Bulletin
187
Medjugorje,
June 26th, 2003
“Dear children! Also today, I call you
with great joy to live my messages. I am with you and I thank you for putting
into life what I am saying to you. I call you to renew my messages even more, with new
enthusiasm and joy. May prayer be your daily practice. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
June 25, 2003
THE
FERVOUR OF THE WITNESSES OF OUR LADY
June 25 is the
anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady who has been appearing in Medjugorje
for 22 years already. Numerous fervent witnesses of Her presence gather each
year in this place. Pilgrims from the whole world come to thank Her for Her
maternal love towards each person and for her call addressed to us, to follow
Jesus. There are certainly those who seek, those who cannot find themselves,
those who ask questions, who expect miracles, who seek an adventure... but this
also is a part of the way. This also is a possible road that trod the feet and
the hearts of the pilgrims of Mary. Despite everything, no one is a foreigner or
a vagabond here - especially not in the eyes of Mary. Here, each one is at home
- brothers and sisters in Christ.
The experience of
all these years shows us that the pilgrims of Medjugorje have an open mind, that
they are full of trust in God and regularly renewed by the sacrament of
confession. They come with open arms, ready to change their life and to make
decisions, which will have a range for eternity. It can happen, however, that
our faith and our enthusiasm fall asleep, that we become closed to the graces
from Heaven. Exceptional graces can become almost ordinary. If that happens, it
is necessary to start again from the very beginning, and to renew the enthusiasm
of the beginning.
Let us remember the message of October 1998,
where Our Lady says: “I
call you to renew in your families the fervour of the first days when I called
you to fasting, prayer and conversion.” It is as if she had felt that the
enthusiasm of the beginning had faded for some, and that we became colder and a
bit arrogant. “To renew the fervour of the first days!” What does it mean?
We know well that this fervour had been carrying the witnesses of Medjugorje at
the time when it was so difficult, from inside as well as from outside. At the
time, this fervour was able to carry us above the brambles and spines and to
break the chains of evil; this fervour was the initiator of a spiritual renewal,
of a new enthusiasm and a new hope. This fervour was lived and radiated by
witnesses of the apparitions. This fervour filled all of us with enthusiasm, and
we also became friends and witnesses of the presence of the Gospa. The bearers
of the enthusiasm of Our Lady told us: “Do not be afraid!”, they
repeated the words of Christ himself. Our Lady calls us to the renewal of this
enthusiasm. So, let us not be asleep, let us elevate our spirit to be able to
move mountains and thus to be an inspiration for others. For all those who come
to this place, for our time, and for the Church, Medjugorje is and must remain a
voice in the desert. Through Mary, our Mother, God recalls the words of Jesus: “Come
to me, all you who pain and are heavily burdened, and I shall give you rest.”
(Mt, 11,28)
Carried by the
power of faith, and a renewed enthusiasm, let us run towards the encounter with
the living God, whom Mary offers to us again.
Fr.
Mario Knezovic
NEWS
NUMBER OF COMMUNIONS AND NUMBER OF CONCELEBRANTS
During the month of May
2003, 110.000 communions were distributed and 2.533 priests from this country
and abroad concelebrated Holy Mass in Medjugorje.
Pilgrims were here from
Italy, Poland, Korea, South Africa, Germany, Ireland, Austria, Slovenia, France,
La Reunion, the Czech Republic, England, Mexico, Slovakia, Romania, Canada,
Hungary, Switzerland, India, Belgium, Albania, Greece, Latvia, Lebanon, Croatia,
and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Dr.
Franc Rode, the Archbishop of Ljubljana (Slovenia), About the Phenomenon of the
Apparitions of Our Lady in Medjugorje
Dr. Franc Rode, the
Archbishop of Ljubljana (Slovenia), expressed his position towards the
phenomenon of the apparitions of Our Lady in Medjugorje on April 26, 2003, in an
interview for Radio “Mir” Medjugorje:
“My position towards the
events of Medjugorje is identical to the position of Croatian bishops.
