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"Frequently Asked Questions about the Medjugorje Apparitions" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I heard that one of the visionaries was dictated Our Lady's life. Is it available? In the late 1980's Our Lady dictated her life to the visionary Vicka. The work is contained in two hand written notebooks, and will be published when Our Lady tells Vicka it is time. This work will be available in many medias. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- How many of the visionaries still see Our Lady? At this time (July 2006), Ivan, Vicka, and Marija have each received 9 secrets and still receive daily apparitions from Our Lady. Ivanka, Mirjana and Jakov have received all 10 secrets and will see Our Lady once per year for the rest of their lives. Ivanka on the anniversary of the apparitions (June 25), Jakov on Christmas, and Mirjana on her birthday (March 18). Mirjana also receives a special apparition or locution from Our Lady on the 2nd of each month for the express purpose of praying for unbelievers. Our Lady defines unbelievers as those who have not yet experienced God's love. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What does Our Lady look like? We offer an extensive description of Our Lady as given by the visionaries on our site. Click Here. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What are contained in the "secrets" that Our Lady has given the visionaries? We know very little about the secrets of Medjugorje. First, Our has Lady allowed the third secret to be known, which is: There will a permanent, indestructable, supernatural sign left at the place of Our Lady's first apparition in Medjugorje on the hill Podbrdo at the conclusion of the apparitions. Second, we know that an evil that faced the world, which was contained in the 7th secret was eliminated due to prayer and fasting. And lastly, we know that the 9th and 10th secrets are chastisements for the sins of the world. They can not be eliminated as the 7th secret but can be lessened by our prayers and fasting. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Why didn't any of the visionaries become priests or nuns? Our Lady told the visionaries in the early days that she would like them to become priests and nuns but told them that they had complete free will to choose. Our Lady asked that they strive to be a good example in whatever vocation they chose. Ivanka was the first to decide that her calling was marriage, and asked for Our Lady's blessing. Our Lady gave Ivanka her blessing, and added that she had chosen a harder path for her life than being a nun would have required. I know Marija, Vicka, and Ivan all seriously considered a religious vocation, but after much prayer, discerned that their vocation was married life. We should not consider the decision to be parents and to bring life into the world a less important or holy vocation than a religious vocation. A very interesting interview was given by Vicka on this subject: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What is fasting? How do you fast? What did Our Lady ask in Medjugorje? In the Old Testament and in the New Testament, there are many examples of fasting. Jesus fasted frequently. According to Tradition, fasting is encouraged especially in times of great temptation or severe trials. Certain devils, "can be cast out in no other way except by prayer and fasting", said Jesus. (Mark 9:29) Fasting is essential in order to achieve spiritual freedom. Through fasting, one is better able to listen to God and man and to perceive them more clearly. If, through fasting, we achieve that freedom, we will be more aware of many things. Once we are aware that we can enjoy the necessities of life without struggle, then many fears and worries fade away. We become more open to our families and to the people with whom we live and work. Our Lady recommends fasting twice a week: "Fast strictly on Wednesdays and Fridays." (August 14, 1984) "The best fast is on bread and water. Through fasting and prayer one can stop wars, one can suspend the natural laws of nature. Works of charity cannot replace fasting... Everyone except the sick, has to fast." (July 21, 1982) Fasting takes personal discipline. Start slow, and work your way up to bread and water only. Fasting means that we give up something that we like and offer that sacrifice to God. One can give up sweets, coffee, cigarettes, alcohol, television, etc. But, Our Lady stresses that the best and most powerful fast is on bread and water for a 24 hour period from midnight to midnight. Great graces come from fasting and it can help with situations in your life that seem hopeless. Fr. Slavko always used to be asked how much bread and water one should eat and drink on fast days. His answer was very simple, "as much as you need". The amount and frequency are not really important, but rather our intention to fast out of love for God. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What is the message or purpose of Medjugorje? The message of Medjugorje is a call to Conversion, conversion back to God. Our Lady gives us five Stones or Weapons (prayer, fasting, confession, the bible, and the Eucharist), which we can use to overcome the power and influence of evil and sin in our lives. This is the "Message of Medjugorje". Our Lady's purpose for coming to earth is to guide each one of us back to her Son Jesus. She does this by leading us step by step toward a life of holiness through the hundreds of messages she has given to the world through the visionaries in Medjugorje. