The Polish archbishop tasked with overseeing Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Medjugorje shrine has outlined plans for expansion, including more Masses in different languages and facilities for young pilgrims who flock to the site of the alleged Marian apparitions.
“Medjugorje represents Europe’s spiritual lungs, a place where millions discover God and the beauties of the Church,” said Archbishop Henryk Hoser, retired archbishop of Warsaw-Praga.
“We now have to re-create its infrastructure, firstly by securing its liturgical space. We also need to expand its areas for retreats and provide new places for celebrating the Eucharist, especially for pilgrims,” he said.
In May, Pope Francis appointed Archbishop Hoser apostolic visitor to Medjugorje, where six young people claimed in 1981 that Mary had appeared to them.
Many people see “only the sociological side of the Church, which is also the face of sinners”, and fail to comprehend its religious mission, the archbishop said at a new Catholic youth centre in Warsaw.
Responsibility
“We all bear responsibility for the Church – we’re all called to be apostles, evangelisers and teachers, according to the gifts we’ve obtained from God,” he said.
“Apart from the youthful saints who are sprinters, there are also long-distance runners who move slowly, maturing over long years but also reaching the goal of great sanctity,” he said.
In July, Archbishop Hoser said he hopes more priests will come to provide sacraments and catechesis training at Medjugorje, according to Poland’s Catholic Information Agency, KAI.
With rising numbers of mostly young pilgrims and visitors, people wait in very long lines and, in summer, temperatures of over 38 degrees at the shrine’s 50 confessionals, he said. Roofing is also needed for Medjugorje’s main esplanade, as well as better facilities for conferences and charitable work.
Many groups come from countries in Western Europe, “where the Church has atrophied” and is “suddenly experiencing God’s grace”, Archbishop Hoser said.
“What’s also remarkable is there are now networks in many countries of pilgrims who’ve been to Medjugorje,” he said.