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Children of Medjugorje

President: Denis Nolan
Vice-President: Sister Emmanuel

Advisory Board:
Cardinal Jaime Sin
Cardinal Bernardino Echeverria, O.F.M.+
Archbishop Frane Franic
Archbishop D. Peter Chung
Bishop Nicholas D'Antonio, O.F.M.
Bishop Michael D. Pfeifer, O.M.I.
Bishop Donald Montrose
Bishop William Ellis
Fr. Daniel Ange
Ralph Martin

July 1, 2002

Dear Children of Medjugorje,
Praised be Jesus and Mary!

1 -    On June 25th, the Visionary Ivanka received her yearly apparition at home, in the presence of her family, and Our Lady was joyful.   She remained 6 minutes with her.  She shared with Ivanka a few new details about her life, and she gave her motherly blessing.   Here is the message she gave for each one of us:

"Dear children, do not tire of prayer.   Pray for peace, peace, peace!"

Ivanka is the visionary who knows the most about the future of the world, besides the 10 secrets she has already received from Our Lady between 1981 and 1985.  However, she remains the most hidden of the six visionaries, having a simple life of a Croatian mother in the hamlet of Miletina, two kilometers from St. James Church.

The Celebration of the 21st Anniversary of the Apparitions was very joyful and friends of Medjugorje showed up in the thousands.  Unexpectedly, Our Lady invited the pilgrims on Podbrdo, the Apparition Hill, for an "extra" apparition at 11 PM on June 23rd (on June 24th, we had a Vigil of adoration at St James).   She mentioned that she came 21 years ago with the words  "MIR, MIR, MIR!"  and she underlined that today again she had to give us the same message: to pray for peace, peace in our families and peace in the whole world.  This shows that Our Lady's plan in order to be fulfilled still needs more prayer.   For example, I remember some words from Fr. Tomislav Vlasic back in 1986: "Words and many actions will not change the world".   The Gospa had recently said to Jelena, "Words are unimportant today, not even good works, but what really matters is to pray and rest in God."  Father Vlasic explained, "why is it important to rest in God and pray?  Because from that disposition of resting in God, of praying, every healthy activity, every activity which will save the world will come." (Sept. 86)

2 -   Father Slavko Barbaric is definitely working hard from heaven!  I often hear about blessings obtained near his grave, or by asking for his intercession.   The following is an example from Cathy Nolan, whom you now know well, about a grace she received through him, which she allows me to share with you (see PS).

"Toward the end of my pilgrimage last March,  I managed to make a visit to Fr. Slavko's grave.  It was my first visit to the spot since he had gone to heaven, and I was happy to be there.  Since I was so tired and I had already been to Mass, I had planned to go back to our house to rest, instead of joining the evening program of the parish that night.  As I knelt down, I thanked God for the life of Fr. Slavko and for the countless ways that he had blessed me and all the pilgrims.  I felt so happy to show reverence to him, who had such a huge impact on the pilgrims, who led the prayers and set the tone for a pilgrimage life in Medjugorje!  

"I immediately felt myself drawn into deep prayer and I was aware of an inner and piercing light shining in my mind, a clear, strong light.  I understood it was a healing light of some sort.  I felt such deep peace!   I couldn't hear anything around me.  Then I heard an inner voice that began to speak to me.  I recognized Fr. Slavko's English... and this voice was telling me that the light was indeed a gift of healing and cleasing that God wants to give me right now.   He said it was through NO merit of my own that I was receiving this gift.   I neither earned this nor deserved it.   Instead, the merit was won through the prayers of all the people around the church of St James, all the pilgrims who have prayed their rosaries so faithfully all these years there at the church.   He then told me to go to the church and join in the prayer, knowing that it was from those prayers that so many graces were flowing to me.   I could not refuse such an order!   I  forgot about my tiredness and went straight to the church.   I sat down on a bench among the people and I was overwhelmed with gratitude for their prayer.  I felt as if I were being hugged by Our Lady.  The sense of security I felt was immense.   I knew it was coming from my brothers and sisters who were praying the rosary.