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I heard about a special blessing Our Lady has given in Medjugorje? This is a difficult question, and there is controversy regarding this reported special blessing. This issue stems from a reported apparition that Marija received while in the United States in 1989. I might catch some flack for this statement, but the group responsible for reporting this message has been known to sensationalize information. There is no official acknowlegement by the parish of Medjugorje that this message is correct, and actually their stance is that it is incorrect. We do know that Our Lady offers a special motherly blessing to anyone present for an apparition. The difficulty starts when people claim that this blessing can be passed on by them to other people. The concern is mainly from a theological standpoint that lay people should not be going around blessing other people. As a compromise I would suggest that anyone convinced that Our Lady gave this special blessing and wants it to be passed on do it in the following way: "I ask Our Lady to send you her special blessing in Medjugorje" rather than saying "I bless or I give you Our Lady's special blessing from Medjugorje". -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Isn't praying the rosary just mindlessly repeating prayers over and over again? The rosary is one of the most powerful weapons we have against satan, and Our Lady promises many graces to those who pray it. Praying the rosary is not repetitiously repeating prayers over and over again. There are now twenty "mysteries" of the rosary, which we meditate upon while reciting the prayers of the rosary. Eighteen of these mysteries are taken directly from the bible and constitute three periods of Jesus life (birth, ministry, death, and resurrection). The last two mysteries are dogmatic and are truths of our Catholic faith. There is no greater way to gain knowledge and be drawn into a deeper understanding of Jesus' life than praying the rosary, since it is scriptural. I can't say enough about the incredible graces that come as a result of praying the rosary. Our Lady asks that we pray all 20 decades every day, and asks that every family pray 5 decades of the rosary as a family together as well as reading a small passage of the bible every day. Please also see our page: "How to Pray the Rosary" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Is Medjugorje just for Catholics? Absolutely Not! Medjugorje is not just for Catholics. God loves all His people. Many people who come on our trips are not Catholic and come from many different faiths and religions throughout the world. What is most important is that we change our lives to put God in the first place. Although a good percentage of those of other faiths that visit Medjugorje do convert to Catholicism, it is only because of what they see in the Catholic faith. The Catholic Church is the original Church founded at the time of Jesus. Through the Eucharist, and the rest of the Sacraments of the Church, the most is given to Catholics and the most is also required. If you have questions about the Catholic faith please do some research. There are many good books which will help you understand the incredible richness of the Catholic faith. Many of these books can be found on the following web site at: http://www.medjugorje.org/books.htm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- How do we know the visionaries aren't making these apparitions up? There have been two major scientific studies done on the visonaries since the apparitions began in Medjugorje on June 25, 1981 by the best scientists in the world. The most recent of which was in 1998. Both drew the same conclusions, which are that the visionaries are healthy mentally and physically, they are not hallucinating, are not lying, and are definitely experiencing something that is beyond our scientific understanding that is unexplainable. It is also interesting to note that during the experiments, one of the things being monitored was brain activity. Most of us are able to use around 15% of our brain during normal activities. It is facinating to note that at the moment when Our Lady appears, the visionaries brain activity jumps to 100% and stays at this level until Our Lady leaves. As a personal testimony, by Steve Shawl of the Medjugorje Web "Having visited Medjugorje almost 80 times over the last 11 years, and personally knowing most of the visionaries, I can say that in my opinion, and without any doubt, the apparitions are authentic. I also want to shift the focus to the "Fruits of Medjugorje". As scripture says: "You will know them by their fruits". There are thousands of documented physical healings and literally countless spiritual healings and conversions that have taken place in Medjugorje over the last 25 years. Please refer to the following documents for the published results of the studies done on the visionaries. 1993 Study | 1998 Study" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Why believe in Medjugorje if the Church hasn't approved it yet? It is important to first understand that the Church will not continue its investigation of Medjugorje until the apparitions of Our Lady are complete. But the last official statement by the commission of bishops set up to investigate Medjugorje declared in 1993: "We bishops, after a three-year-long commission study accept Medjugorje as a holy place, as a shrine. This means that we have nothing against it if someone venerates the Mother of God in a manner also in agreement with the teaching and belief of the Church... Therefore, we are leaving that to further study. The Church does not hurry." (Glas Koncila, August 15, 1993). We can also consider the words of Pope Urban VIII: His Holiness, Pope Urban VIII stated: "In cases which concern private revelations, it is better to believe than not to believe, for, if you believe, and it is proven true, you will be happy that you have believed, because our Holy Mother asked it. If you believe, and it should be proven false, you will receive all blessings as if it had been true, because you believed it to be true."