{"id":521,"date":"2022-03-24T19:33:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-24T17:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/linijos.lt\/adrl\/sil\/?page_id=521"},"modified":"2022-03-26T15:25:33","modified_gmt":"2022-03-26T13:25:33","slug":"pastarojo-amziaus-ivykiai","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/siluva.lt\/en\/pastarojo-amziaus-ivykiai\/","title":{"rendered":"Events of the last century"},"content":{"rendered":"

Events of the last century<\/span><\/h2><\/div>
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7 September 1993<\/strong>\u00a0Pope St. John Paul II visited \u0160iluva. The Holy Father prayed in the Chapel of the Apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary and took part in the Liturgy of the Word in the Basilica of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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The Pope, as if echoing the message that the Virgin Mary conveyed to the shepherd children during the apparition, said that Mary directed her whole life toward Christ. She invites us to do the same: \u201cDo whatever He tells you\u201d (Jn 2:5).\n\n\u201cIn Cana, you asked your Son to turn water into wine. Help the Lithuanian nation to transform the painful experience of the past into a joyful future,\u201d the Holy Father prayed in \u0160iluva.<\/p>\n

2003<\/strong>\u00a0after restoration, the miraculous image of the Blessed Virgin Mary with the Child was returned to the high altar of the \u0160iluva Basilica; in 2006, it was crowned with crowns blessed by Pope Benedict XVI.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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2003<\/strong>during the \u0160ilin\u0117s indulgence feast, marking the tenth anniversary of the Holy Father\u2019s visit, Archbishop Sigitas Tamkevi\u010dius SJ blessed the John Paul II House, which today serves the spiritual formation of priests and other faithful, hosts retreats and seminars for various Lithuanian communities and individuals, and accommodates pilgrims.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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2008<\/strong>\u00a0during the celebration in \u0160iluva of the 400th anniversary of the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a monument to Pope John Paul II was unveiled in the sacred square to commemorate the 15th anniversary of his visit to Lithuania (sculptor: Prof. Czes\u0142aw D\u017awigaj of the Krak\u00f3w Academy of Fine Arts); at the same time, the street next to the square was named after the Pope.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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2007<\/strong>\u00a0the parish of \u0160iluva marked the 550th anniversary of its establishment.<\/p>\n

6\u201315 September 2008<\/strong>\u00a0during the solemn celebration of the 400th anniversary of the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, \u0160iluva was visited by the envoy of the Holy Father Benedict XVI, Cardinal Joachim Meisner, Archbishop of Cologne.<\/p>\n

During the ten days of the Jubilee, up to 150,000 pilgrims visited \u0160iluva\u2014not only from Lithuania, but also from nearby and more distant countries of Europe and America, from Australia, and individually from Asia and Africa. It was precisely at that time that the name of \u0160iluva spread widely throughout the world: news agencies reported on the apparition of Mary and the shrine of \u0160iluva.\n\nFor the first time in the history of \u0160iluva\u2014once marked by confessional tensions\u2014ecumenical services were held, attended by representatives of several Christian Churches and communities.<\/p>\n

In preparation for the Jubilee, through the care and initiative of Kaunas Archbishop S. Tamkevi\u010dius, and with the support of the Kaunas Archdiocese community, various sponsors, and donors, a pre-war plan was realized to connect the \u0160iluva Basilica with the Chapel of the Apparition by creating a sacred space.<\/p>\n

In the renovated square, in addition to the already mentioned memorial to St. John Paul II, a restored statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary was erected\u2014a precise bronze replica of the earlier one. A Pilgrim Information Centre was built, and the \u0160iluva History Museum was opened within it.\n\nOn both sides of the square, artistic roadside shrines of the Rosary were installed for prayer. The Basilica and the Chapel of the Apparition have been gradually restored, and the white 44-meter-high tower of the chapel continues to greet pilgrims approaching \u0160iluva even today from afar.<\/p>\n

2009<\/strong>\u00a0by decree of Kaunas Archbishop S. Tamkevi\u010dius, Days of the Sick are held in \u0160iluva on the last Friday of each month.<\/p>\n

9 April 2009<\/strong>\u00a0by decree of the Metropolitan Archbishop of Kaunas, Sigitas Tamkevi\u010dius, in response to the sincere devotion of the faithful and with the aim of more widely spreading the message of the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in \u0160iluva, the Society of the Blessed Virgin Mary of \u0160iluva was established.<\/p>\n

2011<\/strong>\u00a0The \u0160ilin\u0117s indulgence feast began to be celebrated from 7 September (previously it had started on 8 September) and continues, as usual, until 15 September. From then on, the first day of \u0160ilin\u0117s has always been dedicated to Pope St. John Paul II, who visited \u0160iluva on 7 September 1993.<\/p>\n

2013<\/strong>\u00a0A Pilgrim Path with 14 Stations of the Cross was also established and blessed on 25 August. It is a route of approximately 2 km through the \u0160iluva pine forest, leading to the Chapel of the Apparition.<\/p>\n

2016<\/strong>\u00a0on the occasion of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, the Holy Doors of Mercy were opened in the \u0160iluva Basilica.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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