Međugorje – 163, June 26, 2001
"Dear
children! I am with you and I bless
you all with my motherly blessing. Especially today when God gives you
abundant graces, pray and seek God through me. God gives you great graces,
that is why, little children make good use of this time of grace and come
closer to my heart so that I can lead you to my Son Jesus. Thank
you for having responded to my call."
PRIESTHOOD
One
of the frequent themes treated in our time is the priesthood. In western Church,
the most frequent topic is the permanent lack of priests and the role of the
laity. In the countries of the Third World and in mission countries, two
questions attract attention: the joy of seeing more and more young people
embracing the priesthood, and the question of the sincerity of their motives.
One often speaks about the new type of priest needed for actual circumstances of
our times and of the Church. Some problems of priestly life are becoming more
and more often the topic of open discussions in the Church and in the world, as
well as the behaviour of certain priests, which scandalizes the Christian
community. When the question of priesthood arises, one mainly speaks about the
mission, the formation, the place and the role in the Church and about celibacy.
But there is one theme, the foundation for all, which is not treated: it is the
religious and the spiritual experience, as the foundation of the priestly
mission. If this experience is lacking, if it is not growing and developing, the
priest and the community to which he is sent are being deprived of the entire
announcing of the Gospel. Many priests I have met and I meet in Medjugorje do
not conceive their coming only as accompanying the pilgrims. They want to get
and to complete their religious experience. This is what attracts them every
year in growing numbers to the Priest Retreat around the Queen of Peace.
During
the month of May, 120.000 communions were distributed and 2747 priests
concelebrated Holy Mass in Medjugorje.
Pilgrims
were here from Belgium, Germany, Poland, Italy, France, Chile, Lebanon, Ireland,
England, Scotland, Austria, Australia, Canada, Korea, USA, The Czech Republic,
Slovakia, Hungary, Malta, Romania, Brazil, Switzerland, Holland, South Africa,
Argentina, Montenegro, Croatia and Bosnia-Hercegovina.
May
26 to 27, more than a hundred members of the community “Faith and Light”
from several Croatian cities came on a pilgrimage to Medjugorje, to pray, share
and celebrate their 30th anniversary. Dr. fra Ivan Sesar, parish
priest, received them in Medjugorje, and Ivan Dragićevć, visionary, spoke to
them about the messages of Our Lady.
The
community “Faith and Light” in Croatia is part of an international movement,
consisting of 1200 communities in 70 countries on all five continents. The
community brings together persons with a mental handicap, their families and
friends. It is the vocation of “Faith and Light” to help persons with a
mental handicap feel that they are not alone or useless.
The
Archbishop of Tripolis, and a Superior General of the Melkite Basilian Order of
Chueirites in pilgrimage to Medjugorje
May 28 to June 2,
2001, Mgr. Georges Riachi, Archbishop of Tripoli in Lebanon, was on pilgrimage
in Medjugorje with nine priests from his order, and Abbot Nicolas Hakim,
Superior General of the Melkite Basilian Order of Chueirites. They came with a
group of Lebanese pilgrims.
They ended their pilgrimage to the Queen of
Peace with a solemn Eucharistic celebration in Arabic and in Greek.
Mgr. Georges Riachi
told us about his impressions:
I
came to Medjugorje with a group of monks of my Chueirite order, who asked me to
accompany them. I told them, “Sure, I will come with you; it will be a
pleasure for me to visit the place where we have special signs from the Blessed
Mother of God!”
I am here for the
first time. I heard about Medjugorje long ago. When it started, I was in America,
and when I became Bishop of the Melkites in Australia, one of my priests in
Perth asked my permission to visit Medjugorje and I told him, “Go ahead”. He
came to Medjugorje and he was very pleased. He was very touched. In his church,
a prayer group prays the Rosary every day. There has been some change in his
life. When I was called back to Lebanon, the year before last, one of my priests
asked me to come to Medjugorje and I allowed him to do so. He was also very
touched, and he saw that, when he puts his hands on a person’s head, the
people are changing. So he asked me what he should do, and I replied, “Thank
the Lord God! It is a special grace!” A priest who came last year found that
he was tremendously helped to change his life. I, myself, came for my first
visit this year. I know that the Church has not yet given instructions and I
respect the Church in everything; but I feel that Medjugorje, in spite of what
some say, is a good place to come to visit, because you can come back to God,
you can make a good confession, you can come back to God through our Blessed
Mother, to be more and more what you are, with the help of the Church.
I know that there
has been a multitude of people coming from all over the world for almost 20
years now; this is, by itself, a miracle, a great thing. Here, people change.
They become more devoted to the Lord God and to His Mother, the Blessed Mary. It
is wonderful to see the faithful approach the sacrament of Holy Communion and
other sacraments, like confession, with the greatest respect. I see long lines
of people waiting to go for confession. What we really have to do here, what
priests have to do here is to tell people to be honest with the Lord God, to
open up.
