Parents of children who will receive the sacraments of the Holy Communion and of the Holy Confirmation for the first time came to Medjugorje on a pilgrimage

date: 31.03.2017.

Parish of St. Philip and James organised also this year a pilgrimage to Medjugorje for parents of children who will receive the sacraments of the Holy Communion and of the Holy Confirmation for the first time. This pilgrimage was held from March 24 -26, 2017.

Fr. Ivica Jagodic, a parish priest of this parish, said for our web site how Medjugorje is a place of peace and prayer and it is the best place of preparation of parents for the sacraments of their children: „About eighty of us pilgrims gathered and we all carried in our hearts prayers and words of gratitude as well as all those who wanted to be with us, but were prevented to come and to join us. We prepared for this meeting with Gospa with the prayer of Rosary and with hymns of praise. Immediately upon arrival, we climbed Cross Mountain. This climb was a special event, all of us – little ones, grown ups, young, older ones, healthy and sick…we all climbed with the same fervour and meditated on the prayer of the Way of the Cross”, said Fr. Ivica Jagodic in his interview for medjugorje.hr – a priest who guided people from Vukovar in prayer and meditation, encouraging in them genuine desire to have true encounter with our Creator, and to persevere always regardless of life difficulties, so they would always have their gaze in Christ.

Fr. Ivica continued: „Gospa was always somewhere here, she guarded us and accompanied us, so we would have enough strength to come to the final station and to the top of the hill with the cross. When we reached the cross, everyone was able to spend time in personal prayer and to open their hearts to God’s love and His infinite mercy. Later that day we joined the prayer programme in the church of St. James and we continued to pray after confessions, Holy Mass and whole-night Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. The Adoration touched us all and it helped our souls to open in silent and profound prayer that appeases our beings and opens the way of surrendering to God. The Church was packed with people from all over the world, adoring our Creator, and that gives truly hope into the better future. On Sunday, early in the morning, we climbed Apparition Hill, Podbrdo, where Gospa appeared for the first time to children.

We reached the apparition site in prayer and meditations and remained for some time in silence and thanksgiving. Later on, we joined the prayer programme in the church of St. James. On our way back, we stopped in the Franciscan monastery of the Holy Spirit in Fojnica, where Fr. Miro Relota met us and took us for sightseeing of the monastery, church and treasury. Our pilgrimage was filled with joyous prayer and thanksgiving and we all shared our experiences in the spirit of communion. This pilgrimage gave us immense spiritual experience that strengthens us even more in faith and moves us to communion in our Lord through the intercession of our Heavenly Mother Mary.“