(Pope Urban VIII, 1623-44) Our Lady has repeated over and over in Medjugorje that we are living in a time of grace, and anyone who opens their hearts to Our Lady and Jesus in these times will receive special graces to resist and defeat the evils and temptations of our world. While it is true that believing in any Marian apparition is not required as part of our faith, and is considered private revelation, passing up the incredible graces offered through these apparitions of the Mother of God is not something to be taken lightly. I have seen many Catholics who live a very faithful life and who obey all the rules of the Church that are completely changed as a result of visiting Medjugorje. Their lives are dramatically brought into a much deeper love of Jesus, Our Lady, and the Sacraments of the Church. The Holy Mass takes on a new intensity and they have a greater desire to pray, attend Eucharistic Adoration, and go to Mass more than just on Sundays. Again, it is likely that the Church will not continue its investigation into Medjugorje until the apparitions of Our Lady there cease. Refusing to believe until Medjugorje is approved by the Church means passing up the incredible graces that are now being offered there to every single person on earth. Please also refer to: Private Revelation and Apparitions, Visions and Revelations -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jesus is our Savior, why give Our Lady all this attention? This is actually more of a Catholic Faith question than a Medjugorje question but I will try to give a simple answer. This could be a very long discussion but I think sticking to the simplistic reality of Our Lady's role in the Church is enough. Some other faiths contend that Catholics worship Mary, or at the very least, give too much attention to Mary. If one excludes Mary, the mother of God, from their faith, then they are making a great mistake. The Catholic Faith believes that Our Lady is mediatrix of all graces and her role has always been to lead people to her Son Jesus. It is a fact that for the first 1500 years after the start of Christianity, Mary was very deeply revered and respected. The loss of this devotion among Christians has occurred primarily since the Reformation period (1500's), which is somewhat ironic since Martin Luther, himself, had a special devotion to Mary. In scripture we find that Mary prophesied herself, "All ages to come shall call me blessed." Mary is a special instrument in God's plan. While she is not to be worshipped, she is "blessed," and she deserves great respect for the role she played in our salvation by being the human tabernacle of Christ. She is a great model for all of us to follow. (This paragraph taken from http://www-cs-students.stanford.edu/~marco/medjugorje/ ) Our Lady's message in Medjugorje supports her role in the Church, and coincidentally is virtually the same message proclaimed by John the Baptist. Just as John's message, Our Lady points the way to her Son Jesus, and implores us to "repent", to change our lives to lives with God as our focus and core. It is interesting that Our Lady's first appearance in Medjugorje was on June 24, 1981, the feast of John the Baptist. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Belief in apparitions is not required as part of our faith so why bother? It is true that apparitions fall under a category called "private revelation", which is not required for us to believe in as part of the Catholic Faith. So La Salette, Lourdes, Fatima, Medjugorje, etc. are all considered private revelation. But, many incredible graces come to those who believe and follow these private revelations. We have all heard stories of dramatic healings of mind, body, and spirit in all of these major Marian apparition sites. Medjugorje is no exception, and I have personally witnessed many incredible miracles that have come about as a result of the special graces given in Medjugorje. Our Lady has said many times in Medjugorje that we are living in "A Time of Grace". Our Lady asks us to take advantage of this grace to change our lives back to lives that will lead us to heaven rather than eternal damnation. As much as modern theologians and preachers of many denominations try to white wash this reality, there are only two places we can ultimately go, heaven or hell. Satan has done a very good job at making people believe he does not exist. We must put on the "Full armor of God" as St. Paul says if we are to survive satans attacks. It is incredible to imagine that Jesus loves us so much that He has sent His mother to earth as early as the 1300's to warn us, and implore us to change. Historically we have done a poor job of listening and responding. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I already believe in God and am a good person. Why do I need Medjugorje? Most of the answer exists in the previous question, but I would have to ask anyone who has this attitude to truly look at their lives. I doubt anyone who is honest with themselves, including the greatest saints, would ever dare to say that they did not have room for improvement. All would agree that they could have lived their lives better and more perfectly. Our time on earth is a great opportunity to do good. It is a great opportunity to earn merit. Once we die, this opportunity is gone. The graces offered to everyone who asks with an open heart in Medjugorje, will change their life. The graces will strengthen you in your faith, and bring you to a closer relationship with Jesus and His Blessed Mother. There is no refuting this. It is simple truth. