Marija Bistrica, (IKA) – A millennial photograph “The Family and Kindergarten for the Pope,” was created through the collaboration of the Committee for the Family Content of the Apostolic Visit by Pope Benedict XVI to Croatia and the organizer of the traditional pilgrimages of Catholic kindergartens to Marija Bistrica. The goal of the pilgrimages is to bring together children who attend Catholic kindergartens or any religious programs in some other kindergarten and their parents, in order to deepen cooperation and express their common gratitude to God for all the graces received through the school year and to pray for blessings for the future.
Approximately 1,200 children with their parents and teachers from a total of 33 Catholic kindergartens and kindergartens that implement religious education programs in the Zagreb Metropolis participated in the pilgrimage on May 28. Mass was conducted by the rector of the shrine, Fr. Zlatko Koren, who urged the pilgrims, among other things, to attend the encounter with the Holy Father on June 5 at the Zagreb Hippodrome. At the end of the celebration of the Eucharist, the children performed a dance to the official song of the Pope’s encounter with Croatian Catholic Families, “To Christ, Forever Faithful” (Kristu vjerni zauvijek).
In anticipation of the imminent arrival of Pope Benedict XVI, the idea was born to record the pilgrimage with a special millennial photograph. Following the instructions of Šime Strikoman, amidst beautiful surroundings, the children together with their parents and teachers, arranged themselves in a heart-shaped rosary in which the word papa (Pope) was written.
This photograph symbolically expresses that Croatian families pray for the Pope, united in the community of love for each other and for the Pope, the Vicar of Christ. The cross of the rosary, made up of nuns and teachers with the children under their care, expresses that they want to be with the family and help them carry the cross of life. The entire photograph expresses a message to Croatian families that it is important to weave prayer into one’s life to achieve the balance and harmony of living together, the successful upbringing of children, and to preserve a solid relationship with the Church, at which the Pope is at the helm.