In difficult times...

In my weakness, Lord, be my strength
and your grace enough for me.
May your power be at its best
when the thorn is piercing me.
BG

I chose you...

God never takes back his gifts or revokes his choice. Romans 11 : 29

Dear children! Today I invite you to give thanks to God for all the gifts you have discovered in the course of your life and even for the least gift that you have perceived. I give thanks with you and want all of you to experience the joy of these gifts. And I want God to be everything for each one of you. And then, little children, you can grow continuously on the way of holiness. Thank you for responding to my call. September 25, 1989

Austria’s Papal Nuncio in Medjugorje

According to an announcement on the new website, OUR BLESSED MOTHER’S CHILDREN, Msgr Edmond Farhat, former Apostolic Nuncio of Austria, was in Medjugorje this week for four days with a large group of Austrian pilgrims estimated at 2,000.

Last Sunday, Msgr Farhat told the congregation at the English-speaking Mass that his benediction carried with it a special papal indulgence (with the usual conditions attached) for all those able to attend the Masses at which he was the Celebrant while he was in Medjugorje.

Pope prayed for Our Lady to come to earth...

In a recent question-and-answer session with English-speaking pilgrims at Medjugorje (October 3), the visionary Mirjana revealed that the late Pope John Paul II had prayed to the Blessed Virgin asking her to come on earth once more to assist him against the threat of Communism. Two months later she appeared in Medjugorje!

This was revealed in a response given by the visionary Mirjana to a question, asking if she or any of the other visionaries had ever met with the Holy Father.

I was in St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican with all the other pilgrims. I was with an Italian priest. The Pope (John Paul II) was walking by and he was blessing. He blessed me and just passed by. The priest with me said, “Holy Father, this is Mirjana from Medjugorje,” and he came back and blessed me again. Then he left. And I said to priest, “Most likely he thought just I just need a double blessing!”

In the afternoon, we received a note to go to Castelgondolfo, close to Rome, the next day. And myself and the Pope were alone together and among other things he said to me, “I know everything, I have been following everything. Ask pilgrims to pray for my intentions. Take care of Medjugorje because Medjugorje is the hope for the entire world.”

A priest told me that from the very beginning, the Pope was very fond of Medjugorje because two months before the apparitions in Medjugorje started, he was praying to Our Lady to come again on earth. He said, “I cannot do it all alone because Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Poland etc, are all communist. I cannot do it on my own. I need you.” And later he heard that in Yugoslavia, a communist country, in a little village (Medjugorje), Our Lady appeared and he said, “That is the response to my prayers.”

The narrow gate...

Through towns and villages Jesus went teaching, making his way to Jerusalem. Someone said to him, “Sir, will there be only a few saved?” He said to them, “Try your best to enter by the narrow door, because, I tell you, many will try to enter and will not succeed. Luke 13 : 22-24

Dear children! Today I invite you to respond to my call to prayer. I desire, dear children, that during this time you find a corner for personal prayer. I desire to lead you towards prayer with the heart. Only in this way will you comprehend that your life is empty without prayer. You will discover the meaning of your life when you discover God in prayer. That is why, little children, open the door of your heart and you will comprehend that prayer is joy without which you cannot live. Thank you for having responded to my call. July 25, 1997

Daniel’s blessing

Every pilgrim visiting Medjugorje will see Daniel at sometime. He’s hard to miss, walking from place to place with his pilgrim’s staff. Daniel has branded a beautiful cross into his staff at the grip end, but a closer look reveals a natural image in the grain of perhaps Our Lady standing beneath the cross, which Daniel doesn’t know about. I didn’t until I made another inspection of the photograph today!

Our Lady can always be found at the foot of the cross, even our own. It’s a real blessing for Daniel. No wonder he is always saying to pilgrims, “You have a blessed day, now!”

One to follow...

Well worth book-marking and following is Fr Neil Buchlein’s new blog “Our Blessed Mother’s Children”. He describes Medjugorje as his “favourite place in the entire world” having visited there 16 times in the past six years.

My name is Love...

