President of the Republic receives carol singers
Ljubljana, 01/05/2007 | press release
Slovenian President Dr. Janez Drnovšek today received a group of carol singers from Mengeš, who presented to him the Three Kings project with the slogan “For a roof over your head, so a healthy life can be led” [
Za streho nad glavo, da življenje bo zdravo], under which the group is collecting funds to build social centres and accommodation for missionaries and local people in Zambia, Brazil and Ukraine.
From 26 December – the Feast of St. Stephen – right up to tomorrow’s Three Kings Day, or Epiphany, the Three Kings carolling campaign will be pursued in approximately two hundred Slovenian parishes. Organised by the Mission Centre, this custom is being revived for the 13th year in succession.
The most important task for the carol singers is to herald the glad tidings of the birth of Jesus, and on behalf of the parish to bring into homes the light of peace and joy as well as goodwill and a blessing for the coming year. Added to this is the goal of solidarity, since prosperity is unfairly distributed around the world, and every year the carol singers wish to draw attention to this. They therefore allocate the collected donations to a Slovenian missionary and support that missionary’s project.
Last year carol singers throughout Slovenia collected over 123,000 euros, and with these donations supported quite a few development projects by Slovenian missionaries for children in Malawi, Madagascar, Ivory Coast, Brazil, Zambia, Angola and French Guyana.
"We are therefore opening our hearts to the suffering of others, since although our donation seems small, for someone else it can be a huge gift. We are therefore sincerely grateful for every donation, which together with others might bring a brighter tomorrow for many children in the Third World," said the carol singers in concluding their address to President Drnovšek, whom they then wished a peaceful, successful and blessing-filled New Year on behalf of the Mission Centre and all missionaries.
The President of the Republic Dr Janez Drnovšek then addressed the carol singers:
"I am delighted that you stopped by, dear carol singers, you are reviving a fine tradition, and you bring a fine message. You have also brought with you something of the holiday spirit, something from Christmas to the Three Kings. It would be nice if this spirit could continue to be felt throughout the year and if people every day could feel some of this nobility, something of the goodness that you bring with you.
It is wonderful that you are collecting funds for children in the Third World, where they are suffering, where they are truly dying of hunger, and this contribution of yours is really very important, it is magnificent, and I hope that your action, together with the others that we have started and which we will be starting, will ultimately start changing the world, so that this world might be more just and so that no people, and especially no children, will die of hunger.
I wish all of you the most pleasant and kindness-filled coming year possible, with kindness that we will show to others and which others then will probably show to us. So that Slovenians will be as pleasant as possible to themselves and to others. Keep up your mission and be as successful as possible."