“We are thrilled by numerous pilgrims who go to confessions here”

There were many pilgrims who arrived to Medjugorje in May and among them we had chance to talk to few of them who arrived from Germany: Sr. Jency Naduvilaparmabil and Fr. Mathew Jacob Matatila, and to the group leader Marlis Deutsch. Sr. Jency and Fr. Mathew come from India, and for years they are serving in Germany.
Mr. Deutsch came to Medjugorje 25 years ago for the first time and ever since 1997, she has been organising pilgrimages to Medjugorje. She found interesting the fact that from the beginning, the ones who were signing up for pilgrimages were not Germans. At first, those were nuns and later even priests from India. She said how every pilgrimage was special in its own way, and she still remembers vividly her first pilgrimage to Medjugorje. That was a new experience that brought profound peace into her heart, it was the experience that became greater and more intensive and grew into a desire to accompany others to this special place.
Sr. Jency comes from a pious family in Kerala. Daily prayer and her education in the school that was ran by religious sisters, gave her spiritual vocation at the end. She came out of obedience to Germany 25 years ago, where she works as nurse in nursing homes. She heard about Medjugorje two years ago. She is a member of the Carmelite order and they are specially connected with Our Lady and thinks it was a great grace that she was able to come here, as the only one out of 29 nuns who were in her community. She was pleased to see so many people who come to pray and to seek for consolation. Sr. Jency decided to pray to the Queen of Peace, that all who are seeking for Jesus may come to Him through Her.
Fr. Mathew, who also comes from Kerala, has been in Germany for fifteen years now. He is also a member of the Carmelite order, and there are 130 priests in his community in Germany. He said how people in India do not possess many material goods, but attend Holy Mass in the great numbers. In Germany, unfortunately, it is the other way round, and only elderly people go to Holy Mass. He was thrilled to see so many young people in Medjugorje who go to Holy Mass as well as so many pilgrims who go to sacrament of reconciliation. He is hoping one day to bring a group of youth from his parish, so after the experience of Medjugorje, they could start something new.