Today I will speak to you about what you have forgotten: Dear children, my name is Love. That I am among you for so much of your time is love, because the Great Love sends me. I am asking the same of you. I am asking for love in your families. I am asking that you recognise love in your brother. Only in this way, through love, will you see the face of the Greatest Love. May fasting and prayer be your guiding star. Open your hearts to love, namely, salvation. Thank you. March 2, 2007

Joyful mysteries of uncertainty...

Donald Rumsfeld, the former United States Secretary of Defence, once said: “As we know, there are known knowns. There are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns. That is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns, the ones we don’t know we don’t know.”

None of us, it seems, have all the answers – not even Donald Rumsfeld. But for all the unknowns and uncertainties in life, we can also be assured of, through God’s goodness, the certitudes of joy. Sometimes the two feelings go hand in hand. Uncertainties can raise questions, even when we experience joy in our heart. The Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary illustrate this truth. Each occasion of joy, each bead, is threaded and tied with a question of uncertainty.

In the mystery of the Annunciation, the news that she is chosen to be the Mother of God prompts Mary to ask with uncertainty: “But how can this come about, since I am a virgin?”

Her cousin Elizabeth, overjoyed and excited by Mary’s visitation also raises a question: “Why should I be so honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord?”

And surely there is uncertainty for Mary and Joseph as they make their way to Bethlehem to register for the census, aware that the birth of Jesus is imminent. No hospitals in those days, not even room in a warm guest-house.

Then the time arrives for Joseph and Mary to fulfil the law and present Jesus in the Temple – a joyful occasion, notably for Simeon who has waited so long to set eyes on the the Saviour of the world. But for Mary and Joseph, they can only stand and wonder at the things Simeon is saying about Jesus, especially when he speaks to Mary of a sword that will pierce her heart.

Life’s unknowns for Mary and Joseph manifest again in the final joyful mystery when Jesus goes missing. It’s a joy to discover that he is safe in the Temple. But this joy is mixed with uncertainty when Mary asks her Son, “My child, why have you done this to us?” And even when Jesus explains, his parents fail to understand his answer. The question of uncertainty remains.

Each joyful mystery is a journey, each bead a stop on the journey, a station, an incident – an episode in our life. And we know there is a degree of uncertainty with any journey we undertake.

The journey for Mary begins with the arrival of the Angel Gabriel. Pregnant, she sets out on a long journey from Nazareth to the hill country of Judea, some 70 miles away. Three months later Mary returns to Nazareth. Almost six months pass before Joseph and Mary are on the move again, this time to Bethlehem. From Bethlehem it’s just a short passage to Jerusalem for the Presentation; and then follows the long journey into Egypt before the Holy Family eventually move back to Nazareth.

St Luke tells us that Mary and Joseph would journey to Jerusalem every year for the Passover. On one occasion on their way back to Nazareth, they discover that Jesus is missing from the caravan. And so yet another journey, another step of uncertainty, is undertaken to search for the twelve-year-old.

The journeys for Jesus and Mary continue with the mysteries of Light, the Sorrowful mysteries, and the Glorious mysteries.

In her messages from Medjugorje, Our Lady often refers to the journey with Jesus as the path – of perfection, of peace, of love, of salvation, the path towards eternal life.

It is impossible to share in this journey and its joys and illuminations, its sorrows and glories, without confronting uncertainty and the unknown. There is no easy by-pass to Heaven, just the certainty of faith knowing that Jesus has prepared a place for each of us that desire to make the journey and follow him.

I desire that through you the whole world may get to know the God of joy. By your life bear witness for God’s joy. Do not be anxious or worried. God himself will help you and show you the way. part message, May 25, 1998

Pray and open your inner self

Dear children! Once again I desire to call you to prayer. When you pray you are much more beautiful, like flowers, which after the snow, show all their beauty and all their colors become indescribable. So also you, dear children, after prayer show before God all so much more what is beautiful and are beloved by Him. Therefore, dear children, pray and open your inner self to the Lord so that He makes of you a harmonious and beautiful flower for Paradise. Thank you for having responded to my call. December 18, 1986

More from Cardinal Schonborn on Medjugorje

On September 29, in Ars, where for all his priestly life Jean Marie Vianney spent many hours a day in the confessional, Cardinal Schonborn, Archbishop of Vienna, spoke very positively about Medjugorje at a retreat for priests. He said:

“Let us speak about the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Sr Faustina calls Confession 'the Court of Mercy'. What is it about this Sacrament in our lives as priests and bishops and also in our pastoral work? How can we not pose this question to ourselves here in Ars? In our countries of Europe, with some exceptions, I have the impression that the practice of this Sacrament has enormously regressed and in certain areas almost disappeared.

