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Report and photos of the 2023 annual pilgrimage
This report was written by Ádám Makk and Rita Vágvölgyi:
2023 Pentecost Pilgrimage
In the spirit of tuitio fidei of the Order of Malta, 46 of us set out on the Csíksomlyó pilgrimage, including 18 university and high school age pilgrims. Our hearts were grateful that we could respond to the call of our Heavenly Mother, Mária "Babba", and fight a spiritual battle under her protection, renouncing our comforts, with our prayers, emptying ourselves, and paying attention to each other. We carried in our hearts those entrusted to us, our children, our grandchildren, our parents, our siblings, our physically and mentally ill people. We went on this pilgrimage to gain strength, endurance, and joy to practice our vocation, to ask for faith, hope, love, consolation for the suffering Hungarian nation, and peace for the world.
We asked Our Lady of Csíksomlyó to guide us to her Holy Son through the Holy Spirit, to help us hear His voice, so that we too could always respond yes to His call.
We asked that the Holy Spirit unite us, so that instead of our own interests, we can keep each other's growth in mind, and we can be a help and a blessing to each other on the pilgrimage.
This festival has been held in Csíksomlyo every year since 1567 on Pentecost Saturday, in memory of the victory won against Prince Zsigmond János's troops.
During the Holy Mass held in this wonderful place, in the cathedral of Nature, we experienced religious and national unity, the closeness of the consoling Holy Spirit, and the protection of the Holy Virgin.
Joining the procession of pilgrims from Székelyudvarhely, we took part in the opening Mass early on Friday morning. At dawn on Saturday, 22 of us got off our bus to join the walking procession. Nine Knights of Malta and one Knight of St. John, representing the Romanian and Hungarian Associations, went up the mountain together, in the front of the procession right behind the clergy, dressed in church attire. Due to old age, unfortunately, not all of our fellow members of the Order were able to join us.
We celebrated the return of the foot pilgrims in Udvarhely during the Pentecost Sunday Mass. On Monday we prayed the Székely Stations of the Cross, after which Mass said at the Ugron Chapel. We then left for home.
The presence of the Association of the Hungarian Knights of Malta is a testimony to our faith, passing on the values of the Order of Malta to our young people and pilgrims.
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