Approximately 300,000 devotees are expected to participate in the June 7 Catholic Pentecost pilgrimage to Sumuleu Ciuc, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and which will also see the presence of Hungary's President Tamás Sulyok.
Miercurea-Ciuc mayor Korodi Attila told a press conference on Thursday that the motto of this year's major religious event is "Pilgrims of Hope", similar to that of the 2025 Jubilee Year declared by Pope Francis.
"Participating in the Pentecost Mass is a true spiritual recharge. Let us pay heed to each other - if someone needs help, let us be there for them," he said.
Also, a fundraising campaign will be held on the occasion of the pilgrimage for the families seriously affected by the floods in Covasna County, coordinated by the Caritas Association.
The mayor called on the pilgrims to come to the aid of their fellow citizens, pointing out that this is the true power of solidarity.
"The floods have not only swept away material goods, but hope and security as well. In order for these people to be able to rebuild their lives, collective support is needed. Year after year, this feast signifies for us a spiritual recharge, but now the stakes are even higher: in addition to the renewal of body and soul, the emphasis is on caring for others and on the desire to help. We kindly ask everyone to use this opportunity and offer help, if they can," said Korodi Attila.
In his turn, the head of the Caritas Alba Iulia Social and Medical Care Department Péter György said that although the disaster at the Praid salt mine has grabbed the national attention, the situation in Covasna County remains serious overall, and the organization he represents is focusing its resources on this county.
The Catholic Pentecost Mass in Sumuleu Ciuc will be celebrated by the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Alba Iulia Gergely Istvan, and the sermon will be delivered by Camillian monk Alfréd György, who hails from the commune of Sandominic, Harghita County.
Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok announced his participation in the event, and the next day he will visit the commune of Praid, whose historic salt mine was flooded by the Corund stream.
The Sumuleu Ciuc pilgrimage has a tradition of over 450 years and has at its center the miracle-working statue of the Virgin Mary, located in the Franciscan church.
Legend has it that in 1567, the Prince of Transylvania, John Sigismund, tried to impose Unitarianism on the Roman Catholic believers in the Szekler seats of Ciuc, Gheorgheni and Casin, and people say that only with the help of the miracle-working statue did they manage to resist and preserve their ancestral faith.
Ever since, every year on Whit Saturday, Catholics from all over the world - most of them Hungarian-speaking - come on pilgrimage to the Church of the Holy Virgin Mary in Sumuleu Ciuc.
The Marian shrine in Sumuleu Ciuc was visited on June 1, 2019 by Pope Francis, who celebrated a Mass dedicated to the Virgin Mary; on this occasion the miracle-working statue of the Mother of God was taken out of the church for the first time since World War II.
After the announcement of Pope Francis' death, the leadership of the Miercurea-Ciuc City Hall announced that they would propose that the road he traveled to Sumuleu Ciuc to the altar where he celebrated the Pontifical Mass in 2019 be named after him.
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