The 8th Congress of the European Marian Network held in Gibraltar

Representatives of twenty Marian sanctuaries of Europe on September 13-18 gathered in Gibraltar. The basic theme of the 8th meeting of the members of European Marian Network was spiritual pilgrimage and interdenominational and interreligious relations. The Marian spiritual center of Zarvanytsia was presented by the administrator Father Volodymyr Firman and by the personal delegate of the Eparch of Ternopil-Zboriv Vasil (Semenyuk) Father Andriy Romankiv. During the 5-day meeting the participants discussed the general aspects of pastoral ministry and the spiritual experience of pilgrims, told about necessities, divided experiments from life of pilgrimage centers and prayed before the Shrine of Our Lady of Europe.  The president of European Marian Network and the Bishop Lourdes Jacques Perrier, (who on August 27-28 visited the Marian spiritual center in Zarvanytsia) and administrator of the pilgrimage center Our Lady of Europe, Charles Azzopardi, coordinated the meeting. At the first conference, Bishop of Gibraltar Ralph Hesket stated that the Marian sanctuaries are the “heart of evangelization, especially in Europe, for not only faithful Christians take part in spiritual pilgrimages but also many people who search for God and a sense of life.” Fr. Andriy Romankiv during the conference gave a lecture about the pilgrimage center in Zarvanytsia and described the important events of 2009-2010 and features of pastoral guardianship on the Ukrainian pilgrims.  The next meeting will take place on September 22-25, 2011, in Walsingham, England. Background information: The Shrine of Our Lady of Europe was founded in Gibraltar in 1309. From 1704 to 1961 it was occupied by England and used as a fortress. In 1979 Pope John Paul II made May 5 a holiday of the Shrine of Our Lady, which coincides with the Day of Europe.

Press-service of Ternopil-Zboriv eparchy