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About 30,000 pilgrims expected to attend Budslau Fest in Belarus

MINSK, 4 July (BelTA) - About 30,000 are expected to attend the celebrations in honor of the Budslau icon of Our Lady (Budslau fest) in the town of Budslau, Myadel District on 5-6 July, BelTA learned from the Minsk oblast administration.

The first mass will begin at 18h00. In the evening there will be a presentation of family movements of Belarus (22h00) and a procession with a copy of the icon of the Mother of God (23h30). The second mass will be held at midnight. The second day will see a presentation of the Council for Family Affairs at the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Belarus and an Eucharistic procession.

The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was built in 1873 and was one of the most popular Bernardine sanctuaries. 1992 was a big year for the sanctuary in Budslau. It was the year of the first official pilgrimage to the miraculous icon of the Mother of God of Budslau. It drew together 45 groups of pilgrims from 70 localities. The miraculous icon of the Mother of God of Budslau was crowned with papal crowns on 2 July 1998. The coronation was performed by Cardinal Kazimir Sventak. He stressed the importance of the Budslau church and proclaimed the Mother of God of Budslau the Patron of Belarus and the Budslau church the national sanctuary of Belarus. Today, Budslau is an important religious center and a special place of worship.

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