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I heard the Church has condemned Medjugorje. Is this true? A big NO!!! This is one of the most frequent questions/accusations I receive. It is simply not true. The Holy See has affirmed its position a number of times over the years. I think it is best if I start from the beginning and briefly give you a rundown of the facts. Let me first say that the Holy See, former Pope John Paul II, and Pope Benedict XVI have kept, and are keeping, a close watch on the messages of Medjugorje over the last 25 years. They have not found anything that contradicts scripture or the Church. If they had, Medjugorje would have been condemned years ago. Our Lady's message in Medjugorje calls us to: Daily prayer of the rosary, monthly Confession, daily reading of Scripture, fasting on Wednedays and Fridays on bread and water, and attending Holy Mass as often as possible. This is a simple message meant to help us in the lifelong process of conversion. Bishop Pavao Žanic originally visited Medjugorje five times in the first two months of the apparitions in 1981 and performed a thorough investigation. Afterwards he came only to confer the sacrament of Confirmations to the faithful. In front of over 3000 people at Holy Mass, he declared: "I am deeply convinced that no child who says that they have seen Our Lady, has been talked into doing so. If we were speaking about one child only, one might say he could be stubborn and that not even the police could make the child renounce what he said. But six innocent, simple children in the space of half an hour, would, if they were pushed, admit all. None of the priests, I guarantee, had any idea of putting the children up to something.... I am also convinced that the children are not lying. The children are only speaking out what's in their hearts... It is certain: the children are not lying". (From a sermon given on the feast of St. James, the patron saint of Medjugorje, on the 25th of July 1981) In "Glas Koncila", the Croatian national catholic newspaper, 16th of August 1981, he stated; "It is definite that the children were not incited by anyone, and especially not by the church, to lie." It is unclear why in the months to follow that Bishop Zanic changed his mind. Some say it was due to threats and pressure by the Communist government of imprisonment of both Fr. Jozo and the Bishop if the apparitions did not cease. We all know that Fr. Jozo served 18 months of harsh inprisonment for refusing to denounce Medjugorje. Others say that a reported comment from Our Lady regarding a wrong judgement the Bishop had made with a Franciscan priest infuriated the Bishop. But regardless the ultimate outcome was that the Bishop turned against Medjugorje. Then in 1984, a commission of 14 people was formed by Bishop Zanic that consisted mainly of members that had already declared themselves to be against the alleged events. They made two statements which basicly said that they agreed with the Holy See that a decision should not be rushed. Then in 1987 Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger entrusted the investigation into the hands of the Yugoslavian bishops' conference. After three years of study the former Bishops' Conference of Yugoslavia on April 10, 1991 published their declaration in which among other things it states: "On the basis of investigations up till now it cannot be established that one is dealing with supernatural apparitions and revelations." This statement does not mean that it has been proven that no supernatural basis exists, but only that it is not yet established or proven. This means the matter is open to further investigation. This finding was really a compromise between the position of Bishop Zanic and the good fruits, which the events of Medjugorje were producing. The commission for pastoral life in the parish of Medjugorje decided to meet again on June 27, 1991. However, one day before, Serbia attacked Slovenia and the war broke out that put the last nails in the corpse that was called Yugoslavia. With the dissolution of the state of Yugoslavia, the Bishops Conference of Yugoslavia was also dissolved. After the commission findings were made public in 1991, Pope John Paul II retired Bishop Zanic of his duties and handed over the responsibility to investigate and render a final decision on Medjugorje to a hand picked commission of Bishops. It is the current belief that this commission will not issue a final decision or continue its investigation until the apparitions have ceased. But of great importance is the last statement that they rendered in 1993 which states: "We bishops, after a three-year-long commission study accept Medjugorje as a holy place, as a shrine. This means that we have nothing against it if someone venerates the Mother of God in a manner also in agreement with the teaching and belief of the Church. . . Therefore, we are leaving that to further study. The Church does not hurry." (Glas Koncila, August 15, 1993). The replacement for Bishop Zanic was Bishop Ratko Peric. Bishop Ratko worked closely with Bishop Zanic for years, and it was no surprise that he held, and still holds the same negative opinion of Medjugorje. Bishop Ratko is reported to have never investigated Medjugorje, never spoken with or interviewed the visionaries, and visits Medjugorje only rarely for Confirmations and official functions. The important issue is that Bishop Ratko Peric does not have authority over the final decision on Medjugorje. This responsibility still rests with the commission of Bishops. The local Bishop's negative comments about Medjugorje were addressed directly in 1998 by the Holy See in a letter to his Excellency Mons. Gilbert Aubry, Bishop of Saint-Denis de la Reunion. The letter states that Bishop Peric's position on Medjugorje is his personal opinion, which he is entitled to as local Bishop, but remains his personal opinion. The URL for this letter is Newletter.htm Lastly is Pope John Paul II himself. Our beloved former Pope was very much a supporter