Festival 2003
from www.medjugorje.hr
The 14th
“Mladifest” in Medjugorje Has Ended
The International Youth Prayer Meeting - “Mladifest”
– which takes place in Medjugorje traditionally from July 31
to August 6, has ended with Holy Mass at dawn on Cross Mountain,
on the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. The theme of
this year’s gathering, in the year that our Holy Father has
consecrated to the Rosary, was, “Through the Rosary Open
Your Heart To Me” (Message of August 25, 1997). Although
– in Herzegovina - the first week of August is one of the
warmest periods of the year, young people exposed themselves with
no hesitation to the sun and the heat, which was sometimes
reaching 36 centigrade…
The “Mladifest” continues to grow in number: this year,
there were more than 20.000 young people from about 40 countries
from all the continents, among whom - for the first time - young
Chinese from Hong Kong and young Palestinians from Israel. About
30.000 pilgrims assisted at the evening and the night programme.
Along with young people came more than 400 priests, who were
hearing confessions day and night. This year, three bishops
assisted at the gathering: a bishop from Rome, a bishop from
Africa and Mons. Martin Drennin from Dublin/Ireland.
The “Mladifest” was simultaneously translated into
seventeen languages: Croatian, Arabic, English, French, Czech,
German, Russian, Polish, Dutch, Slovak, Spanish, Hungarian,
Korean, Romanian, Italian, Albanian and Slovenian. The Rosary and
the prayers of the faithful are also said in Chinese, Hebrew,
Portuguese, Tagalong (Philippines), Ukrainian, Latvian,
Leetonian, Aramaic, in old Croatian spoken by Croatians from
Burgenland (Austria).
The programme of the Festival began at 9 am with peaceful and
recollected prayer, with singing of the psalms and with reading
of the Gospel and of Holy Father’s Apostolic Letter “Rosarium
Virginis Mariae”; it continued with joyful singing,
testimonies and exchange of spiritual experiences. In the
evening, it went on with the prayer of the Rosary and the
Eucharistic celebration, and it ended according to the day:
prayerfully and recollected - in Adoration; dynamically, in the
spirit of a pilgrimage - during the procession with torches and
the Crucifix through the Parish; meditative – during the
scenic presentation given by the “Cenacolo” Community;
joyfully and with dances – on the last musical evening…
Prof. Dr. Tomislav Ivancic, professor at the Catholic Faculty of
Theology in Zagreb (Croatia) and founder of the prayer community
“MIR”, who directed the second day of the Festival,
attracted special attention of young people. In an exemplary one-day
catechesis, he led them to the depths of God’s work in human
beings and in the world, as well as into the mystery of the
sacraments of the Church.
Sister Elvira and members of the “Cenacolo” Community
spoke about the painful wound of our times: the addiction –
and about its cause: lack of the knowledge of God, who gives
meaning to our lives. They also presented a scenic and musical
programme about the Mysteries of Light, which the Holy Father
introduced into the prayer of the Rosary.
Numerous young people from different countries, individually,
from the perspective of their parishes or as members of different
movements (Totus Tuus, Youth 2000 and others) spoke about
conversion and about different forms of activities in the world.
Stjepan Perkovic, a young painter whose exhibition enriched this
year’s Festival, also spoke to the youth. With God’s
help, his spirit is stronger than the weakness of his body: he is
overcoming his cerebral paralysis and becoming a renowned painter.
Our Lady’s messengers, Medjugorje visionaries, also spoke to
young people: Marija, Mirjana, Ivan, Jakov, Vicka and Ivanka.
They transmitted to them Our Lady’s message, which radiates
the same spirit as the words of our Holy Father, who told to the
youth on April 13, this year: “Today, my dear young people,
I am also, in spirit, handing you the Rosary beads. Through
prayer and meditation on the mysteries, Mary leads you safely
towards her Son! Do not be ashamed to recite the Rosary alone,
while you walk along the streets to school, to the university or
to work, or as you commute by public transport. Adopt the habit
of reciting it among yourselves, in your groups, movements and
associations. Do not hesitate to suggest that it be recited at
home by your parents and brothers and sisters, because it
rekindles and strengthens the bonds between family members. This
prayer will help you to be strong in your faith, constant in
charity, joyful and persevering in hope.” (Message of the
Holy Father John Paul II for the 18th World Youth Day, April 13,
2003)
The identity of the “Mladifest” was confirmed also this
year: it is young Church in movement; it is young Church in
prayer, which wants to contribute to the shaping of “the
face of the world” with God’s strength; it is a balance
between prayer and word, joy and recollection, liturgical and
other forms of the expression of faith… It is Mary’s
school of faith, of prayer, of joy, of humility, and of work.
Program
Thursday, July 31st – St Ignatius of Loyola
06:00 pm - Rosary
07:00 pm - Holy Mass
10:00 pm - Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament
Friday, August 1st – St. Alphonsus de Liguori
09:00 am –12:00 am – Prayer, Music, Testimonies
12:00 am - Pause
04:00 pm - Music, Testimonies
06:00 pm – Rosary
07:00 pm - Holy Mass
10:00 – 11:30 pm - Veneration of the Cross
Saturday, August 2nd – Our Lady, Queen of Angels
09:00 am –12:00 am – Prayer, Music, Testimonies
12:00 am - Pause
04:00 pm - Music, Testimonies
06:00 pm – Rosary
07:00 pm - Holy Mass
10:00 –11:30 pm – Adoration of the Most Blessed
Sacrament
Sunday, August 3rd – Bl. Augustin Kažotic
Morning: All language groups attend Mass in their own language
04:00 pm - Music, Testimonies
06:00 pm – Rosary
07:00 pm Holy Mass
08:00 pm – Procession through the Parish
Monday, August 4th – St. Jean Vianney
09:00 am –12:00 am – Prayer, Music, Testimonies
12:00 am - Pause
04:00 pm - Music, Testimonies
06:00 pm – Rosary
07:00 pm - Holy Mass
09:30 pm – “Cenacolo” Community Programme
Tuesday, August 5th – Our Lady of the Snows
09:00 am –12:00 am – Prayer, Music, Testimonies
12:00 am - Pause
04:00 pm - Music, Testimonies
06:00 pm – Rosary
07:00 pm - Holy Mass
08:00 – 09:00 pm – Adoration of the Most Blessed
Sacrament
09:00 – 10:00 pm – Singing Farewell
Wednesday, August 6th – Transfiguration of the Lord
03:00 am - Rosary going up Križevac
05:00 am - Holy Mass on Križevac