"I carry in me now a deep sense of conviction that the rosary is powerful, that it is the answer to so many situations.  It is our prayer in response to Our Lady's call that will change the world.  We can share in the Treasury of Merits of the Church, and nowhere is it more evident that in Medjugorje.  Medjugorje has become a furnace of prayer where so much good happens!

"So I wanted you to know that your rosary is making a difference, even if you may not see it right away.   You may think you are praying for your husband or your nephew and that nothing is happening in their life...   Well, Our Lady is taking the merits of your prayers and is using them in her plan.  And it may start out in Slovakia, in China; but it's going to reach those you're praying for sooner or later.   There is a gigantic plan that she has, that none of us could comprehend.   But we are part of it by our obedience to her and our prayer from the heart"

3 -  July begins the priests' retreat in Medjugorje, bringing priests from all over the world.  Let's commit ourselves to pray for them and for all priests in a very special way during this week!   On this occasion, let me remind you of a few messages Our Lady gave here to the priests, and also to us the faithful regarding our priests:

- "I urge you to pray the rosary.   Invite everyone to pray the Rosary!  With the rosary you will overcome all the troubles which Satan wants to inflict on the Catholic Church.  Let all you priests pray the Rosary!  Give time to the Rosary."  (Marija asked Our Lady what she wants from priests, June 25th, 1985)

- "The priests should visit families, especially those who do not practice anymore and who have forgotten God.  Priests should carry the Gospel of Jesus to the people and teach them how to pray.  The priests themselves should pray more and also fast.  They should give to the poor what they don't need." (To Jelena, May 30th)

- "Live my messages.  Do what the Church is telling you to do."

- "While preaching, you should not use difficult philosophical concepts or theology that the people will not understand.  May you speak with simplicity, with words overflowing from your heart."

- "They are my most beloved sons."

- "The blessing of a priest is greater than mine.  If the priests knew what they give when they bless, they would bless day and night."

- "Priests do not need your criticism, they need your prayers and your love.  I ask you to help your priests."

- "Today it is not easy for the priests to remain faithful.  You should support them with prayer!"

- "When you are at Mass, do not juge the priest, do not look at others, do not take pictures.  Pray!"

- "... Satan is beginning to lose his power and has become agressive.  He is destroying marriages, creating division among priests and is responsible for obsessions and murders.   You must protect yourselves from this through fasting and prayer..." (To Mirjana, 1982)

4 -  Our Lady also said to parents (and those responsible for others) "do not ask anything from your children [or other people] that you do not give the example of yourself."  This reminds me of a beautiful example that Fr. Svetozar quoted in a recent homely here:

One day an Indian woman brought her daughter of 7 to Mahatma Gandhi.  Knowing his purity of heart and the immense impact he had on people, she was hoping that a word from him would convince the little girl not to eat sugar anymore, for she was severely sick from diabetis.  Gandhi listened to the mother and when he spoke to the little girl, he was very loving to her but didn't mention at all the necessity for her to avoid sugar.  The mother was puzzled and a little upset.  Gandhi simply greeted her and said: "Come next week!"  So both the mother and the child came back a week later and the same request was made by the mother.  This time, Gandhi did ask the child to avoid sugar.  Then the mother asked him why he had not said so the very first time?  He replied: "I was myself enjoying eating sugar.  Therefore, how could I ask the child not to?  I needed to renounce it myself first before I'd demanded the same thing from the child!"

Dearest Gospa, Mother and Queen of Peace, pray for us!  
Thank you for these 21 years.

Please don't quit!!

Sr.  Emmanuel

PS. Cathy gave this testimony at the National Conference on Medjugorje at the University of Notre Dame in the USA this past June 1st..... You can order the tape, # 02ND8  "Denis Nolan - Danielle Rose" by phoning (in America): (612) 721-7933  

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