Text: Mikoła Hrakaŭ/ Photo: Vieranika Siamienčyk/ Mission of the Good Samaritan /
Catholic.by
On June 1, the World Children’s Day was celebrated in Budslau, combined with the annual meeting of children who received their First Holy Communion this year.
The events took place in the National Shrine of Our Lady of Budslau on the initiative of the Metropolitan of Minsk-Mahiloŭ, Archbishop Juzaf Stanieŭski. The meeting was organized and prepared by Sister Časłava Navickaja USAHJ, who is responsible for the pastoral care of youth of the Minsk-Mahiloŭ Archdiocese, together with the spiritual guardian of the Christian Social Center in Minsk, Father Alaksandr Šamrycki MIC, who were assisted by a group of volunteers. In intense and fruitful cooperation with the rector of the Budslau parish, priest Dźmitryj Dubovik, they made every effort to ensure proper and as safe as possible conditions for the event with the participation of a large number of children.
As the event itself showed, their collective efforts were not in vain, even despite the unforeseen weather collisions on the day of the meeting.
From the morning of the first day of June, little pilgrims accompanied by adults, parents and pastors arrived in Budslau. They arrived in whole groups and individually, on big buses and on personal transport. From 10 o'clock in the National Sanctuary, participants were registered, at the end of which it became known that one and a half thousand boys and girls from all dioceses of Belarus had gathered for the Mother of God of Budslau. Many of them recently received their First Holy Communion and came to Budslau in beautiful white outfits, in which they went to church during the traditional "white week". During the registration, the participants of the meeting received colorful caps with the logo of the World Children’s Day in Budslau, and then they were distributed by sectors on the open ground near the Budslau Basilica.
There was a greeting and introduction, during which Father Alaksandr Šamrycki shared his impressions of the Belarusian delegation’s participation in the World Children’s Day in Rome. Then the celebration of the Holy Mass, led by Archbishop Stanieŭski, began at the field altar. Together with him, the Bishop of Viciebsk Aleh Butkievič and several dozen priests celebrated the Eucharist, most of whom accompanied groups of children from their parishes to Budslau.
At the beginning, the archbishop greeted those gathered in the National Sanctuary and, first of all, congratulated them on Children’s Day and the beginning of the long- awaited vacation, which he wished to live with God and under the tender care of the Mother of God.
The archpastor’s words were met with great enthusiasm and caused a lively reaction from the children.
They actively participated in the Holy Mass, during which they sang religious songs together with the children’s choir from the parish of St. Francis of Assisi in Minsk under the direction of Vieranika Ramanienkava.
They also listened with interest and answered the questions of Bishop Butkievič, who delivered an "interactive" homily.
In it, the Bishop of Viciebsk recalled the popular children’s hero Winnie-the-Pooh, offering children to think about why this cute bear was always so joyful.
The pastor noted that for true joy it is very important to have friends, adding that friendship between yourself and with Jesus and Mary can make every day joyful. Bishop Butkievič emphasized that God actually created people for eternal and happy life, which he sincerely wished to all participants of the meeting. Meanwhile, the sky over Budslau began to cloud over, the sun hid behind the clouds, and in the middle of the Holy Mass it rained quite heavily, which, by the way, was what the local residents had been asking for in the last dry weeks.
The warm summer rain didn’t spoil anyone’s mood, but it only brought the meeting participants closer together: a few of them huddled under umbrellas, of which there weren’t enough for everyone.
By the way, some did not try to hide from the drops that generously fell from the sky; just like Sister Časłava, who seemed to only rejoice at this sign of God’s blessing and encouraged others with her enthusiasm.
However, the rain still made certain adjustments to the meeting plan, and after the Holy Mass, instead of a flooded acquaintance with the history of the Budslau shrine, a
break was made in a specially prepared film.
During it, children and adults had the opportunity to be fed, as well as take part in interesting musical, creative and artistic workshops that took place in the Pilgrim’s House.
The five-minute film, which could not be seen in Budslau, can be viewed HERE
When the rain clouds flew by and the sun came out again, which quickly dried the ground and wet clothes, a catechetical-entertainment program began on the field near the basilica. Their pastors played with the children, and even the hierarchs gladly joined the contests, games and dances held by animators from the Salesian Oratory in Minsk. At 3:00 p.m., everyone gathered again in front of the field altar for the communal prayer of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, which was performed by children from the parish in Słuck. At the end of the meeting, in front of a special icon painted during the Second World War, a solemn act of consecration of the children of Belarus to the Sacred Heart of Jesus took place. At the beginning, the eleven-year-old girl Milana from the Minsk parish of St. Andrew the Apostle and St. Leapold Bahdan Mandzič read the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on behalf of all the children, to whose honor the month of June is specially dedicated in the Church.
Afterwards, Archbishop Stanieŭski read the Act of Consecration, the words of which were followed by the children, their parents, pastors and all the participants of the meeting in Budslau. The celebration of World Children’s Day ended with thanks to everyone who in some way contributed to its organization and holding, as well as a blessing given to children and adults by Archbishop Juzaf Stanieŭski and Bishop of Viciebsk Aleh Butkievič.