headEuroazjaAm EN 8

 

In the days that followed - the 10th and 11th of September, Our Lady traveled across Romania.  In the town of Târgu Mureș (Hung. Marosvásárhely), the Icon visited the Church of St. John the Baptist.  Fr. Dénes Oláh led the Rosary and made it possible for the coordinators to present the principles and ideas behind the peregrination "From Ocean to Ocean". 

During lunch, the coordinators of the peregrination had the opportunity to meet with Fr. Dénes Csíki, the former personal secretary of the deceased Bishop Aron Marton, known for his perseverance through the many years of his struggle with the Communists.  He was persecuted and imprisoned, but he never agreed to collaborate and never renounced his faith. 

The peregrination coordinators also evangelized in the city streets, addressing the issues related to the defense of life, while handing out pamphlets to passers-by, passengers, and families with children.  They even tried to talk with call girls who were walking the streets, in an effort to convince them that they can choose a better way of life.

In the small town of Korond, several dozen people waited patiently to greet Our Lady.  The conversations held with them about the protection of life around the world were very thought-provoking.

The last place visited that day was Odorheiu Secuiesc (Hung. Székelyudvarhely), which is the heart of the Secuiesc region (Hung. Székelyföld) - in Latin, Terra Siculorum.  The accounts of the travels of Our Lady were far more interesting than the tourist propaganda about Dracula, who lived in this region and whose fame stemmed from his unusually cruel treatment of his political opponents.  The local pastor, Fr. Károly Máté, was extremely hospitable, both towards Our Lady and towards Her attendants.

The next day, namely on Tuesday, September 11th, the well-known pro-life leader, Zita Kovács MD, president of the Romanian organization "Pro Vita Hominis," was personally awaiting the arrival of the Icon, together with the local parish priest and a crowd of people, gathered in front of the church.  After a solemn celebration of the Holy Mass, people approached the Icon to spend time in private prayer, asking for God's help and for unity within their families.  At Zita's invitation, it was also possible to visit the neighboring village Acatari  (Árkosfalva), where a shelter for single mothers, founded by Zita's organization with the help of the Swiss pro-life organization, "Ja zum Leben" ("Yes to Life") operates actively.  This shelter is cared for by the well known monk Csaba Böjte OFM, who visits about 60 shelters and orphanages in Romania for unwanted mothers and abandoned children.  Two Franciscan sisters help him in this work.

In Miercurea Ciuc (Hung. Csikszereda), Our Lady met with the patients of the regional hospital.  Dr. Mária Hajnalka Bako, the Catholic chaplain of the hospital that belongs to the Camillian Order, facilitated the meeting with patients from various clinical areas, such as dermatology, psychiatric care, as well as obstetrics and gynecology.  [The Clerks Regular of St. Camillus, also known as the Order of Clerks Regular Ministers of the Sick, is a Roman Catholic religious order of the type of Regular Clerks, founded by Saint Camillus de Lellis. A red cross was chosen by Camillus as the distinguishing badge for the members of the Order to wear upon their black cassocks. The founder taught his volunteers that the "hospital was a house of God, a garden where the voices of the sick were music from heaven".]