“There are certainly strongholds of Confession today. I think particularly of Medjugorje. I dare speak of that because for 28 years it has become one of the greatest strongholds of Confession. Thousands and thousands of people go to Confession!

“I recall simply to clarify: what does the Church say about Medjugorje? Just to reiterate between parentheses: the official position of the Episcopal Conference of ex-Yugoslavia but also of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith often repeated in three points:

1. Non constat de supernaturalitate. This means that it is not sure that it is supernatural, but it is not excluded. It remains open. The judgement of the Church is not pronounced yet.
2. Constat de supernaturalitate. Lourdes, Fatima, etc.
3. Constat de non supernaturalitate. It is not supernatural, the judgement of the Church is negative.

So, for Medjugorje it is the first possibility. For the moment the Church has not made a judgement, but she says two other things:

“Since Medjugorje is not officially approved by the Church, one cannot organise an official pilgrimage, as from a diocese.

“Since there are many faithful who go to this place, it is opportune that one takes care of the pilgrimage pastorally, and that one pastorally accompanies the faithful in this step. This is what has happened for the past 28 years.

“Certainly our places of pilgrimage are strongholds for Confession. This is my experience, and that of many of my brother priests who exercised the ministry of Confession in places of pilgrimage. But especially in Medjugorje, they were overwhelmed by the experience of Confession.”

Our Lady’s October message to Marija

Dear children! Also today I bring you my blessing, I bless you all and I call you to grow on this way, which God has begun through me for your salvation. Pray, fast and joyfully witness your faith, little children, and may your heart always be filled with prayer. Thank you for having responded to my call. October 25, 2009

Pray all the time, asking for what you need, praying in the Spirit on every possible occasion. Never get tired of staying awake to pray for all the saints; and pray for me to be given an opportunity to open my mouth and speak without fear and give out the mystery of the gospel, of which I am an ambassador in chains; pray that in proclaiming it I may speak as boldly as I ought to. Ephesians 6 : 20

I thank my God whenever I think of you; and every time I pray for all of you, I pray with joy, remembering how you have helped to spread the Good News from the day you first heard it right up to the present. Philippians 1 : 3-5

The Universal Call to Prayer
God calls man first. Man may forget his Creator or hide far from his face; he may run after idols or accuse the deity of having abandoned him; yet the living and true God tirelessly calls each person to that mysterious encounter known as prayer. In prayer, the faithful God's initiative of love always comes first; our own first step is always a response. As God gradually reveals himself and reveals man to himself, prayer appears as a reciprocal call, a covenant drama. Through words and actions, this drama engages the heart. It unfolds throughout the whole history of salvation.
Catechism of the Catholic Church – 2567

Son of David, Jesus, have pity on me!

Messages that help restore and heal...

Then Jesus spoke, “What do you want me to do for you?” “Rabbuni,” the blind man said to him “Master, let me see again.” Jesus said to him. “Go, your faith has saved you.” And immediately his sight returned and he followed him along the road. Mark 10 : 51-52.

As with the words of Jesus, there is much healing in Our Lady’s messages for those who wait for and accept them with faith and hope; enough at least to put each of us back on the right road again to follow Jesus.

Of figs, fruits and conversion...

Jesus told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for the fruit on it but found none. He said to the man who looked after the vineyard, ‘Look here, for three years now I have been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and finding none. Cut it down: why should it be taking up the ground.’ ‘Sir,’ the man replied ‘leave it one more year and give me time to dig round it and manure it: it may bear fruit next year; if not, then you can cut it down.’” Luke 13 : 6-9

Dear children! With the time of Lent, you are approaching a time of grace. Your heart is like ploughed soil and it is ready to receive the fruit which will grow into what is good. You, little children, are free to choose good or evil. Therefore, I call you to pray and fast. Plant joy and the fruit of joy will grow in your hearts for your good, and others will see it and receive it through your life. Renounce sin and choose eternal life. I am with you and intercede for you before my Son. Thank you for having responded to my call. January 25, 2008

• by Fr Jozo Zovko OFM

Jesus tells me that if I live in him and he lives in me, I will bear much fruit; fruit that will last. His Mother, too, calls me to be fruitful. I am not asked for what I cannot give. This means that I can convert; I can change; it is not too late. How consoling this is.