Medjugorje exists and as such is a fact. People go there, and I see that
Medjugorje is a place of grace. Many faithful from Slovenia who went there said
that they received great graces! They made their confession, came back to the
life of the Church and started to live a Christian life. This is the grace that
they received in Medjugorje. Why not allow this? I have nothing against the fact
that people go there. However, I wait until the competent and legitimate
authorities of the Church pronounce themselves on the question of Medjugorje and
I think that, soon, this will happen.”
DRAGUTIN
TADIJANOVIC VISITED MEDJUGORJE
The most famous Croatian
poet, ninety-eight years old Dragutin Tadijanovic, visited Medjugorje on May 14,
2003.
Visibly enthusiastic about
the fact that he could fulfil his desire to come to this “most famous place in
the world”, he remained in conversation with the Medjugorje Friars, and with
those who work on cultural subjects in Herzegovina.
Tadijanovic also commented
one of his legendary verses, “poets are the astonishment of the world”:
“Medjugorje is today an astonishment and a wonder in the world, because
here, another brand of life is being announced, a life filled with spiritual
values.” The renowned poet added that the Franciscans were also “an
astonishment in the world” because they try to live a life that is opposed
to the logic of the material world.
In this occasion,
Tadijanovic personally dedicated some of his recent books and offered them to
the Shrine.
Pupils
in Medjugorje
Among
local pilgrims, these days there are many pupils at Medjugorje who – at the
end of their school year – go for a traditional excursion. Many of them
traditionally come to Medjugorje to thank the Queen of Peace for their success
at school.
Meeting of Children's Choirs
Another
meeting of children’s choirs from Herzegovina called “Golden Harp” was
held on May 25, in the parish church of Kocerin. There were children from 14
parishes and among them the children’s choir from Medjugorje, “Little Doves
of Peace” under the guidance of Sr. Slavica Kozul.
Although
the aim of these meetings is primarily to bring children together and to glorify
the Lord through the song, it is not without significance that, according to
common opinion, “Little Doves of Peace” were most successful in the
interpretation of their songs.
The Solemnity of Corpus Christi
On
the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, on June 19, 2003, 85 candidates
from the parish of Medjugorje received the sacrament of Confirmation from the
hands of Msgr. Ratko Peric, Bishop of Mostar. The pastor of Medjugorje, Fr.
Branko Rados, addressed his words of welcome to the Bishop.
After
the evening Holy Mass, according to tradition linked to the Solemnity of the
Body and Blood of Christ, there was a procession with the Blessed Sacrament
through the parish, in which many local and foreign priests participated, as
well as numerous parishioners and pilgrims.
The
12th traditional Peace March was held as every year on June 24th,
the eve of the anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady. It began with prayer
and the blessing of the pilgrims in front of the Franciscan monastery of Humac.
About 3 000 pilgrims started their march at 6 am.
Upon
their arrival in Medjugorje, pilgrims gathered in front of the parish church for
a short common prayer. “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. Although the years of war are behind us, Our Lady reminds us in her
messages that there are wars “in our hearts”. This 13 km-long march is a
response to the trouble, violence and hatred, as well as an appeal to real peace
and reconciliation.
This
Peace March was led by Fr. Ljubo Kurtovic.
THE CELEBRATION OF
THE 22nd ANNIVERSARY OF OUR LADY’S APPARITIONS IN THE PARISH OF
MEDJUGORJE
During
the last 22 years, Our Lady’s message of peace was spread all over the world
through pilgrims, reached homes all over the world, and made a parish of the
world out of Medjugorje. This is confirmed by the presence of more than 80 000
faithful who came to Medjugorje for the 22nd anniversary. It is
impossible to enumerate all of the countries where the pilgrims came from. They
came from all the five continents. Very many local pilgrims came on their bare
feet to pray to the Queen of Peace for peace.
In
the morning of June 24th and June 25th, Holy Masses were
celebrated in 16 languages. During these two days, 24 000 communions were
distributed.
The
evening Mass on June 24th was presided by Fr. Gabriel Mioc and
concelebrated by 135 priests. About 15 000 faithful were present.
The
evening Mass on June 25th was presided by Fr. Miro Sego, and
concelebrated by 180 priests from approximately twenty countries. About 35 000
faithful were present.
