Tag: holy mass

Katarínka involved again in The Night of the Churches

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On Friday 23rd May, we joined the project “The Night of the Churches” by attending the programme which we organised at Katarinka.

The programme consisted in prayers and a play telling the history of the place. Then, the guided tours of the church and monastery ruins continued, lit by lanterns and explaining the 400-year history of the ruins, the goals of the project Katarinka and its voluntary activities.

This year, about 150 visitors and supporters arrived to enjoy Katarinka in the late evening hours, coming not only from the near villages and towns, but also from further ones, such as Nitra, Nové Zámky or Lučenec. The importance of  was emphasized by one of our volunteers: “Young volunteers from all over Slovakia save the ruins of St. Catherine’s monastery and church not only for themselves, but for all the people who come here to look for peace, good and rest. The project  the Night of the Churches is an extraordinary occasion on which we can make the atmosphere and the message of the ruins available for visitors from afar and, by means of the programme, hand over not only a lovely experience, but also the values, hope and faith of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Catherine of Alexandria.“

Photos:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/113613424875171902775/
albums/6017317193138908177

Video in Lux TV (Slovak only):
http://www.tkkbs.sk/view.php?cisloclanku=20140527014

“Bielonedeľná púť” to Katarínka celebrates 15th anniversary

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The last April Sunday (27/04/2014) was dedicated to “Bielonedeľná púť”, the traditional one-day pilgrimage to Katarínka on the first Saturday after Easter. The pilgrimage was attended by approximately 140 pilgrims, and about 280 people took part in the following Holy Mass. This day’s mass turned out to be a celebration of both the canonization of John XXIII. and John Paul II. as well as the feast of the Divine Mercy Sunday, which is also called the “White Sunday”, of which the name of the pilgrimage is derived.

The track of the pilgrimage started traditionally at the railway station Buková, from where it continued across Raková and up the forest trail straight to Katarínka.

The pilgrimage was accompanied by short stops with reflections which recalled the meaning of the pilgrimage. The sunny weather, which lasted until the very end, created an agreeable atmosphere throughout the journey.

The Sunday Mass in the ruins of St. Catherine’s Church was celebrated by Branislav “Beren” Popelka, the administrator of the parish of Majcichov. The sermon was delivered by Vladimír Bartolomej Hurňanský (in the picture, distributing the holy communion), a dominican priest and administrator of UPC Zvolen. After the mass, an opportunity arose to have a barbecue, to show the visitors the results of the work and the plans of the volunteers that help here over the summer. Some people were also interested in a guided tour telling the history of this place.

It was the 15th pilgrimage from the time of its modern dating. We were pleased by the biggest turnout so far – probably also thanks to the favourable weather, although it is generally hard to predict weather in April.