On Thursday, August 30th, the Icon of Czestochowa travelled on the most frequented highway from Prague to Brno. There, the Icon stopped in the city square at the Franciscan church of the Friars Minor (so called Minorites), under the patronage of St. John the Baptist. Our Lady of Czestochowa was welcomed with the solemn fanfares of Jasna Gora (Bright Hill).
The Vicar General of the Brno Diocese, Father George Mikulášek, presided over the Liturgy of the Eucharist and the Minorite Provincial, Fr Bogdan Sikora together with several Czech priests concelebrated. A youth choir from Brno enriched the celebration of the Holy Mass. The solemn liturgy was broadcast live over the Proglas radio.
Fr. Mikulášek stated in his sermon that the defense of life must be expressed with concrete action – by bringing real help to those in difficult situations. He cited many examples of generous assistance provided by Christian families to pregnant women, saving the life of a child. At the closing of the individual veneration of the Icon, the Akathist was sung, led by a Greek Catholic priest, Fr. Jiří Pleskač, who also blessed the faithful with blessed oil.
On Friday, August 31st, after the 10:00 am Mass, the Czestochowa Icon was given to the representatives of the Slovak pro-life movement "Fórum Zivot," who, in turn, transported Our Lady's Icon in the Life Mobile to Bratislava. Handing over the Icon to the Slovaks, the Czechs have declared their prayers for the Slovak nation, just as the Poles have done earlier when turning over the Icon to the Czechs.
