Slovak bishops preach on Mary at 260th Nitra pilgrimage

Three bishops took part in a traditional pilgrimage in Nitra, Slovakia, over the weekend to mark the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The largest event of its kind in the area, the pilgrimage dates back to the 18th century, with pilgrims first marching up the local hill of Calvary in 1766, according to the website of the Diocese of Nitra.

This year marked the 260th annual thanksgiving pilgrimage to the shrine, according to the diocese. Participation was restricted and at times banned under the communist regime, and the pilgrimages have been held freely again since 1990.

The ceremony in Nitra — the oldest Slavic diocese —  drew several thousand faithful. Those taking part included Bishop František Rábek, the retired military ordinary of Slovakia; Bishop Jozef Haľko, auxiliary bishop of Bratislava; and Bishop Viliam Judák of Nitra. Each celebrated a Mass and heard confessions during the two days, which featured several Masses and confessions in Slovak but also in Hungarian, as well as adoration and an organ concert.

Haľko, who celebrated a Mass in Hungarian, told EWTN News that during the pilgrimage he reflected “on how we are very Marian in the Eucharist as we say yes to God, amen, which is our small preaching as we give ourselves to him and vice versa.”

Bishops preach on Mary’s example

For his part, Rábek, who was a priest in the local parish of Nitra-Calvary and now lives on the site of the pilgrimage, invited parents “to search for a healthy balance in your kids to develop their talents, but also the word of God.”

Mary was a simple, ordinary woman, yet she was ready to embrace God’s word and became a role model, he said. “Show me a woman who is as famous, glorified, and respected as Mary,” he emphasized.

The pilgrimage culminated in a Mass on Sunday, which the mayor of Nitra and other local politicians attended. In his homily, Judák cited Carl Jung, the psychologist and son of a Protestant pastor, who called the Catholic Church’s 1950 dogma of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary “the most important religious event since the Reformation.”

The bishop of Nitra asked the Virgin Mary to help all present proceed on the path to the goal of life, which is self-giving love.

“If we strive to live according to our conscience, that is, to fulfill God’s will just like she did, our life and the events of our life, everything we do well, will not perish even upon death,” he stressed.

The prelate encouraged everyone to look, “just as we and many millions of people looked up” on Aug. 12 “to see the cosmic phenomenon of the solar eclipse,” but now “with a spiritual sight to where the Virgin Mary leads us.”

May this moment at the feet of the Virgin Mary of the Assumption help us, Judák continued, “so that tomorrow, in a week, in a month, in a year, at least until the end of our lives, we will never lose sight of the noble goal of our life, and that we strive for it with God’s help.”

He likewise encouraged the faithful to fulfill their Christian duty and to act and profess Christian values in the local elections coming this autumn.

50 pilgrims on foot in the heat

The pilgrimage was organized by the parish of Nitra-Calvary, run by the Divine Word Missionaries (the Society of the Divine Word), whose Slovak province has its seat on the Calvary hill.

The parish priest, Father Ján Štefanec, SVD, told EWTN News that he “is happy this place is alive for the feast, though I would like to see so many people show up more often” in the parish.

He said he finds it interesting that every year many pilgrims come from the region to pray to the Mother of God, that former parishioners return for the feast, and that cyclists at times make part of their pilgrimage on two wheels. Although people nowadays come by car or bus, this time a group of 50 pilgrims walked 20 kilometers (12 miles) in temperatures of 36 degrees Celsius (97 degrees Fahrenheit), the Divine Word missionary said.

Source: https://www.ewtnnews.com/world/europe/slovak-bishops-preach-on-mary-at-260th-nitra-pilgrimage