date: 25.02.2006.
The 13th International meeting for Guides and Leaders of Peace Centers and Medjugorje Prayer, Pilgrim and Charity Groups will take place in Medjugorje from the 5th. to 9th. of March, 2006. The theme of this encounter is: “You shall be my witnesses to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1,8)
Many friends of Medjugorje wish to be kept up to date in all matters relating to the Medjugorje phenomenon. These regular annual meetings aim to do precisely that. During the seminar, there are lectures given with this objective in mind, but time is also made available for common language group meetings and time for personal encounters also.
Through these meetings, the Information Center “Mir” Medjugorje wants to be a “promoter of unity”. The role of these meetings is to give orientation, to educate and to give counsel, but it also seeks to reveal potential errors or possible deviations in dealing with the events of Medjugorje. The Information Center has always sought help, counsel and stimulation from competent experts in relation to this.
These seminars have never been considered obligatory, but were proposed to organizers of pilgrimages, leaders of Centers for Peace and of Prayer and Charity Groups as a support 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.
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 on the occasion of the 13th anniversary of Our Lady’s apparitions, the 22nd and 23rd of June, 1994, in Medjugorje. There were participants from Europe, USA, Latin America, Australia and New Zealand. This first meeting highlighted the need to organize similar, better prepared meetings, with even richer content, 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 on 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 a variety of perspectives this phenomenon of Medjugorje, now known worldwide. For organizers of pilgrimages, leaders of Centers for Peace and of Prayer Groups, these were occasions to personally deepen their own understanding of the events of Medjugorje, to share this knowledge among themselves, but also to share with those others 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 the lectures included, can be found in the Souvenir Shop.
