Cardinal Rolando Makrickas to visit Mary's Shrine on Gorca

The Mary's Shrine on Gorca in Malečnik will host traditional celebrations for the Nativity of the Virgin Mary from September 6 to 8. The central festivities will take place on Tuesday, September 8.

Cardinal Rolando Makrickas, the rector of the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome, is scheduled to visit Slovenia for the first time. His visit aims to bless the renovated facade of the Gorca shrine, as well as the Holy Doors and a commemorative plaque for donors. The shrine has maintained a spiritual connection with the Roman basilica since 2023.

The event includes several religious traditions, such as a candlelight procession and a midnight pilgrimage mass led by the parish priest of Cerkvenjak. The celebrations also feature a solemn mass on the eve of the holiday led by Monsignor Matjaž Roter.

Historically, the feast of the Nativity of Mary originated in Palestine and spread to Rome by the end of the 7th century. It is one of only two birthdays celebrated by the Catholic Church, the other being that of John the Baptist.