Our Lady’s messages are the seed, and your soul, your heart and your life are the soil. Like the field which receives the seed, your heart must be opened and prepared so that a change may take place – a change renewing the face of the earth. It is not too late.

How sad it was for the owner to see the fig tree in the vineyard without fruit. It was to be chopped down. How sad it was for Jesus to reach into the fig tree and find no fruit. The Apostles watched it wither and die. How sad it is to see a parish, a family, a person, without fruit. Yes, you can bear fruit. It is not too late.

• by Fr Slavko Barbaric OFM

Conversion, in the messages of Medjugorje, means to change one’s life, to forsake sin, selfishness, arrogance, pride, and to open ourselves to humility, love, and to never give up.

Conversion has two elements – one, whereby we are called to forsake sin and another, whereby we are called to open ourselves to love. None of us will be able to say he loves enough, that he cannot love more. This is conversion – to try and love more, to try and get to be fully aware of sin, to pray for the spirit of love and to go forward.

I am saying this for the benefit of those who have started with enthusiasm after hearing of the apparitions and have realised that change is not easy, it requires some hard work. Do not allow yourselves to tire; conversion lasts the whole of one’s life.

Our Lord understands this. Our Lady understands this – that is why she has invited all of us to confess every month. If she is inviting us to confession, one can say she knows we are sinners; she knows we will remain as such, but that does not matter. What matters is to look once again for reconciliation and the strength which is given to us by the Lord, This is hope and strength for us.

• by Fr Svetozar Kraljevic OFM

Evangelicals consider the moment of conversion to be when one acknowledges he is a sinner, asks God’s forgiveness, and accepts him as Lord and Master, In Herzegovina, that is only the beginning: conversion is an ongoing, life-long process as bit by bit, with our cooperation, God conforms us ever more to the image of his Son.

Conversion, then, means staying in touch with the reality of what is going on in us and around us, and dealing with that reality in obedience to God, in faithfulness and in love. We find ourselves constantly asking: “Îf Jesus were here, what would he do?” Or: “If I am to be holy and live according to the call and commandments of God, what do Ineed to do now?”

To be holy does not mean to be strange, a fanatic or a freak. It means to be a very normal, healthy, balanced person. Forget what the world or the devil might tell you: it is normal to lead a holy life, for that is the life that God created you to live. Holiness means wholeness.

• by Pope Benedict XVI

Conversion remains the key to all reconciliation and to the Church’s ministry of reconciliation. All individual and collective reconciliation springs from the conversion of hearts. The social fabric of the Church and the world will be reformed and renewed only when conversion is interior and personal. The needed reform of oppressive economic and political structures in the world cannot be effected without the conversion of hearts. The reconciliation of humanity at the level of individuals, communities, peoples and blocs of nations presumes the conversion of individual hearts and must be based on truth.

Signs of the time...

Jesus said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud looming up in the west you say that rain is coming, and so it does. And when the wind is from the south you say it will be hot, and it is. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the face of the earth and the sky. How is it you do not know how to interpret these times? Why not judge for yourselves what is right? For example: when you go to court with your opponent, try to settle with him on the way, or he may drag you before the judge and the judge hand you over to the bailiff and the bailiff have you thrown into prison. I tell you, you will not get out till you have paid the very last penny. Luke 12 : 54-59

Dear children! Today I call you to accept and live my messages with seriousness. These days are the days when you need to decide for God, for peace and for the good. May every hatred and jealousy disappear from your life and your thoughts, and may there only dwell love for God and for your neighbour. Thus, and only thus shall you be able to discern the signs of the time. I am with you and I guide you into a new time, a time which God gives you as grace so that you may get to know him more. Thank you for having responded to my call. January 25, 1993

The fire of love...