of Medjugorje (although unofficially, which he had to be until Medjugorje was approved). Please take a look at our document Pope John Paul II's Comments, which list numerous quotes as reported by priests, bishops and cardinals over the years. Most recently, in August 2002, Pope John Paul II wrote a personal note to Fr. Jozo Zovko thanking him for his ministry, and giving him his blessing. Fr. Jozo Letter. Pope Benedict has not made any verified statements that we are aware of regarding Medjugorje. The Holy See has also stated and confirmed on numerous occasions over the years that traveling to Medjugorje is permitted. The only restriction is a pilgrimage can not be organized by the Church (which would indicate authentication by the Church). It is perfectly ok for priests, bishops, and cardinals to travel to Medjugorje alone or with groups. And to date almost 500,000 priests, bishops, and cardinals have visited Medjugorje. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I heard the local bishop is against Medjugorje. True! It is important to first state that the priests serving in Medjugorje are appointed by the bishop and that they are all under obedience. With that said, the replacement for Bishop Zanic, who was in power at the time the apparitions began, was Bishop Ratko Peric. Bishop Ratko worked closely with Bishop Zanic for years, and it was no surprise that he held, and still holds, the same negative opinion of Medjugorje. In a conversation that Fr. John Chisholm had with Bishop Ratko Peric, Fr. John asked the bishop if he believed in Lourdes. The bishop slammed his fist on the table and yelled "NO". Fr. John asked the bishop if he believed in Fatima, and received the same answer. With this information, it would seem unlikely that the bishop would believe in Our Lady's apparitions in his own diocese. The Bishop is reported to have never investigated Medjugorje, never spoken with or interviewed the visionaries, and visits Medjugorje only rarely for Confirmations and official functions. But with this said, the important issue is that Bishop Ratko Peric does not have authority over the Churchs decision on Medjugorje. In a recent interview the bishop acknowledged this fact when he said: "while recognizing the Holy Father's right to give a final decision" on the validity of the reported apparitions... This responsibility still rests with the commission of Bishops. The local Bishop's negative comments about Medjugorje were addressed directly in 1998 by the Holy See in a letter to his Excellency Mons. Gilbert Aubry, Bishop of Saint-Denis de la Reunion. The letter states that Bishop Peric's position on Medjugorje is his personal opinion, which he is entitled to as local Bishop, but remains his personal opinion. The URL for this letter is Newletter.htm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I heard the Pope is against Medjugorje. False! Pope John Paul II was very much a supporter of Medjugorje (although unofficially, which he had to be because Medjugorje was not yet approved). Please take a look at our document Pope John Paul II's Comments, which list numerous quotes as reported by priests, bishops and cardinals over the years. Most recently, in August 2002, Pope John Paul II wrote a personal note to Fr. Jozo Zovko thanking him for his ministry, and giving him his blessing. Fr. Jozo Letter. Pope Benedict has not made any verified statements that we are aware of regarding Medjugorje. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- One one of the messages said that all faiths are equal. Isn't this against the Catholic Church's beliefs? There was a question asked of Our Lady in October 1981 which was: Are all religions the same? Our Lady answered: "Members of all faiths are equal before God. God rules over each faith just like a sovereign over his kingdom. In the world, all religions are not the same because all people have not complied with the commandments of God. They reject and disparage them." The difficulty that some Catholics have had with this answer is based on the belief that the only salvation is within the Catholic Church. But the Catholic Church does not believe this. In fact, Vatican II in its Dogmatic Constitution on the Church "Lumen Genitum" says this: "Those also can attain to salvation who through no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of Christ or His Church, yet sincerely seek God, and moved by grace strive by their deeds to do His will as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience. Nor does Divine Providence deny the helps necessary for salvation to those who, without blame on their part, have not yet arrived at an explicit knowledge of God and with His grace strive to live a good life." It is a great privilage to be Catholic and I love my faith. I share my faith through my actions and words whenever possible. But as Matthew 7 says "Judge not, that you may not be judged". It is not up to us to decide who goes to Heaven and who does not by their faith. