Pleternica hosts feast of Our Lady of Sorrows for 20,000 pilgrims

More than 20,000 pilgrims gathered in Pleternica on Monday, August 31, to celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows at her sanctuary. The attendees traveled from various parishes across Croatia and neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The liturgical celebrations included morning masses and the sacrament of the anointing of the sick. The peak of the event was an evening Eucharistic celebration led by Bishop Ivo Martinović of Požega, joined by priests from the Požega Diocese and the Đakovo-Osijek Archdiocese. During his sermon, Bishop Martinović encouraged the faithful to find strength in faith and the example of Mary.

Heavy rain toward the end of the mass prevented the traditional votive procession with the icon and candles. However, the rain was interpreted by many as a divine sign, likened to the tears of the Virgin Mary nourishing the dry Slavonia region. The celebration was preceded by a novena led by Fra Jozo Grbeš, the provincial of the Herzegovinian Franciscan Province.