Jesus said to his disciples: “I have come to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were blazing already! There is a baptism I must still receive, and how great is my distress till it is over!
Luke 12 : 49-50

Dear children! Also today I call all of you for your hearts to blaze with more ardent love for the Crucified, and do not forget that, out of love for you, he gave his life so that you may be saved. Little children, meditate and pray that your heart may be open to God’s love. Thank you for having responded to my call. November 25, 2007

Serving the Lord

When a man has a great deal given him, a great deal will be demanded of him; when a man has had a great deal given him on trust, even more will be expected of him. Luke 12 : 48

Dear children! Listen, because I wish to speak to you and to invite you to have more faith and trust in God, who loves you immeasurably. Little children, you do not know how to live in the grace of God, that is why I call you all anew, to carry the word of God in your heart and in thoughts. Little children, place the Sacred Scripture in a visible place in your family, and read and live it. Teach your children, because if you are not an example to them, children depart into godlessness. Reflect and pray and then God will be born in your heart and your heart will be joyous. Thank you for having for responded to my call. August 25, 1996

28 years on... signs and fruits remain at Medjugorje

Man can never be sure or objective, because his thinking, his opinion, never leaves him. If one doesn’t allow oneself to be convinced, if one clings to one’s naturally limited judgement, events will continue to occur without us. This is what happened at Medjugorje. Whether one is convinced or skeptical, for or against, the years pass by at Medjugorje; the signs remain, the fruits remain. And Our Lady’s invitation to peace is still valid

I do everything I can for people to hear this message, so that they may begin to renew their spiritual lives, their family lives.

The position of the Church or the position of individuals is not the point. The point is that this is a mystery in whcih signs are given. Jesus had forseen our weakness. He told us: “Either make the tree goood, and its fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by its fruit.”

The devil never ceases to seek out colllaborators to harm Medjugorje. When these persons describe a witness, such as myself, for example, they try to show me in the worst possible light so as to provoke a scandal so that the public will say. “Medjugorje is bad.” But I am not Medjugorje! Thank God, I never for one instance thought I was Medjugorje! Slander, lies provocations, I can easily overcome all that. Medjugorje cannot suffer on my account, because God is in it Himself who has wanted it and who protects it from human egoism, pride and disobedience...

• Fr Jozo Zovko OFM, from the book Encounters with Fr Jozo, by Sabina Covic

Medjugorje... a gift from heaven

Medjugorje comes from Heaven. It is a pure gift from God. That is why it was difficult for me to accept it at the beginning... because it calls for change. Unless a person accepts change, the Message of Medjugorje appeals to your soul like a beggar. Medjugorje calls you to relieve you of all your presuppositions and to begin a new approach to things, a radically new way. Medjugorje does not produce Pharisees.

Fr Jozo Zovko OFM

What is a shrine?

From the Code of Canon Law:

CHAPTER III. SHRINES

Can. 1230 By the term shrine is understood a church or other sacred place to which numerous members of the faithful make pilgrimage for a special reason of piety, with the approval of the local ordinary.

Can. 1231 For a shrine to be called a national shrine, the conference of bishops must give its approval; for it to be called an international shrine, the approval of the Holy See is required.

Can. 1232 §1. The local ordinary is competent to approve the statutes of a diocesan shrine; the conference of bishops for the statutes of a national shrine; the Holy See alone for the statutes of an international shrine.

§2. The statutes are to determine especially the purpose, the authority of the rector, and the ownership and administration of goods.

Can. 1233 Certain privileges can be granted to shrines whenever local circumstances, the large number of pilgrims, and especially the good of the faithful seem to suggest it.

Can. 1234 §1. At shrines the means of salvation are to be supplied more abundantly to the faithful by the diligent proclamation of the word of God, the suitable promotion of liturgical life especially through the celebration of the Eucharist and of penance, and the cultivation of approved forms of popular piety.

§2. Votive offerings of popular art and piety are to be kept on display in the shrines or nearby places and guarded securely.

• We can see from these canons that there is no mention of visionaries, apparitions or messages. Separate the visionaries and the apparitions from the ecclesiastical norms at Medjugorje and is there anything out of the ordinary happening in the parish that would prevent it from qualifying for shrine status – even at international level?

