date: 05.03.2015.
The 22nd International Meeting of Organisers of pilgrimages, Leaders of Peace Centres, prayer and charity groups in Medjugorje, that gathered this year nearly 400 participants from 23 countries, we met Karen Carden from Florida and Marie Gastefsen from Portland (USA). Karen has been coming for 17 years now and this is what she told us: “This Meeting is a great help to us, we get many ideas and we are listening to the needs of priests that are active here, therefore we are trying to help them by bringing pilgrims in the right way. This task is very demanding, as we are trying to help people and bring close to them messages of Our Lady. That is the hardest, to work with so many different people that need to function as one unique group once they arrive to Medjugorje”, said Karen. Marie told us that in her town, there is Information Centre where she volunteers for more than 20 years. She is currently the president of that organisation. She told us how important this meeting is: “I hear the experiences of other people, what they do when they bring pilgrims, we hear what is that priests would like us to do when we come here and how to handle certain situations. The seminar last year was one of the best we ever had and this one is right next to it. Fr. Marinko’s approach and his enthusiasm is a wonderful contribution to everything. He tells us so clearly about what we are suppose to do in our life and work.”