I would like to
tell the people to come to Medjugorje. Medjugorje is a sign. Priests in
Medjugorje have a big mission. You have to be up to date and fully informed.
People come to see something special. Be always special. It is not easy, ask the
Blessed Mother to lead you, the priests here, the ministers, all those who are
in charge of Medjugorje, to help them to be a good example to the whole
multitude coming from all over the world. It will be a great mercy for the
people.
Abbot Nicolas Hakim,
Superior General of the Melkite Basilian Order of Chueirites
said:
I
came to Medjugorje as the first Superior General of an order from Lebanon. I
came with eight young priests of the Chueirite order to offer to the Blessed
Virgin all my heart, all my thoughts, my whole being and all our Order, because
the Mother of God is a mother of tenderness.
We
came here for a spiritual retreat, for the renewal of our soul and of our spirit
in order to live better and pray better in our monasteries, to work better in
our parishes and the schools the monks are serving in, to live better our vows
of chastity, poverty and obedience.
I
was listening to Ivan Dragićević; now I want to read the books written by
Father Slavko Barbarić. I am mostly struck by the love without limits. She
loves us as Her children, without looking at our sins and our weaknesses. For
Her, we are Her beloved children. We have to thank Our Lord and Our Lady, we
have to reconcile and accept penance, and we will have inner peace. I was struck
by what Ivan said about how difficult it is to go “back to the earth” after
having met Our Lady, and that every day! You who live here must be happy people.
Certainly, there are obstacles. The devil is strongly attacking a place where
Our Lady appears. We have been attacked, because we have decided to go to
Medjugorje. They asked us why we do not go somewhere else. The devil is always
attacking human goodness. If you want to do good, to be near God, many will be
against you. I will tell to every one: come and see!
I
have seen the real presence of the Most Blessed Virgin. She is everywhere in the
world, but here in a special way. I have seen peace, simplicity, I have seen
love in all hearts, and I have seen heaven on earth, where lambs live with
wolves.
The
service of the priests in Medjugorje is divine. Our Lady asks them to serve the
pilgrims, the priests, the sick... It is a very important and grateful service.
They give a good example through the prayers they animate, through the way they
receive people. Let them be a good example and I pray to God and Our Lady that
they give them the health so they may continue. I went to Father Slavko’s tomb.
Like Our Lady, he is their protector. Let them ask his intercession.
To
Medjugorje on the bicycle
Beginning
of June, three young Italians and a priest came to Medjugorje by bicycle. The
friary of the Capuchins from Bologna in Italy proposed to a group of young
people to go to Medjugorje by bicycle. They prepared themselves for this
pilgrimage in faith, through prayer and reading about the events of Medjugorje.
They are glad to have experienced some strain on their three-day journey on
bicycle, which reminded them of ancient pilgrims, who went on their journey
ready to suffer somewhat in their quest of God.
With
the beginning of June, the members of the rescue and medical services of the
Order of Malta from Köln (Germany) came back to Medjugorje for another six-month
period to be of service to the pilgrims of the Queen of Peace. During Holy Mass
for German pilgrims, father Branko Radoš welcomed them, thanking them for the
help they are offering to the pilgrims of Medjugorje, and invoking God’s
blessing on them and on their services.
10th
anniversary of the Community
“Cenacolo” in Medjugorje
On
June 2nd, the boys of the Community “Cenacolo” in Medjugorje and
their friends celebrated modestly the 10th anniversary of their
foundation in Medjugorje.
The
Community “Cenacolo” was founded in 1983 and presently consists of 32
fraternities spread all over the world, with about 800 members, boys and girls,
who seek the way out of the hell of the drug addiction.
The
community wants to be light in darkness, a sign of hope, a living witness that
death has not the last word. These young people live a simple family life style,
thus discovering the treasures offered by work, friendship and faith in the Word
of God incarnate in Jesus, dead and risen for us.
The
house for boys in Medjugorje was founded in 1991, and the house for girls in
2000. All those who need help from the Community of the Cenacle may contact the
house in Medjugorje situated halfway between Apparition Hill and Cross Mountain.
Charge
d'affaires of the Czech Embassy in Sarajevo met the Parish Priest of Medjugorje
Thursday,
June 7th, dr. fra Ivan Sesar had a meeting with M. Vladimir
Chaloupka, the charge d’affaires of the Czech Embassy in Sarajevo, who wanted
to talk to the Parish Priest of Medjugorje about tourism, pilgrims, migration
and visas.
During the month of
May, two seminars were conducted in “Domus Pacis”, the house of prayer:
-
May 18-20,
38 schoolboys and girls from Žepče, accompanied by Salesians;
-
May 20-27, 21 French pilgrims participated in a
prayer and fasting retreat animated by fra Ljubo Kurtović.
