Catholic dioceses in Bulgaria – Vatican News

Sofia

An exciting end to the week for the friends of Don Bosco. Already in the early morning of Saturday, April 20, the friends of the saint began to arrive at the new center, school and Church, established by the Salesian Fathers in Stara Zagora. The place brought together animators, volunteers, participants and camp leaders, those living on the spot and all those who went through this work from all over the country. The meeting started with the holy liturgy and continued with games, workshops and many exciting conversations. Saint John Bosco created a tradition once a year of meeting his former students, whom he called “Exallievi”. Today it is one of the branches of the Salesian family, which consists of former graduates of Salesian schools, oratories, camps, animation courses and others.

April 19, Friday, concluded with the Via Lucis Easter devotion – Path of light, in the Catholic parish “St. Joseph” in Sofia. This piety is a continuation of the Way of the Cross and a kind of reflection on Christ’s sufferings. In this way, clergy and faithful focus on the encounters of the Risen Jesus. On Saturday, April 20, the Holy Liturgy was celebrated according to the Maronite rite.

In the time of light from Christ’s resurrection for the Western Rite Catholic Church, The Eastern Rite Catholic Church lives the last weeks of the Lenten period. In the coming week, in the Assumption Catholic Parish, on Friday, there will be the Holy Cross devotion for the last time. Holy Week will begin by welcoming the Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on April 28.

Faithful from the Catholic parish “St. Joseph” in Sofia are preparing for the upcoming parish pilgrimage Portugal – Spain, which will take place from April 24 to May 1, 2024, it will pass under the motto: “Pray! Pray a lot!”.

Gergana Doichinova

Plovdiv

On April 19, in the “Sacred Heart of Jesus” church, Gen quarter. Nikolaevo in the town of Rakovski the Easter performance “The Story of Salvation” was performed. Children, young people and families from Rakovski, Zhitnitsa, Belozem, Miromir and Duvanlii took part in it. The joint efforts of all those who worked for its creation, Father Mladen Plachkov, parish priest in the parish “Sacred Heart of Jesus”, the Hranciskanka sisters, and all involved in its preparation, together with the participants, made this extremely exciting celebration, where the faithful saw recreated moments from the creation of the world, the original sin of Adam and Eve, the history of the knees from which our Lord Jesus Christ was born. Also the Birth of the Savior, the Last Supper, the capture of Jesus, His Way of the Cross, His death on the Cross and the joy of His Resurrection. This true celebration of goodness also had a noble mission – helping a child in need and was an example of peace, friendship and love – to love one another as Jesus loves us.

The statue of the Virgin Mary, which was placed on a special foundation in the garden of the “St. Maximilian Kolbe” monastery in the town of Rakovski, once again shines with its gentle beauty after being renewed and restored. The statue of the Virgin was placed and blessed in 2007. The foundation was made by Mr. Petar Yachev from Sekirovo district. The statue was brought a few years earlier by Father Maximilian Balabansky. The work was renovated by Veselin Mirchev, and its restoration was completed on April 17 of this year.

The figure of the Virgin, placed on the pedestal in the garden of the monastery, is a symbol of deep faith and spiritual presence in the life of the monastic community and the faithful. This place becomes the center of various religious services, prayers, processions and meetings of praying people. Divine services before the Virgin are an expression of devotion and worship to Mary, Mother of Jesus. It is a time when the community turns to Our Lady with requests, joys and concerns. Prayer becomes an inalienable part of life with this statue of the Virgin. People come here to confess their worries, ask for support in difficult times and give thanks for the good they have received. This place becomes an oasis of peace and hope where everyone can find comfort for their soul. The processions that take place around it are an expression of public witness to the faith and unity of the faithful. Praying people gathered around the statue of the Virgin create a community of faith that strengthens their ties to God and to each other, and where everyone can feel part of the larger prayer community. In this way, the Virgin statue becomes the focal point of the spiritual life of the monastery and the surrounding community, inspiring deeper prayer, greater unity and mutual love. Her presence is reminiscent of a mother’s embrace that always surrounds all who turn to Her.

On April 17, forty-one years have passed since the death of Father Rafail Peeva priest from the Order of the Resurrection Fathers, and on May 17 it will be the 106th anniversary of his birth (in 1918).

Rafail Arsenov Peev was born on May 17, 1918 in the village of Baltadzhii /today Sekirovo district of the town of Rakovski/ From 1932 to 1935 he studied at the seminary of the Resurrectionists in Stara Zagora. On December 1, 1935, he began his studies at the Higher Seminary in Krakow, Poland, and made his perpetual vows on August 15, 1937. From 1938 to 1943, he studied in Rome, where he was ordained a priest on September 20, 1941.

After completing his studies in Rome in 1943, Father Rafail Peev returned to Bulgaria and was sent to work in a seminary in Stara Zagora, where he taught until 1946. Then he worked briefly in Malko Tarnovo, and from 1947 in Burgas. Until 1948, the service according to the Eastern Catholic rite in Burgas was performed in the Catholic church according to the Latin rite Virgin Mary the Virgin. In 1948, after the closure of the French College of Saint Joseph in the city, its chapel became the parish church of the Assumption. Father Peev is the first parish priest to serve in the new church for the parish.

