How to celebrate the 40th Anniversary!
June 14, 2021
Dear Family of Mary!
The message below, given on the anniversary in 2007, expresses the central meaning of Our Lady’s coming to Medjugorje! We could use it as a guide for the next few days before the 40th Anniversary!
June 25, 2007
“Dear children! Also today, with great joy in my heart, I call you to conversion.
Little children, do not forget that you are all important in this great plan, which God leads through Medjugorje. God desires to convert the entire world and to call it to salvation and to the way towards Himself, who is the beginning and the end of every being.
In a special way, little children, from the depth of my heart, I call you all to open yourselves to this great grace that God gives you through my presence here.
I desire to thank each of you for the sacrifices and prayers. I am with you and I bless you all. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
God is leading a great plan through Medjugorje. He desires to convert the entire world and call it to salvation and to the way towards Himself. He, who is the beginning and the end of every being!! And He is doing it through Our Lady! Her presence! The plan He has given to her.
What more can we do but rejoice and say yes to Our Mother. To pray as she has taught us. To sacrifice and do works of mercy under her guidance. To witness her presence!! This is our part in her plan.
As we draw close to the Anniversary, I want to share with you the beautiful program of prayer that has been planned in Medjugorje for these days. Here is the announcement from the Parish:
The Parish of Medjugorje is preparing for the 40th Anniversary of Our Lady’s apparitions. Both the parish and the parishioners have been intensively preparing for this special event for more than one year. A group of them started to meet and pray last year before the Anniversary and they decided to climb the Apparition Hill for 365 days and pray the Rosary to prepare for this celebration.
The neighbouring parish of Citluk started their Novena of nine Sundays prior to the Anniversary and their parishioners walk from their parish church to the Apparition Hill every Sunday afternoon. The employees of parish office and Information Centre Mir Medjugorje also meet for prayer on Friday mornings to prepare for this Anniversary.
The parish of Medjugorje will also prepare with the Novena that will consist of the evening prayer programme and climbing of Apparition Hill, while the main celebrants in those nine days will be former Medjugorje parish priests and assistant parish priests who were engaged in pastoral care of this parish in the last four decades.
On the Eve of the Apparitions of Our Lady, June 24, the Feast of St. John the Baptist, the traditional Peace Walk will take place from Humac to Medjugorje. This Peace Walk was initiated in 1992, in the midst of the Homeland War, when one group of foreign pilgrims, led by devoted Medjugorje pilgrim Hubert Liebherr, walked from Humac and prayed for peace in both Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina that were affected by the war.
What is new and special about this year’s celebration of the Anniversary is the procession that will take place from the Apparition Hill – place of Our Lady’s first apparition – to the church of St. James in Medjugorje. The procession will start from the Apparition Hill at 4.30 pm, so all the participants would be able to come to the church ground before the evening prayer programme. Then, after the Rosary, the procession with the statue of Our Lady would start at 7 pm and this would be the beginning of the solemn Holy Mass on that day.
You can view this article on the Parish website: (http://www.medjugorje.hr/en/news/40th-anniversary-of-our-lady%e2%80%99s-apparitions,12335.html )
Mary TV will stream live these events for the 40th Anniversary! Join us!!!:
4:00 pm – June 15 to June 23 – Novena Rosary climbing up Apparition Hill
7:00 pm – June 15 to June 23 – Special guest priests for the International Mass
June 24, 2021 – Early Morning – The Annual Peace March from Humac to Medjugorje (not live)
4:30 pm – June 25, 2021 – Special Procession from Apparition Hill to St. James Church
6:00 pm June 25, 2021 – International Mass including a procession of the Statue of Our Lady
Also Mary TV will air two specials:
Medjugorje, 40 Memorable Moments! By Christina Zubac
Countdown to the 40th, with Fr. Leon
Stay tuned to the Mary TV Channel in order not to miss anything!! This will be a wonderful time of celebration, giving thanks to Our Mother, Mary, the Queen of Peace!
In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
(c) Mary TV 2021