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I heard that the apparitions in Medjugorje are the work of satan. My favorite comeback to this is one I heard many years ago from one of the local guides, and it is: "Then satan has converted!". Scripture tells us that you will know by their fruits. And the fruits of Medjugorje are amazing. Over 30 million people have visited Medjugorje since the apparitions began in 1981. I have personally witnessed countless dramatic healings of mind, body, and spirit there over the years. I have been in a parish office in Medjugorje where there are volumes of medically documented healings. I have seen countless conversions to a deeper Catholic Faith, conversions to the Catholic Faith, or simply conversions back to God. Take a look at who is involved with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at church, who is involved with prayer groups, attends daily Mass, is on fire with their faith. It is many times someone who has been to Medjugorje. This new breath of life is the grace that is extended to everyone who asks. Our Lady has repeatedly said that "This is a time of grace." We must take advantage of it! The message of Our Lady in Medjugorje is pray every day, fast on bread and water on Wednesdays and Fridays, read the bible every day, go to monthly confession, and attend Holy Mass as often as possible. How could one conclude that this is the work of satan? One can refer to Scripture once again when we look at Matthew 12:24: "But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, "This man drives out demons only by the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons." But he knew what they were thinking and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste, and no town or house divided against itself will stand. And if Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself; how, then, will his kingdom stand?" Enough said??? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I heard all the taxi drivers in Medjugorje drive Mercedes cars. Is this true? It is true! Most are 20+ years old, and sell for £500-£800. For those of us who have ridden in these gems they are anything but luxurious! You have to realize that a Mercedes in Europe is not a status symbol like it is in the US. A Mercedes is like a Chevrolet. I can't imagine someone saying, "hey look at that guy, he is driving a Lumina!". The Bosnia and Hercegovina government also waved all import taxes on a car for men who served in the army during the war. This makes the cost of a car, including a new Mercedes, less than half what it is in the US. All I have to do is figure out how to get one home. Just kidding! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I heard one of the visionaries said that Our Lady would only appear for a few days? This is another popular argument against Medjugorje. One must understand that the visionaries grew up in a very poor and sheltered communist governed village of 95 families. They knew nothing of apparitions. They had never heard of La Sallette, Lourdes, Fatima, etc. When the apparitions began visitors began speaking to the visionaries about these other apparitions. From what they heard from these visitors they assumed that Our Lady would appear for the same short length of time. This was merely an assumption and proved incorrect. The important point here is that Our Lady did not say she would only appear for a short time. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I heard the visionaries are rich, live in big houses, and make money from the apparitions. Not true. The visionaries live in homes that are the size of an average American house. But the difference is they live in a small portion of the house and dedicate most of the square footage to accomodating pilgrims. This is the norm in Medjugorje. This is the way the visionaries survive. They do not charge money to speak about Medjugorje. They dedicate their lives to spreading the message. It is a full time job. They must be able to feed and cloth their children just as we all do. They work hard to cook and clean for the pilgrims that stay with them. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I heard that Medjugorje is nothing more than a money making scheme. Not true. As with anything, or any place, there will be dishonest people who prey on the innocent. But they are fewer and almost non existant in Medjugorje. The overwhelming majority of people in Medjugorje charge very little for what they do or for what they sell. The people there live simply, and never take advantage of anyone. I have seen shop keepers running down the street after someone who paid too much. I have seen wallets returned to our pilgrims full of money by taxi drivers. I think the best way to sum it up is to say that it is the most honest place to visit that I have ever been. I have never been cheated, and actually quite the opposite. People are always giving you something extra, and with a smile. The local people there work to supply visiting pilgrims with what they want in the way of food, clothing, rosaries, statues, etc. They work to make their stay more comfortable. There is certainly nothing wrong with that. |
| Medjugorjepilgrim.com |
| FAQ`S about Our Ladys Apparitions in Medjugorje....... Fr Jozo Zovko meets Pope John Paul II |
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| Our Lady`s Apparitions in Medjugorje Steve Shawl - medjugorje web |
| Visionary Vicka |
| Front view of St James Church Medjugorje |
When the children first started to speak of the apparitions, Father Jozo was doubtful that it was more than the excited imaginations of the young. Still, talk of the apparitions was dangerous in an area of Communist oppression. He was torn between trying to keep his parish and the suddenly arriving pilgrims calm and centered and taking care of their spiritual needs and making sense out of the stories of the apparitions.. if indeed they had occurred. It wasn't long before he was convinced that the children were seeing the Gospa and that something wonderful was happening to his St. James parish that would soon affect the world through the Gospa's messages given there. Towards the end of July, 1981, while Father Jozo was praying inside of St. James, he heard a male voice tell him: "Go outside and protect the children.". Upon opening the door of the church, he found all six visionaries, Ivanka, Ivan, Jakov, Marija, Mirjana and Vicka frightened of the police and begging for help. He gave them sanctuary in the rectory. After refusing the order to close St. James, Father Jozo Zovko was arrested on August 17, 1981.. barely two months after the first apparition. He was tried and convicted on charges