date: 04.02.2005.
The 12th International Meeting for Leaders of Peace Centers and Medjugorje Prayer, Pilgrim and Charity groups will take place in the New Hall in Medjugorje from March 6 to 10 2005. The theme of this encounter is: « THE GUIDE AND THE PILGRIM ». (See: INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS)
Many have the desire to keep up regular contacts with the staff of Medjugorje and ask themselves how to do it. These regular annual meetings have precisely this goal: to give spiritual and practical inputs to all those who spread Our Lady’s message of peace all over the world, but also to listen to their propositions, desires, needs and difficulties. During the seminar, there are lectures given with this aim, but there is also a time for meetings by language groups and a time for personal encounters.
The First International Meeting of organizers of pilgrimages, leaders of Centers for Peace and of Prayer Groups was organized by the Information Center “Mir” Medjugorje at the occasion of the 13th anniversary of Our Lady’s apparitions, June 22nd and 23rd, 1994, in Medjugorje. There were participants from Europe, USA, Latin America, Australia and New Zealand. His first meeting manifested the need to organize similar, even better prepared meetings with richer contents in the future.
This is how the “Prayer and Formation Seminars” for organizers of pilgrimages, leaders of Centers for Peace and of Prayer Groups came about. Due to the lack of conference rooms in Medjugorje, these meetings took place for many years at the Adriatic coast: Baska Voda (1995), Tucepi (1996) and Neum (1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000). For each meeting, the Information Center invited lecturers – specialists in different areas of theology (fundamental, pastoral, mystical), of spirituality, of philosophy, of biblical sciences, of history, of the media etc., to explore from different angles this, in the meantime worldwide known, phenomenon of Medjugorje. For organizers of pilgrimages, leaders of Centers for Peace and of Prayer Groups, these were occasions to personally deepen their understanding of the events of Medjugorje, to share this knowledge with one another, but also with those for whom they have made themselves available out of love for God, for the Church and for Our Lady. All the lectures and conclusions from these seminars can be found on our web-page under the following titles: LECTURES from Yearly International Meetings for Guides and Leaders of Peace Centers and Medjugorje Prayer, Pilgrim and Charity Groups, CONCLUSIONS from Yearly International Meetings for Guides and Leaders of Peace Centers and Medjugorje Prayer, Pilgrim and Charity Groups, and THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION. The book “Prayer-Educational Seminars” with lectures can be found in the Souvenir Shop.
Through these meetings, the Information Center “Mir” Medjugorje wants to be a “servant of unity”. The role of these meetings is to give orientation, to educate, to give counsel, but also, to show eventual errors or deviations in the approach to the events of Medjugorje. For this, the Information Center has always sought help, counsel and stimulation from competent experts.
These seminars have never been understood as an obligation, but were proposed to organizers of pilgrimages, leaders of Centers for Peace and of Prayer and Charity Groups as help in their apostolate. The seminars were frequented by Medjugorje friends from all over the world and of all profiles: from the so-called “big” organizers, representatives of “big” Peace Centers and “big” benefactors, to the anonymous “little” pilgrims for whom it was a precious annual spiritual food.
In the impossibility to invite each one personally, we cordially invite in this way all of the guides and Leaders of Peace Centers and Medjugorje Prayer, Pilgrim and Charity Groups to come to this encounter.