THE
FEAST OF cORPUS cHRISTI IN mEDJUGORJE - Mgr Ratko Perić delivered the sacrament
of Confirmation
On the feast of the
Most Sacred Body and Blood of Christ, Mgr Ratko Perić, Bishop of Mostar,
delivered the sacrament of Confirmation to 72 candidates in the parish of St.
James in Medjugorje.
In his homily, he
expressed his satisfaction concerning the knowledge the candidates showed during
the examination of their readiness to receive this sacrament, and wished that
they live their faith not only intellectually, but with the heart.
He expressed his
satisfaction about the way the parish priest is administering this parish. He
also underlined the importance of the unity of the Catholic Church, which is
manifested through the unity with the local bishop and the Pope, as well as the
necessity that all the faithful of this diocese, in the power of the Holy Spirit
which was given to them, be faithful to the teaching and the practice of the
Holy Roman Catholic Church.
He wished the
candidates to readily respond to God, if He calls them to be His apostles, like
the 72 Jesus had chosen.
After the solemn
Eucharistic celebration, Mgr Ratko Perić remained in friendly conversation with
priests in the Presbytery.
After the evening
Mass, parishioners and pilgrims took part in a procession, following the exposed
Most Holy Sacrament in celebration of the Solemnity of ‘Corpus Cristi’ - the
feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. The children who had received their First
Holy Communion this year, as well as priests on pilgrimage in Medjugorje also
participated in the procession.
The 10th
traditional Peace March was held as every year on June 24th, the eve
of the anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady. It was animated by father
Branko Radoš and began with prayer and the blessing of the pilgrims in front of
the Franciscan monastery of Humac. Several thousands of pilgrims started their
march at 6 am. Priests from 15 countries carried the Blessed Sacrament. Two of
the visionaries of Medjugorje participated in it: Vicka Ivanković and Jakov Čolo.
At their arrival in Medjugorje, pilgrims gathered in front of the parish church
for the final prayer. There, they were greeted by the parish priest, fra Ivan
Sesar, thanking the Lord for the great deeds He has done. Also this year, young
pilgrims were particularly numerous, among them the Franciscan Youth Fraternity
from Medjugorje.
“The Peace
March” is the fruit of an idea born in the hearts of Medjugorje pilgrims and
friends of Medjugorje at the time of war, in 1992, as a response to the trouble,
violence and hatred, as well as an appeal to real peace and reconciliation.
CELEBRATION OF THE
20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE APPARITIONS IN MEDJUGORJE
During last 20
years, the message of peace and reconciliation spread all over the world through
millions of pilgrims who came to Medjugorje. Thanks to prayer, the message of
Our Lady reached the most remote parts of the world and made out of Medjugorje
the parish of the world. This is being confirmed by the presence of numerous
faithful who came to Medjugorje for the 20th anniversary. Here, many
have found God and started to walk on the way of conversion without any fear. In
the celebration of this anniversary, gratitude for all the gifts God has given
here through Mary, was put at the first place.
It is impossible to
enumerate all the countries from where the pilgrims came: they came from every
corner of the world. Many local pilgrims, according to their tradition, came on
their bare feet to pray for peace and to thank Our Lady – the Queen of Peace.
Parishioners and
pilgrims prepared themselves for this anniversary with a Novena: daily Rosary on
Apparition Hill, evening prayer programme which included the Novena composed
particularly for this occasion, and daily evening Adoration of the Blessed
Sacrament.
In the morning of
June 24th and June 25th, Holy Masses were celebrated in 17
languages. During these two days, 60.000 communions were distributed.
The evening Mass on
June 24th was presided by F. Miron Sikirić, professor at the
Franciscan Theology in Sarajevo, and concelebrated by 210 priests.
The evening Mass on
June 25th was presided by F. Toni Vockovic, professor at the Catholic
Theology in Sarajevo, and concelebrated by 273 priests from about twenty
countries.
For the 20th
anniversary, the Parish edited a gold medal and a new monography, and the Post
Office printed a new postal stamp.
REGULAR ANNUAL
APPARITION TO THE VISIONARY IVANKA
The visionary
Ivanka Ivankovic-Elez had her regular annual apparition on June 25th 2001.
According to the visionaries, Vicka, Marija and Ivan continue to have daily
apparitions, and Mirjana, Ivanka and Jakov have an annual apparition.
At Her last daily
apparition on May 7, 1985 Our Lady told Ivanka that she would have an apparition
once a year on the anniversary of the apparitions. It was that way also this
year. Ivanka had the apparition in the presence of her family. She says that Our
Lady was joyful and that She spoke to her about the future of the Church. Our
Lady gave the following message: “Dear angels! Thank you for your prayers,
because through them my plan is being realized. This is why, angels, pray, pray,
pray, so that my plan may be realized. Receive my motherly blessing!”