New Year's Eve in Medjugorje

special invitation to young people

On New Year’s Eve, the parish of Medjugorje has become for many years now a meeting place of young people from all over the world.

Night of prayer: 31.12. at 10 pm

Rosary – Adoration – Holy Mass

A big screen will be put up in the New Hall, and a tent will be built for all those who may not find place in the church, so that everyone may keep dry and warm.

Jesus says: “Come and follow me!”

Are you ready?

Come and enter into the New Year in prayer, with Jesus and Mary!

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This year, the New Year’s Vigil gathered together several thousands mostly young pilgrims from numerous countries and from all the continents. The Vigil began at 10 pm and ended about 1.30 am. Eucharistic celebration and Holy Mass were presided by Fr. Mario Knezovic and Fr. Ljubo Kurtovic. One hundred priests concelebrated Mass with them. Pilgrims and parishioners were accommodated also in the New Hall and under the tent, where they could follow on a large screen whatever was happening in the church.

On Christmas Eve and on New Year’s Eve, an international choir and orchestra - gathered for his occasion - accompanied prayer by music.

In the Mass, Fr. Mario said: “Dear pilgrims, my merry greetings to all of you gathered in this Marian place, this place of prayer and peace. Also on this night, Our Lady takes to us by the hand with the desire to lead us to her Son. She desires that we are one with Jesus and that we enter with Jesus this new year. In this night, we thus want to allow an encounter with our Friend, the only one who can open the door of the future for us. Let us abandon ourselves into the hands of Jesus, let us pray for our conversion and for the conversion of the world, let us cry over our sins in front of our Mother who, on this night, wants to embrace each one of us and rest us in her lap.

A new year is in front of us. It brings hope for us if we have made our accounts with the past and the old man within us. Jesus alone, through the Church and by the sacraments, gives us a chance for the true fullness of life in the time that begins. Thus, let us find time to draw from the source of the force for the Christian life - the sacraments. Let us not dispose of our time, let us not bargain with it, but start to live it and to give it to the others. Time is a chance that God gives us. We should await neither a better time nor a "new age" promoted in certain medias. Our time is a time of grace. It is thus not surprising that Our Lady speaks to us in this time. In this night, in this moment, let us welcome Jesus and let us always and constantly live with him.

Let us say all together this evening: Jesus, I give myself to you and I give you my time. Jesus, I do not want to live lies and hypocrisy any more. Jesus I give you everything, because I want to obtain the greatest richness - life in You. Jesus, Medjugorje welcomes you, and may - through us - each and every heart welcome you: the heart of the outlaw and of the fornicator, the heart of the robber and of the swindler, the heart of rich men and of the leaders of this world. Jesus, we implore you through the intercession of Mary: may the time of each one become a gracious moment of encounter with you. Amen.”

Adoration was translated into English, French, German, Italian, Arabic, Korean, Romanian, Slovak and Polish languages, and the Homily only into English, French, German and Italian. The Christmas and New Year’s Eve were broadcasted live by Radio “Mir” Medjugorje.

During the feast days, although rain was gently falling all the time, the “Cenacolo” community presented the “Living Manger” three times, to the great joy of pilgrims and parishioners. Those who, until yesterday, knew solitude and isolation because of drugs and sin, knew how to present with their soul and their heart how the newborn Jesus brings a new life to all of us. Some parishioners were also included in the “Living Manger”.

The Children’s Choir “Little Doves of Peace” under direction of Sr. Slavica Kozul and the “Little Singing Dubrovnik” under direction of Maestro Djelo Jusic gave one Christmas Concert, the adult’s parish choir “Queen of Peace” together with the Military Orchestra of Croatian soldiers in Bosnia-Herzegovina under direction of Tomislav Susac, gave two Christmas Concerts.

The Direction Board of the “Fund Fra Slavko Barbaric” organised a meeting for the scholarship recipients of the Fund as well as days of recollection in the house of prayer “Domus Pacis”.

During Christmas days, the Medjugorje Franciscans visited all the families and blessed all the houses in the parish.

Medjugorje enters now into a more quiet period, when there will be less pilgrims. The parish continues to pray for all those who have been to Medjugorje and for those who are still to come to the Queen of Peace.

To each and every one, once again, we wish a happy and blessed New Year!

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