of subversion against the (Communist) state. He was sentenced to three and a half years hard labor. Despite the many cruel and horrendous tortures he endured while imprisoned, his faith remained strong and grew. Unable to cope with such devoutness in the face of their extensive cruelty as well as the increasing political pressure against his imprisonment, the Communists released Father Jozo after 18 months on the condition he never return to St. James as pastor. Father Jozo now travels through the world and speaks of the Gospa's messages. He speaks of the immeasurable love of Jesus and he asks us all to respond to the call with all of our hearts. And he teaches these very things by his words and his example. One project that is very close to Father Jozo's heart is taking care of the many children who became orphans through the Bosnian War. He has established the non-profit "International Godparenthood for the Herceg Bosnian Child." and all fees from his speaking engagements go to help the orphans. Father Jozo Zovko O.F.M. is also author of the book "as she asks" with Geraldine Hemmings and Carrie Swearingen. Below are excerpts of a speech Father Jozo gave to the pilgrims visiting Medjugorje on October 4, 1998, the day after the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. In the interest of keeping the flavor and the intent intact, there has been no editing of the vocabulary or syntax changed as Father Jozo's comments were translated into English as he spoke. I am overjoyed that I am able to greet you and I thank you for having responded to the call. The call of Our Lady, the Queen of Peace. . Thankful that it was not too far for you to come. Thank you for not being afraid that your plane would not crash into the ocean. Yesterday was the feast day of a great man.. You see how he stands in our midst. Our brother, our interceptor, St. Francis. He, after inspiring us for 8 centuries.. inspiring the young and the old the sick and the healthy and when he felt that his generation was destroying everything. When even in our generation we are destroying our nature, it has come to mind to consecrate and dedicate everything to him. And this our hope. A desire to have a great dialog amongst religions and his, too. The Holy Father came to the tomb of this great man, this little brother Francis, to start this great dialog amongst religions. And it is a great state, a monumental state when all people from various religions, various parts of the world came and prayed at his tomb together. He is the man who left behind his sword and his sheath and he took the crop. Here is a man who left his precious horse and replaced him with bare feet and sandals. Here is the man who exchanged his very precious garments all decorated with real gold and even fur and instead has taken on poverty. This is what we dont know how to do. This is what I can not do and I dont know how to do. And this man that stands before me in inspirations saying to me: "You also can." And I'm deeply convinced that I can. And each time I think of him.. when I look at him, when I meet him in my heart, he tells me: "Do not be afraid, you can do likewise." I'm so glad that you came on this precious saint's feast day. After today, I am certain you will love him more, you will respect him more. St. Francis as a young man was always in tears. A man filled with the greatest joy, always wiping away tears. And his brothers asked him.. why are you crying? Why are you always crying? You look at the cross and you cry. You teach an assignment and you cry. You see the sign as you cross the road and you cry and you wipe away your tears. Why are you crying? And St. Francis responded and said: "Because I don't love. I don't know how to love. It is my desire that I learn how to love. And then he turned to his brothers and said: "My brothers look.. as he pointed to Jesus saying .. Love is not love. I desire to learn how to love." Eight centuries later in Medjugorje, Our Lady speaks to us and says: "Dear children. How is it that you dont know how to love Jesus? How is it that you dont know how to love his cross and his wounds? Look at his wounds. Looks at the cross and learn how to love." And what we do we learn when we look at the cross. We learn so much. We learn most that we can learn.. we gain the greatest lessons of love. Before the cross we learn how to love. And love means to give our life for others. I live live for others. Yes, I can learn to live for others. And it is a continual event to do more. To be more an image of Jesus. In the last message Our Lady says to us: "Dear children. I desire to call you to live the faith of your fathers. To return to the faith of your fathers." Yesterday you were in Split. Why? That you may learn together with the Holy Father the faith of a nation.. of the church. In that city where many of you were yesterday with the Holy Father, the oldest known cathedral today is there. An older cathedral does not exist. The persecutor of the church 1100 years ago made himself a most beautiful tomb, like a Roman Emperor on the site. And he wanted to die in the most beautiful city of his kingdom. And then thats why he has placed his castle on the edge of the ocean. He built on the land his tomb. But he was talked into murdering the bishop who was found in the vicinity of that village. There, where the Holy Father was with the young yesterday afternoon. And he was the one who was talked into persecuting the followers of Christ. And the Roman Emperor became an executor and a murder. And he died. And it is in his tomb that the Christians brought their martyr, their saint, their bishop. In the mean time freedom came. And the successor of the Emperor said: "No Christians are allowed to be persecuted by decree." And in the mausoleum that the king had built for himself, the Christians placed their