If there is, perhaps this is why there has been the recent activity within the parish, initiated by the diocesan bishop, to tidy up some of the loose ends. Is there an announcement imminent, as hinted by Sarajevo’s Cardinal Puljic, that will clarify the position of shrine status for Medjugorje? It certainly appears that the lines are being drawn – separate the visionaries/apparitions from the devotion of the faithful hundreds of thousands arriving in Medjugorje each year on pilgrimage and a very clear case is presented for shrine status.

The Yugoslav bishops conference did accept Medjugorje as a shrine, but that conference no longer exists. Three years ago the Bosnia & Herzegovina bishops conference was given the opportunity to endorse or reject the earlier status, but failed to reach a decision and Cardinal Puljic returned the matter into the hands of the Holy See. So now it is Rome that will ultimately decide on the status of Medjugorje as a shrine. The signs are that it will say yes, but only when it is assured that all i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed as far as ecclesiastical norms are concerned. Hence the Mostar bishop’s efforts during the past year to put right anything outside of the norm. It seems Rome wants its way. Medjugorje is no longer a local matter. It’s universal.

Is Medjugorje a shrine?

Here’s what the late Cardinal Franjo Kuharic, the former President of the Yugoslavian Bishops’ Conference, said in August 1993:

We bishops, after a three-year-long commission study, accept Medjugorje as a holy place, as a shrine. This means 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 this to further study (validity of the apparitions). The Church does not hurry.
• Glas Koncila, August 15, 1993

Stay awake...

Jesus said to his disciples: “See that you are dressed for action and have your lamps lit. Be like men waiting for their master to return from the wedding feast, ready to open the door as soon as he comes and knocks. Happy those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Luke 12 : 35-37

Dear children! Also today I call you to open yourselves to prayer. Little children, you live in a time in which God gives great graces but you do not know how to make good use of them. You are concerned about everything else, but the least for the soul and spiritual life. Awaken from the tired sleep of your soul and say yes to God with all your strength. Decide for conversion and holiness. I am with you, little children, and I call you to perfection of your soul and of everything you do. Thank you for having responded to my call. March 25, 2009

New search feature added

Next month, this blog will be four years old and by then will have attracted half a million visits. In that time 1,352 items have been posted. Now you can search these posts very quickly with the aid of the new search feature at the top of the right-hand column. Type in any keyword and see what comes up.

You can also now subscribe to any new posts as they are added, but not ‘comments’ as this facility is not included on this blog.

Pontifical recognition for Cenacolo Community

During yesterday’s Angelus address (World Mission Sunday) in St Peter’s Square, Pope Bendict XVI welcomed those who gathered and also made mention of members of the Cenacolo Community in attendance:

“I exhort all of you to follow him on the path of holiness and to imitate his missionary zeal. I welcome Italian-speaking pilgrims with affection, in particular the members of Comunità Cenacolo, who for many years have helped young people, especially those who have become addicted to drugs, to find the path of life again meeting Jesus Christ.”

The members of the Cenacolo Community were in Rome to receive the new decree of recognition as an International Association of the Faithful of Pontifical Right.

The Cenacolo Community has two houses in the parish of Medjugorje, one for men and one for women. It’s is the men’s house, visited by tens of thousands of pilgrims each year, that has drawn global attention to the good work of the Community, and helped establish other houses throughout the world.

An important part of the daily programme for community members, according to the founder Sr Elvira, is the celebration of Mass and time spent in Adoration of the Blesssed Sacrament in the houses.

From the Comunità Cenacolo America, here is a report of the journey to recognition of the Community by the Church.

Our journey in the Church

The ecclesial journey of a work of God is evaluated by the Church in small steps of recognition, according to the growth and development of the life and specific charism of that particular work. Our ecclesial journey took its first steps on the Solemnity of Pentecost 1998. On that date, through the hands of His Excellency the Most Reverend Diego Bona, then Bishop of Saluzzo, Comunita Cenacolo was recognized as a Private Association of the Faithful for three years “ad experimentum.” After years of sharing her life with youth and serving them, on that day we received ecclesial recognition. From that moment, the Community was no longer only a good work of someone, but she became part of the Church, hands and heart of that Mother and Teacher who has served humanity for 2000 years and who proclaims the Risen One. Successively, on Pentecost 2001, Comunita Cenacolo was recognized as a Public Association of the Faithful for three years, again “ad experimentum.”

