During the war for Slovenian independence, Territorial Defence (TD) members set up a blockade at Malo Hudo near Ivančna Gorica to prepare for the arrival of the Yugoslav People's Army (YPA) armoured units from the direction of Novo mesto. Among the TD members at that time was also a priest, Jože Plut, who was approached by his fellow soldiers and asked to perform mass. The mass, which was held in a safe location in the forest on 4 July, was attended by all TD members, except those who were on duty. The TD members made a makeshift place of worship and a cross (now displayed in the Military Museum in Maribor Cadet School), and participated by reading scriptures and ministering. This event was the first mass for Slovenian troops following the end of the Second World War. The spiritual care during the war for Slovenia and the first mass are considered to be the beginning of the spiritual care of the members of the Slovenian Armed Forces.

The Mayor of Ivančna Gorica, Dušan Strnad, and the priest Jože Plut also gave a speech at the ceremony.

In his speech, the Prime Minister emphasised that 30 years ago a piece of Slovenian history was written not far from the place where today's event is being held. "There is a first time for everything, and the first Holy Mass immediately after gaining an independent and sovereign state and being forced to defend it has a multifaceted meaning," said the Prime Minister, adding that the speakers before him had already explained some of the layers of that event, while he spoke about things that we might have forgotten a little over the past 30 years.

"Slovenians have a turbulent history. In this history, we have never invaded anyone, we have never had a colony. We have inflicted the greatest evil on ourselves and we are still healing from these wounds," the Prime Minister said, adding that "the first Holy Mass was in the darkest of times when it was a matter of life and death, when in Slovenian parishes we were already burying the first victims, our comrades-in-arms: Edvard Peperko, Peter Petrič, Željko Ernoič, Jernej Molan and many others who died in uniform or were killed as civilians because the YPA also attacked civilian targets, destroying Gornja Radgona and firing rockets at the convoys of civilian vehicles on the road; in short, those who requested the Holy Mass knew in the depths of their hearts and souls that everything was at stake, that it was not only a question of whether the state that has been proclaimed would survive, but also of whether we would survive as a people, as citizens, that is as those without whom there is no state." According to the Prime Minister, the prayer had helped. "But the prayer did not only take place here. It took place in many Slovenian churches, in shelters, where people prayed to a background of air raid sirens, and this prayer was an expression of something that we have never tried to assess or put into words. At that time Slovenians took steps to wish well for ourselves, while not wishing ill on anyone else," the Prime Minister said, adding that what we did was an expression of good.

"If we compare what happened in Slovenia with what happened later in the territory of the country we were leaving, it is incomparable. Thanks to our good defence, we also had great military triumph, with the YPA down to practically a third of its operational capacity. We had more than 5,000 prisoners and defectors, nobody was treated badly, nobody was killed, they got civilian clothes, train tickets and were sent home. This word spread throughout the former joint state, and remember the scenes when the mothers of these soldiers rushed to the Assembly in Belgrade and demanded their sons come back," the Prime Minister recalled. "If we had acted differently, the reactions would have been different, and we would be talking about thousands of victims on both sides, and it would be hard to say that our decisive action at that time was something where we wished well for ourselves, no ill on others and good for all," the Prime Minister added.

According to him, Slovenia acted this way in the last 30 years, meaning that we sought to do good for themselves and also for others, even when the formal responsibility of caring for other nations, with whom we share our lives within the EU, was placed on our shoulders. "I believe such action is part of Slovenians' nature. Even our anthem, if we take a look at all the stanzas, speaks of this, and when Mitja Okorn brought to the screen this view of ourselves and others in his video featuring Prešeren's A Toast (Zdravljica), it is a language that everyone understands. This is more telling than thousands of words or dozens of books," stressed Janez Janša.

"They say that God remembered us specifically on two occasions. The first one was when, 30 years ago, we took action and, except from our compatriots abroad, received no support, and we had to secure this support through our own actions and by the fact that those who came here saw with their own eyes what was the truth and what was propaganda, and what was happening all over Slovenia at that time, including prayers in churches, in TD units, was something that came out of our being, our identity," explained the Prime Minister. He added that God also looked kindly on Slovenia when he was handing out natural beauties.

"When Slovenia was declared independent 30 years ago, the programme from its very beginning included the symbolic blessing of a Slovenian linden tree. When Archbishop Alojzij Šuštar said his blessing using carefully chosen words, someone intentionally turned off his microphone, which is why Slovenia did not hear this blessing and it was thus needed to be repeated in prayers in churches, by units defending Slovenia and by every person on their own. After 30 years we have somewhat corrected this error, and my sincere thanks go to Archbishop Stanislav Zore, who blessed Slovenia after 30 years in a way that everyone could hear him, that we are aware that this blessing is intended for all of us, irrespective of our political convictions, our views on the past and the future, our beliefs, that it is a blessing of something that we understand by the phrase 'good intentions'," said the Slovenian Prime Minister.

"As I walk around Slovenia and attend ceremonies like today's, it seems to me that there has never been anything like this in Slovenia in the past 30 years, that we have been aware of the Slovenia that was being formed at that time, that it has not been forgotten, that, including the fact that we finally heard the blessing, all these were signs that we are at the beginning of a rebirth, that on the 30th anniversary we have begun to realise that 30 years ago we took a step that has brought us to a state where we are masters of our own land, where we have issued our own judgement and that it is up to us, not others, to define how we will live in the future," stated Janez Janša. He added that, 30 years on, being more than ever aware of the shared values and the values of Slovenian independence, of what good intentions are, of what it means to want good for yourself and for others, to be open for others, is a beginning for new steps forward.

"In the days to come, when there will be more such ceremonies, let's do everything we can to ensure that this awareness reaches as many as people possible because on that basis it will be easier. We have to realise that we Slovenians have won our freedom and democracy on our own, no one has given us anything, we owe nothing to anyone, we can look everyone proudly in the eye and we can talk to everyone proudly and confidently," the Prime Minister emphasised, concluding his speech with the words: "God bless Slovenia!"

After the Mass and at the end of the commemoration, Prime Minister Janša and the Mayor of the Municipality of Ivančna Gorica, Dušan Strnad, unveiled the memorial commemorating the first mass for Slovenian soldiers, which was blessed by the Ljubljana Archbishop and Metropolitan of Ljubljana, Msgr Stanislav Zore.

The exhibition "The War for Slovenia 1991 – Truth Lies in Victory!" (Vojna za Slovenijo 1991 – Resnica je v zmagi!) by Boštjan Jakopec was also on display at the venue.