of the Rosary. The Adoration of Jesus in Blessed Sacrament is on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9 to 10 p.m. and on Thursdays immediately after Holy Mass. Veneration of the Holy Cross is on Fridays immediately after Holy Mass. Prayer of Rosary on the Apparition Hill is on Sundays at 2 p.m., and Way of the Cross on Cross Mountain is on Fridays at 2 p.m.  (foto)
 

PRAYER PROGRAMME – WINTER SCHEDULE

On Monday, September 13, the time and schedule of liturgical prayer programme in parish of Medjugorje is changing. The Rosary will start at 5 p.m. and Holy Mass at 6 p.m. After Holy Mass prayers of blessings and healing will follow and it will end with third part of the Rosary. The Adoration of Jesus in Blessed Sacrament is on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9 to 10 p.m. and on Thursdays immediately after Holy Mass. Veneration of the Holy Cross is on Fridays immediately after Holy Mass. Prayer of Rosary on the Apparition Hill is on Sundays at 2 p.m., and Way of the Cross on Cross Mountain is on Fridays at 2 p.m.

The Feast of Exaltation of the Holy Cross

On Sunday, September 12th parish of Medjugorje is celebrating the feast of Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Holy Masses are at 6 and 8 a.m., 12 and 7 p.m. Solemn and central Holy Mass is on the top of the Cross Mountain at 11 a.m. while the prayer of the Rosary and Way of the Cross begins at 10 a.m. On that day there will be no other Holy Masses in the parish. Up to Our Lady's apparitions, this feast was just for parishioners and their friends and relatives, while after 1981. this becomes central event for pilgrims from all over the world.
 

September continues with big number of pilgrims

Ever since the time we started to count the number of given Holy Communions, this August has been above all of the previous number with 326.500 Holy Communions given.  Huge numbers of pilgrims from all over the world continued also in the first days of September with groups from Italy, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Greece, Ireland, Lebanon, Germany, Austria, Spain and Belgium.

Statistics for August, 2010.

Number of Holy Communions: 326.500

Number of priests that concelebrated at Holy Masses: 7742 (249 per day)

Flew the ocean for more than 100 times just to come to Medjugorje

Amongst many pilgrims who are arriving to Medjugorje after the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we met Mary Fernandez from Florida, who came to Medjugorje 109 times so far.  She came to Medjugorje for the first time more than 22 years ago, after reading a book about apparitions and that is when she decided to come for the first time on pilgrimage with her husband. Already on that first pilgrimage, they brought 37 pilgrims with them.  Mary says that that was the love on the first sight.“ We always prayed in my home, but after Medjugorje, pryer became different.  I learned here how to pray the Rosary and I started to live the Holy Mass.  Encounters with Medjugorje tought me how to accept all oft he realities that were happening in my life.  I learned that problems are not going to disappear, but are being resolved in much easier way with God. Medjugorje is a school of life, it is like my second home. I feel peace both here and in my home, as well. „
Together with her husband, she is bringing groups from South America and Spanish speaking people from Miami, USA.

Many pilgrims in Medjugorje

Medjugorje is packed with pilgrims in the last few days, dozens of thousands, while the biggest number is of those from Italy. There are groups from Germany, Austria, England, Ireland, Libanon, Korea,  France, United States, Vietnam, Hungary, Slovakia, Spain, Czech and Poland.  There is also big number of Croatian pilgrims, especially those who are working abroad and come to their homes during holidays.  In the previous years, number of pilgrims was always reduced after the Feast of Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary, while this year, with each day, that number is getting bigger.
Amongst many of them, we would like to emphasise int he special way, group from Italy, 21 of them who arrived by bycicle to Medjugorje.  Two years ago they cycled to Santiago de Compostella, and decided to repeat that on their way to Medjugorje.  As they travelled, they wore t-shirts with MEDJUGORJE writting on them, and everybody whom they met on their journey admired them for that.
They said to press members of Radio Station Mir Medjugorje that Medjugorje is the place where you can strongly feel God's presence and faith in the people.  What really touches us about Medjugorje is how real and simple Our Lady's messages are, where you really can feel Jesus' invitation to conversion.
Hungarian pilgrim Nagy Gergely walked for 38 days from Hungary to Medjugorje.  Tordai Eva joined him, but she could not complete the journey and after 4 days she came by bus. He said that the reason of his coming to Medjugorje was to thank Our Lady for the graces received. (foto)

The Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Medjugorje

This year, as well as in the previous years, Medjugorje was packed with dozens of thousands of pilgrims who had arrived specially for the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Thousands of them waited to receive the sacrament of the Confession and to be prepared in that way for the celebration of the Holy Mass. On that day, 15 Holy Masses were celebrated on the Church ground, five in Croatian language and one of each of the following languages: Italian, English, German, French, Czech, Polish, Slovakian, Hungarian, Spanish and Arabian. The Information Office had registered groups from 17 various countries: Coast of Ivory, USA, England, Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Austria, Italy, France, Austria, Spain, Hungary, Lebanon, Slovenia and Ireland.
As in previous years, Medjugorje was central pilgrimage destination for numerous pilgrims from Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, many of whom had even walked for few days on their pilgrimage. Apart from participating in celebration of the Holy Masses, many pilgrims had also climbed the Cross Mountain and the Hill of Apparitions.
 

The 21st Youth Festival ended

The 21st Youth Festival that began on Sunday, August 1st with the main theme: “Good Master, what shall I do to inherit the eternal life, ended on Friday, August 6th with the Holy Mass at 5 a.m. on the top of the Cross Mountain that was celebrated by Fr. Danko Perutina.  (foto)

Many young people at Youth Festival in Medjugorje

The 21^st International Youth Festival with the main theme: “Good Master, what shall I do to inherit the eternal life” began in Medjugorje on August 1^st with the evening Holy Mass and finished on August 6^th, Feast of Transfiguration with the Holy Mass at 5 a.m. on the top of the Cross Mountain.  Prior to the Holy Mass on first evening, young people from 69 various countries introduced themselves and were welcomed by Fr.Petar Vlasic, parish priest from Medjugorje.  Opening Holy Mass was celebrated by Provincial of Herzegovina Franciscan Province, Fr. Ivan Sesar. Every evening there are around 500 priests who concelebrate at Holy Masses, and the entire programme is being simultaneously translated in various world languages: English, German, Polish, Slovakian, Italian, Spanish, Korean, Russian, Czech, Hungarian, Romanian, Portuguese, Arabian, Chinese, and Slovenian, while smaller language groups are translating in their own languages. (foto)

Media coverage of 21st Youth Festival

You can follow 21st Youth Festival, both just audio transmittance or video through our TV or Web cameras, through Internet radio and directly through following radio stations:

Radiopostaja Mir Međugorje,
Radio  Maria Austrija,
Radio Maria Južni Tirol,
Radio Maria Srbija (Subotica),
or through Internet pages and links both live audio and video in various languages:

www.medjugorje.hr

www.medjugorje.de

www.kathtube.com

www.centromedjugorje.org

www.mir.ie

Statistics for July, 2010.

Number of Holy Communions: 138.000

Number of priests that concelebrated at Holy Masses: 4230 (136 per day)