On October 19, 1952, Father Peev was arrested and sentenced to 12 years of imprisonment by the communist regime. After his return from prison in 1962, he continued to serve in Burgas for another 21 years. In 1977 he was proclaimed an Archimandrite. He died on April 17, 1983 in the hospital in Burgas.

Zhana Stoeva

Diocese of Nikopol

From April 17 to 20, the Bishop of the Diocese of Nikopol, Monsignor Strahil Kavalenov, was in Lomza, Poland. He took part in the spring session of COMECE – the Conference of European Bishops’ Conferences. Monsignor Kavalenov was in Poland as a representative of the Bulgarian Inter-Ritual Episcopal Conference. The spring assembly in Lomza was under the title: “The Church and the European Union before new European elections”. On April 17, in the Cathedral Church “St. Archangel Michael” in Lomzha, St. The Eucharist presided over by Archbishop Tadeusz Vojda. Monsignor Strahil Kavalenov, bishop of the Nikopol Diocese, took part in the liturgy, along with other bishops – delegates.

On April 18, it was 15 years since the priestly ordination of the bishop of the Nikopol diocese, Msgr. Strahil Kavalenov and Father Koicho Dimov, parish priest in the parishes of Vratsa and Berdarski Geran. On April 18, 2009, on the eve of the Second Easter Sunday, the two young clerics were ordained in the Sanctuary of Blessed Evgeny Bosilkov in the town of Belene in the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary church. They were ordained by the Bishop of Nikopol, Monsignor Petko Hristov, and in collaboration with him were: the Bishop of the Sofia-Plovdiv Diocese, Monsignor Georgi Yovchev, and the Apostolic Nuncio in Bulgaria and Macedonia, Monsignor Januarius Bolonek, and clergy from the three Catholic dioceses in the country. A thanksgiving liturgy for the anniversary of the ordination was celebrated on April 18 of this year. in Vratsa, Father Koicho Dimov.

On April 20, faithful from the “Annunciation of the Lord” parish in the city of Varna, led by the parish priest Father Michal Shlachciak, were on a pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin Czestochowa in the town of Malko Tarnovo. Their host in the Church of the Holy Trinity was Archimandrite Roman Kotevich. The two clerics, Father Michal and Father Roman, from the Society of Resurrection Fathers, celebrated the Eastern Rite Holy Liturgy for the faithful from Varna, which was also attended by the faithful from the local community. After the service, Father Roman told the story of the mission of the Resurrection Fathers in Malko Tarnovo and the region including neighboring Turkey. Archimandrite Kotevich also briefly told the history of the temple – a sanctuary bearing the name of the Holy Trinity. In the afternoon, the pilgrims and the clergy gathered again in the temple for a common prayer. In this holy place, everyone made their individual requests, with the intercession of the Holy Virgin Mary of Częstochowa.

Sunday, April 21, was the Sunday of the Good Shepherd and the World Day of Prayer for Titles. At the solemn liturgies celebrated by the priests, the faithful prayed for new vocations in our diocese. In some parishes, excerpts from the Message of Pope Francis for the 61st World Day of Prayer for Vocations were read. The theme of the message was “Called to sow hope and build peace”.

On Good Shepherd Sunday, in the parish “Blessed Virgin Mary of the Rosary” in the town of Veliko Tarnovo, three children received the Sacrament of First Communion during the holy liturgy, celebrated by the bishop of the Nikopol diocese, Msgr. Strahil Kavalenov.

From April 21 to 27 of this year, faithful from the parishes of the Nikopol Diocese are on a diocesan pilgrimage to Romania under the title “In the footsteps of our ancestors”. The director of the pilgrimage is Father Paolo Cortesi, responsible for the Pilgrimage Department of the Episcopal Curia. The bishop of the Nikopol Diocese, Mgr. Strahil Kavalenov. The pilgrimage program began in Chiprovtsi – the cradle of Catholicism in Bulgaria. There, on Monday, the clergy celebrated the Holy Liturgy with the participation of the pilgrims from the parishes and all prayed for a blessed and successful journey. The liturgy was celebrated in the Old Chiprovska House next to the historical museum in Chiprovtsi. Father Koicho Dimov co-served with Bishop Kavalenov and Father Paolo. The places the pilgrims will visit are connected to the rich history of our Catholic ancestors. These are: Timisoara, Sunnycolau Mare, Star Bešenov, Vinga, the Little Basilica of Maria Radna, the historical fortress of Alba Iulia, the monastery of Kozia, Bucharest, Choplia, Popeşti Leordeni. Before the departure of the group for Bulgaria, Bishop Kavalenov and Father Paolo Cortesi will celebrate the holy liturgy in the Cathedral “St. Joseph” in Bucharest. Upon arrival in the city of Ruse, the pilgrims will participate in a prayer of thanksgiving in the Cathedral Church “St. Paul of the Cross”.

Rositsa Zlateva