bishop. And to the living bishop at the time they built everything next to their cathedral. And thats why Our father came to celebrate the great strength of faith of martyrdom in this city. But, the city does celebrate 1700 years of its diocese of its city . That is the faith of your father who was prepared to die for Jesus. Today, you are in relatively desolate area. For us, who are born here, it is beautiful. For example we have other Brother Eustive here.. and he's been a priest for 33 years and he lives in the diocese in the US. And although he no longer lives here, he's always happy to return here. Because it the love of this beautiful place always remains. And for those that loves this place, it is never desolate, it is never a desert but, it is always home. And for you it will become that place. And do you know why? Because this place was consecrated to Our Lady. 150 years ago it was consecrated to her. The church was built at that time. 50 years ago when the communists came, when the church was celebrating its 100th anniversary of the monastery. It was the communists that came and said there was no more God. And when they came they found 30 Franciscans. 30 professors of the adjacent seminary. And they told them there was no more God. That their church was dead. And there was no more church and no more pope and that there was no more need for that. They told them that their life was superficial. They told the Franciscans to remove their habits. To leave their faith and go into the world. But, they could not. and they said: "No, we can not leave." When the enemy recognized that the Franciscans were so full of faith and conviction, an enraged soldier took the crucifix from the wall and threw it at the feet of the Franciscans. Present were the children who were in the school of students they were teaching. And it was before those children, the communists said to the Franciscans: "Now you may choose. Life or Death." Each one of them chose Jesus. So warmly they embraced Him! They kissed Him. And the confessed the great one thing. And they said: "You are my Father and my everything. You are everything and I am nothing." One by one they were taken outside and thrown into the flames. But, some they went knowing full well where they were going. They went with blessings. And the enemies that are alive today, witnesses say.. "As we were persecuting them, they were praying for us. As we cursed them, they rejoiced and celebrated God and they sang." What a great step that was. Being thrown into flames. This is the faith of the your Fathers. This is the faith of your fathers. In the last message Our Lady says to return the faith of our fathers. This is the time to live according to the faith of our fathers. Yes, you are on a journey. And we must be careful that the same might not happen to your faith that happened to technology. What happened? The plows that were pulled by the horses are replaced by the great and powerful tractors in the fields. The slow ships are being replaced by power ships. And the trip from America that would have taken you months to travel the ocean now only takes 12 hours. Before to hear news from another continent took a long time. But, now simultaneously we are able to see the transmissions from around the world. |
| Father Jozo Zovko O.F.M. |
Saturday Evening, August 24, 2002 Zagreb Daily Newspaper, "The Vercernji List" Headline Reads: "A Surprising Gesture From the Vatican. The Pope Thanks Father Jozo for Medjugorje!" The cover photo was taken when the Holy Father welcomed Fr. Jozo in 1992, in the midst of the Bosnian war. At that time the Pope told him: "I am with you, protect Medjugorje! Protect Our Lady's messages!" Web site for "The Vercernji List" http://www.vecernji-list.hr -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The article in the paper shows Fr. Jozo at his desk, reading the Pope's letter, with a a caption to the left of the picture: "The Pope has signed a thank you note to Fr. Jozo Zovko." A translation of the article from Croatian reads: Siroki Brijeg - The world renowned Franciscan, Fr. Jozo Zovko, was more than surprised when yesterday Polish pilgrims came to thank him for twenty-one years of testifying to the Medjugorje apparitions, and especially when they handed him a thank you note personally signed by the shaky hand of their best known compatriate, John Paul II. Actually, after coming back from Poland the Pope wrote from the Vatican to personally thank and send his apostolic blessing to Fr. Jozo Zovko. 'Our Poland is grateful for your every word, for every thing that you have done for us', said the Pope's collaborator, Krystyna Gregorezyk, who personally handed the thank you note to Fr. Jozo in the Siroki Brijeg church. 'So far I have received hundreds of gifts and thank you notes but none can compare with this one. I am most pleasantly surprised,' a visibly shakened Fr. Jozo said for our paper. Fr. Jozo Zovko is a member of the Hercegovinian Franciscan Province. As a witness to the Medjugorje apparitions, he has become one of the best known priests in the world. He is connected with many miraculous healings. According to a poll conducted by "The Daily Catholic", Fr. Jozo has been elected among twenty-nine Catholics of the century." (J.P.) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Original Text in Italian: " Imparto di cuore una particolare Benedizione Apostolica a Padre Yozo Zovko, o.f.m. ed invoco nuova effusione di grazie e favori celesti e la continua protezione della Beata Vergine Maria" Joannes Paulus II English Translation: "I grant from the heart a particular blessing to Father Jozo Zovko, o.f.m and I invoke a new outpouring of graces and heavenly favors, and the continuous protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary". Joannes Paulus II. |
| Fr Jozo Zovko meets Pope John Paul II |