The Information Center Mir Medjugorje organized the Medjugorje IT Conference (ITM) this year again with the aim of providing an opportunity for the spiritual growth and meeting people from the IT sector. The conference was held in Medjugorje from March 20 to 23, 2025.
In addition to the prayer part of the program, this IT conference enriched the participants with four days of lectures, panel discussions, constructive and creative workshops, networking, socializing and meeting people from the IT world who have the same value system. The participants called it a combination of spiritual retreat and a conference, and that is how it was originally intended to be. This year it was held for the second time.
”We actually came here to bring the experiences of leading technology experts about what is happening in the world today and what the trends are, and to provide insight not only from the technological side, but also from the spiritual and scientific side, and that was very fruitful. This conference is a very nice platform for the participants to meet each other, to discover their talents and to offer their expertise in serving others. It was very nice to see in the conversations how the participants themselves came and proposed ideas, how the technology they use today can be used to spread the messages of Our Lady, to bring spirituality to their workplaces and ultimately how to be better people”, said the moderator of this IT conference, Martina Ćurić, emphasizing her enthusiasm for these IT experts who grow up in an environment where technology brings construction and makes things easier every day.
“I am delighted with these IT experts because they grow up in an environment where they use technology to bring solutions, to build… That is the mentality in which you mature and it is much easier for such people to make decisions to make things better every day.”
Jure Babić from Mostar, an electrical engineer who works in Zagreb, and is participating in this conference for the second time, said:
“For all of us in the IT industry, this is a special event because it is in Medjugorje. Medjugorje has a special place in our hearts. It’s special to come here, recharge your batteries and meet people from all over the world who are part of our profession, with whom you can connect in that area… Especially, because the IT industry thirsts for God, in that culture there is a lot of leftism, woke things and the like, so being a Christian in such an environment is sometimes not easy. It’s nice to come to a place like this, meet people from all over the world, share experiences with them, get encouraged and return to your workplace with full batteries,” said Babić, emphasizing how nicely the program was structured.
“I like it because the emphasis is on spirituality. This is a combination of spiritual retreat and a conference. We come here to be filled with the Spirit, but also to give something, to share our knowledge and experiences. There are a lot of people who have something to say. The lectures were interesting, in the spirit of the times, and the messages that were sent were that technology, like any tool, is neither good nor evil,” said Babić, and comparing technology to fire, he said that it is a good servant, but a bad master, and said that technology should not be feared, but that one should be careful.
This was also discussed by the lecturers at this conference, doctors of science Davor Pavuna, Ivana Žilić, Drago Cmuk…
A panel discussion was also held on the topic “The Church in Challenge with New Technologies”, in which the Bishop of Mostar and Duvno and the Apostolic Administrator of the Trebinje-Mrkan Diocese, Msgr. Petar Palić, also celebrated Holy Mass one evening. The participants took part in the evening prayer program in the church of St. James, and along with Bishop Palić, the Holy Mass was presided over by the Apostolic Visitor with a special role for the parish of Medjugorje, Archbishop Aldo Cavalli, and the President of the Board of the Information Center Mir Medjugorje, Fr. Danko Perutina.
Workshops were also held, and participants visited places of prayer in Medjugorje, as well as the Mir Information Center…
One of the participants, Matija Zečević, an IT expert from Zagreb, praised the organizers and thanked them for all the effort they put into organizing this conference.
”I have been to Medjugorje before. I see this conference as my encounter with the Lord and with His and our mother Mary in this holy place. I see this as an opportunity to grow in my relationship with the Lord, and it is an opportunity to meet with brothers and sisters from all over the world who work in this industry, to share our fears and testimonies and to support each other on the path towards our dear God. In addition, we had business connections, so I hope there will be some business later,” said Zečević.
