The 30th International Spiritual Retreat for Pilgrimage Organizers, Leaders of Peace Centers, Prayer and Charity Groups Related to Medjugorje began with the registration of the participants on Monday, March 10. The lecturer at this spiritual renewal is the parish priest of Medjugorje, Br. Zvonimir Pavičić, and the retreat will last until Friday. It is attended by 230 participants from New Zealand, the USA, Canada, Belgium, England, Ireland, Latvia, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Romania, Uruguay, Spain, Mexico, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Brazil, Poland, Ukraine, Slovenia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
After the registration of participants, the Apostolic Visitor with a special role for the parish of Medjugorje, the Archbishop Aldo Cavalli, celebrated Holy Mass with the intention for all the victims of the wars in Ukraine and the Holy Land and the establishment of a just peace.
The spiritual retreat is being held, like all this year’s spiritual retreats in Medjugorje, on the theme “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” (Ps 122:1), and continued in the morning with adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. Br. Zvonimir Pavičić presented in his lecture the chronology of the Holy See’s relationship with Medjugorje in the recent years.
”We are glad that faithful from all over the world love, want and wish to come to Medjugorje for this spiritual retreat, that is only for those who lead others, who organize pilgrimages, manage these centers that are connected to us, with our Information Center and the Parish Office, and thus regulate the spirituality of this place and this parish in the world, in their country and in their place,” said Br. Zvonimir Pavičić.
The participants were also addressed by Archbishop Cavalli, who spoke about the fundamental truths of our faith, and explained the plenary indulgence that can be obtained in Medjugorje this year. He also spoke about how God always addresses people by name in his interventions. He said that he addressed Abraham, Moses, but also Marija, Mirjana, Ivanka, Vicka, Ivan and Jakov in this way. He recommended that everyone read and live the messages of Our Lady and explained how the apparitions are said to be alleged due to the human interventions.
”A person receives a message and, given his education, formation, and nature, writes down that message, and then it is translated. We have two human interventions and because of these human interventions we say that it is alleged”, said Msgr. Cavalli.
In his speech, the Director of the Mir Medjugorje Information Center Vedran Vidović presented the Mir Medjugorje Information Center and seven foreign centers and announced the establishment of new centers.
”This is a calling. If a person does not feel this as a calling, he cannot perform this service. “When I retraced my path through the years, the grace of that rain that showered me for the first time deeply implanted in me the desire to bring every person God sends my way to this source of love,” Lucija from Nin, one of the organizers of the pilgrimage to Medjugorje who is participating in this spiritual renewal, told us.
