THE SOLEMNITY OF THE HOLY APOSTLES PETER AND PAUL IN THE NIJ VILLAGE

 

On June 29, on the Solemnity of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, a group of clergy, religious and parishioners of the Catholic Church in Azerbaijan, led by the Apostolic Prefect of Azerbaijan, Bishop Vladimir Fekete, made a pilgrimage to the village of Nij in the Gabala region of the country.

At the ancient church dedicated to Saint Elisha, who, according to local Christian tradition, was a disciple of the Apostles Thaddeus and James, the Baku Catholics were warmly greeted by the chairman of the Albanian-Udi Christian community Robert Mobili, the spiritual mentor of the community Rafik Danakari and the residents of the village.

At the invitation of the Albanian-Udi community, Bishop Vladimir Fekete took part in the Sunday prayer service in the Udi language. Having thanked the Albanian-Udi community for the warm welcome, Bishop Vladimir Fekete presented the community with a collection of the deuterocanonical books of the Bible, published in the Azerbaijani language on the initiative of the Apostolic Prefecture of the Catholic Church in Azerbaijan.

On the same day, in the Church of St. Elisha in the village of Nij, Bishop Vladimir Fekete celebrated the Holy Mass of the Solemnity of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. The Bishop was assisted by the Vicar General of the Prefecture, Fr. Josef Marek, priests of the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Fr. Emil Safar and Fr. Selva Kumar.

The Mass was also attended by the Chairman of the Albanian-Udi Christian Community, Robert Mobili, the spiritual mentor of the community, Rafik Danakari, and parishioners of the church.

Bishop Vladimir Fekete addressed those gathered in the church with a sermon.

“Today is a great feast for the Universal Church: we honor the holy apostles Peter and Paul, who suffered martyrdom for the sake of their testimony to Jesus Christ. Their lives were completely renewed and gained meaning after their encounter with the Lord. Saint John Paul II once said: “If we reflect on the vocation and personal history of both apostles, Peter and Paul, we will notice that their apostolic and missionary energy was proportionate to the depth of their conversion. Tested by the bitter experience of human weakness, they were purified and redeemed by the Lord. Through humiliating betrayal and tears of repentance that purified him internally, Simon was able to become Peter, that is, “a rock”: strengthened by the power of the Spirit, he confessed his love for Jesus three times and was appointed to shepherd His flock. Saul had a similar experience: the Lord, whom he persecuted, “called him by His grace,” striking him on the road to Damascus. Saul became Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles. Saints Peter and Paul, by their example, show that the Lord sees beyond our mistakes. He always wants to give us new life,” Bishop Vladimir noted.

Touching upon the ministry of the Apostle Peter and his successors, Bishop Vladimir said: “Over the past months, I have visited Rome several times. This city continues to attract the attention of the whole world, keeping in itself evidence of the past greatness of the Roman Empire. Compared to the state and military might of ancient Rome, the absolute power of its emperors, Peter – a poor fisherman from Galilee, seemed completely insignificant. However, during my last visit to Rome, I had the honor of greeting the 267th successor of Peter, Pope Leo XIV, and not the Roman emperor. Of course, we know that the only Lord and Judge of the living and the dead is our Lord Jesus Christ. So what does Peter have to do with all this? But it is to him that the Lord entrusts the keys of Heaven, wishing to leave behind Himself the Church in the world so that it can help all people on earth find faith and salvation. It is the Church that preserves and distributes the Holy Communion – the Body and Blood of Christ, it is the Church that grants forgiveness of sins and hope. From generation to generation, the Church is present in the world to reveal the Lord Jesus, who is always with us. Of course, the “sign” of the Church is quite visible, and the Lord Himself wanted the Church to be not only a spiritual, but also a visible reality. Popes, bishops, priests, church structures may not always be effective, but in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, it is necessary to become a partaker of the great mystery, which is the Church, entrusted to the care of Peter and his successors.”

During the Holy Mass, the Catholics of Azerbaijan prayed for the Universal Church and Pope Leo XIV, for the well-being of Azerbaijan and its people, for the spiritual revival of the Udi community, and for the peaceful end of all conflicts on earth.

In memory of the joint prayer, Bishop Vladimir Fekete donated an icon of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to the Church of St. Elisha. The chairman of the community Robert Mobili expressed gratitude to Bishop Vladimir and the Apostolic Prefecture of the Catholic Church in Azerbaijan for their fraternal attitude and support to the Udi community of Azerbaijan.

At the end of the pilgrimage, a fraternal supper was held on the territory of the Church of St. Elisha.