From May 18 to 24, a joint pilgrimage of the parishes of Horažďovice, Sušice, and Velhartice took place. The leader of this pilgrimage was Father Mariusz from Horažďovice, accompanied by Father Ondřej from Sušice and Father Robert from Velhartice. The entire pilgrimage was organized by CK Avetour.
In Medjugorje, we stayed in two comfortable guesthouses near St. James' Church. We had a joint program with pilgrims from the Fatima Apostolate from Koclířov, with two buses arriving in Medjugorje, accompanied by P. Dokládal.
Each day began at 8 AM with a Czech Holy Mass, followed by further activities. During the rosary prayer, we climbed Podbrdo - the hill of the apparition of the Virgin Mary. The next day, we prayed the Stations of the Cross and climbed the rocky terrain to Križevac. We also visited Cenacolo - a community where young men try to overcome various addictions and find a new meaning in life through prayer, work, and service to others, and we listened to two beautiful testimonies.
In Medjugorje, we also visited the modern home of a couple who sold their successful business in Canada, which had brought them millions, and decided to live in a place where the Virgin Mary appears, helping others and testifying to the true meaning of life. Very interesting.
Mrs. Olga Merkovičová, our local guide, also took us to a place called "Mariino celo," a small village near Medjugorje where there are several houses that care for abandoned children and orphans.
Every day at 5 PM, a joint international program took place, attended by thousands of pilgrims. It began with the prayer of two rosaries, followed by a Holy Mass, another rosary, and then either prayers for healing or adoration.
Pilgrims could also take advantage of the services of confessors, and confessions were held in several languages. Every day in St. James' Church after prayer, we could obtain plenary indulgences.
We said goodbye to Medjugorje on Friday afternoon and headed home. On the way, we stopped at the beautiful pilgrimage site of Vepric near Makarska, also known as the "Croatian Lourdes," where we also said goodbye to the pilgrims from Koclířov and then continued in our own directions.
Those who wanted could swim in the Adriatic Sea during our last stop. We arrived in the Czech Republic on Saturday in the early morning hours, and it was a temperature shock for us, as the cars in Horažďovice were frozen.
We thank the Lord for the deep spiritual experience, for the loving touch of the Virgin Mary, and also for the protection of guardian angels, and of course to all our spiritual fathers who accompanied us with dedication.
Anna Blažková
Published in the June Parish Newsletter Farní list červen 2025 (5.41 MB)
