The Medjugorje Adoration in Voivodina

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Approximately 2,000 people inhabit the Hungarian speaking rural parish of Sts. Peter and Paul, in the town Male Pijace in Voivodina (Serbia). They have Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in their church every Thursday. They listen to the meditations from the church in Medjugorje thanks to “Radio Maria” from Novi Sad, which, in turn, relays the broadcasts from Radio “Mir” Medjugorje. Whenever translation into the Hungarian language is not possible in Medjugorje itself, the translation is done in the studio in Novi Sad.

Medjugorje Adoration VoivodinaMedjugorje Adoration Voivodina

The parish priest, Fr. József Széll, together with his parishioners, came to Medjugorje on a pilgrimage in October 2006, and he outlined how they pray for peace in his parish…

“Back in the nineties, when war started in the then Yugoslavia, our diocese decided to pray for peace every Thursday before Mass. Together with my parishioners, I decided to have an hour of adoration every Thursday before Mass. On the 25th of March, 1999, that night when NATO started to bomb Serbia, our Holy Father John Paul II asked the world to pray for us and for peace in our country. We realized then that, if all Christians were invited to pray for our freedom, we needed to pray even more ourselves. I proposed to my parishioners that thenceforth, every single day before Mass, we would have an hour of Adoration. They accepted. We did so until the end of the bombing, in July. In the beginning, we only numbered between 10 and 20. However, as the schools were closed because of the bombing, the children attended for catechism, despite not having normal classes. One day, of their own volition, they decided to attend in groups for adoration. This was a great joy for us, as the presence of children gave us an even greater strength to persevere.

When the bombing was over, we decided to continue to pray for peace by praying the rosary before Mass every Thursday. But in the Jubilee Year 2000, we restored the hour of Adoration each Thursday before Mass. In 2003, Pope John Paul II again invited Christians to pray for peace, because of the situation in the Middle East. Yet again, in our own parish, we resumed our Thursday Adoration. And again last year we resumed this practice in celebration of the Year of the Eucharist.

In August 2005, we who live near Subotica heard, through “Radio Maria”, that we could follow the Adoration from St. James’ church in Medjugorje on Thursdays. In spite of the fact that we already had Adoration with the faithful before Mass every Thursday, the catechist and I decided to consecrate the evening hour of adoration to Jesus, united with the faithful and the pilgrims in Medjugorje. Several weeks later, we invited all parishioners to join with us each Thursday from 8-9 pm (7-8 pm in winter), which they accepted, and we do so every week for the glory of God, in honour of the Mother of God, for the salvation of souls, and that peace may reign in all human hearts. Whenever there is no translation from Medjugorje, Teresa, who does so with great love, translates the Adoration which is broadcast via “Radio Maria”.

During the first week of each month, for the forgiveness of the sins of the world, the Adoration takes place on the first Saturday, in lieu of the preceding Thursday.

I went to Fatima in 1992. Since then, on the 13th day of the months of May, June, July, August, September and October, we have an hour of Adoration which is followed by Holy Mass, after which we process with the statue of Our Lady of Fatima.”

 

For God to live in your hearts, you must love.

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