A River of Youth from 80 Countries Floods Medjugorje: 37th Mladifest Concludes with Dawn Mass on Krizevac Hill
The multi-day program at St. James Church drew tens of thousands of pilgrims, with prayers and songs echoing in 18 world languages.
The multi-day program at St. James Church drew tens of thousands of pilgrims, with prayers and songs echoing in 18 world languages.
Medjugorje was once again the epicenter of one of the most massive spiritual gatherings of young people in the Catholic Church. As part of the 37th International Youth Festival, Mladifest, tens of thousands of pilgrims from over 80 countries around the world gathered, turning the area around St. James Church into a sea of flags, songs, and prayers.
This year's gathering, held under the theme "To the Source!", confirmed the continuity of the festival, which has been held continuously since 1989 on the initiative of the late Fr. Slavko Barbarić. The program was simultaneously translated into as many as 18 world languages, and hundreds of priests were available for confession throughout the festival.
Young people arrived in Medjugorje from all corners of Europe and the world. Among the most numerous were pilgrims from Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, but guests from Spain, Portugal, and Poland also left a strong mark. All accommodation capacities in the Brotnjo area were filled to the last spot, which speaks volumes about the scale of this event.
The rich multi-day program included morning and afternoon catechesis, powerful personal testimonies, Holy Masses, and evening adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. An atmosphere of fellowship and joy marked every moment of the gathering, with particularly impressive processions with the rosary and a large prayer walk through Medjugorje.
The festival reached its traditional climax with an early morning Holy Mass at dawn on the top of Krizevac Hill. This final act, symbolizing ascent and spiritual renewal, once again sent a powerful message of peace, hope, and unity to the whole world. Mladifest thus proved once more why many consider it one of the most beautiful images of faith and youth in the modern world.