Slovak bishops already sent a pastoral letter regarding Fr Zeman on Sunday, 5 September. These days, of course, the entire Slovak Church is focused on Fr Zeman, Slovakia's first blessed Salesian priest. Nearly 600 priests, and about thirty bishops from the country and abroad, have confirmed their presence; among them, the Slovak Cardinal Jozef Tomko, 93, prefect emeritus of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
The hymn to the new Blessed, composed by a great Slovak poet, Daniel Hevier, will be sung by a choir of 50 singers. To help make the day a success, 170 volunteers will be generously offering their services, as will the various police forces.
All stages of the programmed events, from Friday to Sunday, will be broadcast by the Slovak TV station "Lux TV", and can be viewed live, in streaming, on the website: www.tituszeman.sk
Friday, September 29
19:30 - Interviews with various guests from St. Martin's Cathedral, Bratislava;
20:00 - Prayer Vigil in St. Martin's Cathedral. Presiding: the Archbishop of Bratislava, Msgr. Stanislav Zvolensky;
Saturday 30 September
9:30 - Interviews with various guests outside the Church of the Holy Family, Bratislava;
10:30 - Holy Mass with the rite of beatification, chaired by Cardinal Amato. Main Concelebrants: Fr Á.F. Artime, Msgr. Zvolensky, Cardinal Tomko, and Msgr. Giacomo Guido Ottonello, Apostolic Nuncio in Slovakia;
15:45 - Guest Interview, Bratislava, HANT Aréna;
16:00 - Festive ceremony after the beatification of Fr Titus Zeman: "I crossed the border", Bratislava, HANT Aréna, with the intervention of the Rector Major;
Sunday 1 October
10:15 - Interviews with various guests in front of the church of Maria Addolorata in Vajnory, the birthplace of Fr Zeman;
10:30 - Thanksgiving Mass for Beatification in Vajnory, presided over by Msgr. Zvolensky, with the homily of Fr Á.F. Artime;
Further information is also available at www.tituszeman.sk