After the development and stability of the work matured through the years, our current Bishop of Saluzzo, His Excellency the Most Reverend Giuseppe Guerrini, definitively approved Comunita Cenacolo as a Public Association of the Faithful of diocesan right on December 8th 2005, Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.

History and precious gift of this new recognition

With the growth of Comunita Cenacolo beyond diocesan and national boundaries, many bishops throughout Europe and the world, in whose dioceses we are present, urged us to begin a journey of pontifical recognition of the work. Mother Elvira Petrozzi, founder of Comunita Cenacolo, participated as an auditor in the Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist in October 2005. She gave testimony of the “Eucharistic miracle” of resurrection of our youth, thanks to the celebration of the Holy Mass and Eucharistic Adoration in our houses. Only after the Synod did we perceive that the “hour” had come to begin in humility this journey to verify if the conditions existed to be recognized by the Holy See.

It had been suggested to us that we initiate the process of recognition as an International Association of the Faithful by the Pontifical Council for the Laity. Hearing the favorable opinion of our diocesan bishop, who has always fully supported and sustained our journey, we took our first steps. The following period was composed of careful development of the Community statutes according to the directives received, thanks to the collaboration of the experts who accompanied us in preparation of said draft.

This time of work was also a time of grace, because the various observations received during this journey helped us in a peaceful way to order and delineate everything the Holy Spirit, in the mystery of His love, had birthed in us through the years. Step by step we discovered our specific charism, always more clearly, thanks to the Church who guided us with her wisdom.

The precious gift of this recognition is the even stronger bond that unites us with the Holy Father, with the heart of the universal Church, and with her closest collaborators. With all our poverty, fragility, and smallness, we enter delicately and humbly into the great universal mission of the Church, Servant and Mother of humanity, who brings “good news to the poor, liberty to captives, and healing to the brokenhearted.” We are deeper in the heart of the Church, united to the heart of the Pope, a work of God placed in his hands and at his service, fully cognizant of this great, great gift.

The providential date

In June we received the news that our statutes were accepted and approved for five years. The Pontifical Council for the Laity indicated that it is customary that the decree of recognition be granted on a significant date. We chose July 16th, 2009, Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and birthday of the Community. It is beautiful to see the tender hand of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who guides us and accompanies us on this journey: at the end of our jubilee, the 25th anniversary of Comunita Cenacolo, the Church welcomes us in her universal heart and sends us forth into the world. It is a new beginning with new strength and a new light, with a new belonging, which requires greater maturity, responsibility, and commitment, but also has given us so very much joy.

Unplanned and clearly providential, the date the decree with be physically given to us coincides with another special date. October 16th is, in fact, the date on which “a man from a far away land,” John Paul II, was elected Pope. We also rejoice for this reason that we will be in Rome on that specific date to give thanks to Our Lord and the Virgin Mary. Our Community was born, developed, and grew under the pontificate of John Paul II, and now at the beginning of our 26th year of life, we receive pontifical recognition and our journey of ecclesial maturation continues, as we entrust ourselves to be guided by the sure hand of our Holy Father Benedict XVI. One hand in that of John Paul II and the other in that of Benedict XVI—with both our hands in theirs, we walk safely, securely, and confidently.

News about the journey of our sisters

During the preparation of the statutes according to the directives given by the Pontifical Council for the Laity, the role of our sisters was delineated more clearly. From the beginning, their journey as consecrated women has been that which is proper to the religious life, evidenced by their habit and veil and proclaimed by their public vows before the bishop. For this reason, we received the directive that their journey, though it originated from the same charism, has a particular identity guided by the norms of the canons proper to the religious life. Therefore, in accord with our diocesan bishop, we are preparing a statute for a Public Association of the Faithful of diocesan right, directed to become in the future an Institute of Consecrated Life for Women.

