”Medjugorje is a garden full of the fruits of grace, full of the fruits of peace, full of the fruits of faith, full of the fruits of a new life. Medjugorje is the garden of the Lord Jesus, in which Mary, the Mother of Jesus, the Mother of God, dwells in an effective way”, said at the beginning of his homily the Apostolic Visitor with a special role for the parish of Medjugorje, Archbishop Aldo Cavalli, who, with the concelebration of 654 priests, celebrated Holy Mass on the Ehite Dome of the Church of St. James in Medjugorje on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, the fourth day of the 37th International Youth Festival of Prayer.

He emphasized to the young people that Jesus is alive, that he is risen, that he is always present.

”Remember Jesus, never forget him. Return to Jesus, Pope Leo writes to you in his message: Return to Jesus, the Son of God,” said Archbishop Cavalli, explaining how Jesus returns through the Gospel, the Eucharist and the sacrament of confession.

“Jesus is present in the Gospel: the Gospel is his word, the word of God who became one of us, because he loves you, because he wants you to be faithful and consistent, because he wants you to be holy. The Gospel is the proclamation of God’s very life in Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, the visible image of the invisible God.

Jesus is present in the Eucharist: He himself wanted to remain present in the Eucharist: ‘This is my body.’, ‘This is the chalice of my blood.’ Through the Holy Spirit and through the words of Christ, that bread and that wine are transformed: they are no longer ordinary things, but the true, real and essential presence of Christ – his Body and Blood, his Soul and Divinity – under the species of bread and wine. We too confess our faith when we say: Amen, which means: “I believe” and I completely adhere to you, my Lord and my God.

Jesus is also present in the sacrament of reconciliation, when he says to you: “I absolve you of your sins” and: “Go in peace and from now on sin no more.” In this way, your personal encounter with Jesus is realized, as Pope Leo writes to you in his message. In this atmosphere of true and authentic life, Mary prays for you and together with you,” said Archbishop Cavalli, and told the young people how the Blessed Virgin Mary accompanies them, protects them and never leaves them alone.
“The Blessed Virgin Mary is always present in your life, as she was present in the life of Jesus: unobtrusively, faithfully and effectively. Entrust yourself to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Holy Father writes to you in his message.

The Lord Jesus and Mary, his Mother, wanted Medjugorje to become their garden, but also your garden – a garden full of the fruits of grace, peace, faith, new life and an abundance of creativity and joy. Welcome, welcome to this beautiful garden that Jesus and Mary, Mary and Jesus have prepared for you, concluded Archbishop Aldo Cavalli, the Apostolic Visitor with a special role for the parish of Medjugorje.

After the Holy Mass, a play was performed by members of the Cenacolo community.

Before the evening prayer program, the young people listened to the testimony of Father Jason Lewis, the new chaplain in Medjugorje for the English-speaking pilgrims, who at the beginning told the young people that they are witnesses that the Church is alive, and he told them about his own journey of conversion thanks to Medjugorje and Our Lady. Before him, American Kim Zember testified, and the morning part of the program, after prayer, continued with a catechesis held by Fr. Ante Vučković, in which he spoke about St. Francis and his relationship with the word of God, and told the young people to bring the Gospel into a world where there are many words. In the morning part of the program, the regional spiritual assistant of the YouFra Hercegovina, Fr. Ivan Hrkać, presented the work and life of the Franciscan Youth with an emphasis on the numerous spiritual vocations from this movement, and Sr. Micaela Sicilian from Italy also gave her testimony. She used to be a member of the Carabinieri, the Italian military police, and held a weapon in her hand, and today, as a nun, she holds another weapon in her hand – the rosary.