ANNUAL APPARITION
TO THE VISIONARY IVANKA
The
visionary Ivanka Ivankovic-Elez had her regular annual apparition on June 25.
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 confided to Ivanka the 10th
secret and told her that she would have an apparition once a year on the
anniversary of the apparitions. It was that way also this year. The apparition
lasted 10 minutes. Ivanka had the apparition at home in the presence of her
family, her husband and her three children.
Our Lady gave the following message:
“Dear children! Do
not be afraid, I am always with you. Open your heart for love and peace to enter
into it. Pray for peace, peace, peace.”
Our Lady came joyful and spoke to Ivanka more extensively about Her life.
At
the beginning of June 2003, the Holy Father John Paul II came for the third time
to Croatia, and on June 22, he came for the second time to Bosnia and
Herzegovina. The faithful met him in 4 Croatian towns. On June 6, about 1100
parishioners and pilgrims from Medjugorje assisted at Holy Mass in Dubrovnik and
the beatification of Sr. Marija of Jesus Crucified Petkovic, by John Paul II.
Numerous parishioners and pilgrims also went to Banja Luka to assist at Mass and
the beatification of Ivan Merz.
New
blessed, pray for us!
A BISHOP FROM PERU IN
MEDJUGORJE
Mgr. Salvador
Pineiro Garcia-Calderon, military bishop in Lima/Peru, was in Medjugorje from
June 7 to 9, 2003. He also participated in the encounter with the Holy Father in
Dubrovnik.
In Medjugorje, he
met the Franciscans, who spoke to him about the prayer program at the Shrine. He
prayed on Apparition Hill and on Cross Mountain. He was especially struck by the
piety of people during the evening prayer programme.
He said: “Faith
is alive here, I can feel here how much every person needs God. While climbing
Cross Mountain, I saw many young and old, healthy and sick people, praying
sincerely. It is evident that God is being praised here, and I thank God for
this”, he said.
Maltese Order at the
Service of the Pilgrims
The medical services of
the Maltese Order from Germany came for the sixth time to Medjugorje to be at
the service of the pilgrims. During the summer months, at the time of the
strongest influx of the pilgrims, the Maltesers are on duty near the parish
church at the new dispensary, every day from 9 am to 9 pm.
The Maltese Order has
existed for 900 years now. Its slogan is “keep the faith and help the needy,
witness faith with love, and be at the service of peace in the world”.
We
thank them in the name of all those who during this summer will receive their
help, and the comfort of their apostolate.
4th
International Meeting for Married Couples
The
4th International Meeting for Married Couples will take place in
Medjugorje in the New Hall from February 11 to 14, 2004. The theme is,
“The
fruit of peace is love and the fruit of love is forgiveness.”
(Message
of January 25, 1996)
Programme:
Wednesday, February 11,
2004
2
pm – Registration of the participants
4
pm – Introduction to the seminar
5
pm – Evening Prayer Programme
9
pm – Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
Thursday, February 12,
2004
9
am – Morning Prayer
9:30 am – Lecture:
10:30
am – Pause
11
am – Exchange
2
pm – Way of the Cross on Cross Mountain
5
pm – Evening Prayer Programme
Friday, February
13, 2004
9
am – Morning Prayer
9:30
am – Lecture:
10:30
am – Pause
11
am – Exchange
2
pm – Rosary at the Apparition Hill
4
pm – Preparation for confession
5
pm – Evening Prayer Programme
Saturday, February
14, 2004
9
am – Morning Prayer
9:30 am – Lecture:
10:30
am – Pause
11
am – Exchange
12
am – Holy Mass – end of the seminar
Bring with you: a small FM
radio with headphones (for simultaneous translation) and a Bible.
All the meetings will take place in the New Hall behind
the church. Participation per
couple: 30 €.
You may make
reservations by e-mail: medjugorje-mir@medjugorje.hr,
or at the Information Office personally, or by phone/fax: +387-36-651-988. The
number of participants is limited because of the available space in the Hall, se
we ask you to send your registration as soon as possible, latest by the end of
December. All the participants are invited to individually provide their
accommodation in Medjugorje.