It is beautiful to see how different ways of life and participations in the charism of the Community have become delineated in this journey we are making with God, this journey validated by the Church. Each person can find his place of service in the kingdom of God, according to the individual call he has received and the openness of his own heart.

source: Comunità Cenacolo America

Medjugorje... fountain of grace

Dear children! Today again I am calling you to pray with your whole heart and day by day to change your life. Especially, dear children, I am calling that by your prayers and sacrifices you begin to live in holiness, because I desire that each one of you who has been to this fountain of grace will come to Paradise with the special gift which you shall give me, and that is holiness. Therefore, dear children, pray and daily change your life in order to become fully holy. I shall always be close to you. Thank you for having responded to my call. November 13, 1986

Look closely at the above image taken recently of a statue depicting Our Lady Queen of Peace and you will see droplets from a water fountain in front of the statue, a fountain of grace, so to speak, each droplet perhaps representing a grace bestowed by Our Lady, who is full of grace.

Also revealed in the photograph is Our Lady’s image in almost every droplet of water – as shown in the enlarged ‘right eye’ section below (turned upside down for clarity). To enlarge further, try using your web browser ‘view’ tab.

These inverted, mirror images of the statue set against the blue sky are not miraculous but described scientifically as “refractions”.

Nevertheless, they help visually to convey Our Lady’s meaning when she speaks of Medjugorje as a “fountain of grace”.

The statue and fountain is situated at the Holy Grounds cafe at the base of Apparition Hill, just below the last station of the Glorious mysteries.

Cardinal Schonborn speaks on Medjugorje

“It is a huge gift that the Mother of God wants to be so close to her children! She has shown that love at many other places in the world, but for many previous years is showing that nearness in Medjugorje. We can be grateful to God, who has, through his Mother, taken so many people in the last 30 years towards God’s love, for revealing to them God’s love, and because so many have felt healing and renewal.

“In the sacrament of confession they were able to feel love towards the Eucharistic Lord and, thanks to his Mother, towards her as well. Reconciliation in families, healings from drugs, addictions, and other miseries are her intentions. It is a huge sign of our time that Mary, in such concrete way, from such vicinity, and so simply, takes care of her children and dwells amongst them…

“Show what you have received and what you constantly receive here through graces from Medjugorje, reflect that and bring it to others.”

• Cardinal Christoph Schonborn, speaking at the end of a prayer meeting for peace held in Vienna Cathedral on September 15, 2009. The Medjugorje visionary, Marija Pavlovic was also present.

• source: Medjugorje Parish website

Near restful waters he leads me...

The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. Fresh and green are the pastures where he gives me repose. Near restful waters he leads me, to revive my drooping spirit. Psalm 22

• If anyone was to ask me about my recent 40-day visit to Medjugorje, the opening verse of the responsorial psalm of today’s Mass for the feast of St Margaret Mary Alacoque is the most fitting reply I can make, and amplified by the last verse of the Gospel reading:

Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light. Matthew 11 : 28-30

Feast of St Margaret Mary Alacoque

Dear children! This evening I pray you especially to venerate the Heart of my Son, Jesus. Make reparation for the wound inflicted on the Heart of my Son. That Heart is offended by all kinds of sins. Thank you for coming this evening. April 5, 1984

Do not forget...

Dear children! I have chosen this parish in a special way and I wish to lead it. I am guarding it in love and I want everyone to be mine. part message, March 1, 1984.

Cardinal’s comment on Medjugorje

People have the right to pray everywhere, including in Medjugorje.
• Cardinal Vinko Puljic, Archbishop of Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina.

New photos added to gallery

Around 250 new photos have been added to the Medjugorje Gallery

I am the true vine...

It is to the glory of my Father that you should bear much fruit, and then you will be my disciples. John 15 : 8

Dear children! Also today I call you to give thanks to God in your heart for all the graces which He gives you, also through the signs and colours that are in nature. God wants to draw you closer to himself and moves you to give him glory and thanks. Therefore, little children, I call you anew to pray, pray, pray and do not forget that I am with you. I intercede before God for each of you until your joy in him is complete. Thank you for having responded to my call. August 25, 2003

Up and running again...

Apologies for the recent absence of updates on this blog, but I was taking a break for six weeks (in Medjugorje).

Our Lady’s October message to Mirjana

Dear Children, As I look at you, my heart seizes with pain. Where are you going my children? Have you sunk so deeply into sin that you do not know how to stop yourselves? You justify yourselves with sin and live according to it. Kneel down beneath the Cross and look at my Son. He conquered sin and died so that you, my children, may live. Permit me to help you not to die but to live with my Son forever. Thank you! October 2, 2009