Our Lady’s “Catechesis on Sin”

July, 2025.

On August 2, 1981, a remarkable event occurred.
Our Lady appeared to the visionary Marija Pavlović in her home and instructed her to tell everyone in her neighborhood to gather on the threshing floor, just below the houses.
Marija was a little confused because Our Lady had already appeared to her in the church earlier that day and the prayers had concluded, but she obeyed anyway.
Around 10 p.m., about forty people had gathered on the threshing floor. When they began to pray together, Our Lady appeared and, through Marija, invited all present to touch her.
The people approached Marija one by one, and she showed them where they could touch Our Lady. After many touches, dirty handprints remained on Our Lady’s robes.
When Our Lady, soiled in this way, began to move away, Marija wept bitterly. Through her tears, she told the people what had happened and how their touches had “soiled” Our Lady — these were the sins of those who touched her.
One of those present cried out:
“People, brothers! Tomorrow morning, everyone to confession!”

Archbishop of Gdańsk, Mons. Tadeusz Wojda:
"I believe that Medjugorje, in this time, has become the confessional of the world. It is enough to see the priests who hear confessions — and there are many of them — they hear confessions in all languages. This morning, I was walking past the church and immediately met people who asked me for confession, so I sat down and heard their confessions.
I realized how necessary confession is here, especially in Western Europe, where people no longer go to confession because they no longer feel the need."

Our Lady's Message
March 24, 1985
“Today I wish to call you all to confession, even if you have confessed a few days ago. I wish that you all experience my feast day within yourselves. But you cannot experience it unless you abandon yourselves completely to God. Therefore, I am inviting you all to reconciliation with God! ”

"Seek God in nature..." - The Kravica waterfall

July, 2025.

The Kravica waterfall is a pearl of the Herzegovinian landscape, located on the Trebizat River, 18 km away from Medjugorje, in the village of Studenci near Ljubuški.
It is a unique natural beauty built by the Trebizat River flowing through limestone terrains and depositing tufa. The waterfall is about 120 meters wide and approximately 28 meters high.

The Virgin Mary speaks about nature in 18 of her messages. Here are some of those messages...

October 25, 1995
"Dear Children! Today I invite you to go into nature because there you will meet God the Creator. Today I invite you, little children, to thank God for all that He gives you. In thanking Him you will discover the Most High and all the goods that surround you. Little children, God is great and His love for every creature is great. Therefore, pray to be able to understand the love and goodness of God. In the goodness and the love of God the Creator, I also am with you as a gift. Thank you for having responded to my call."

August 25, 1999
"Dear children! Also today I call you to give glory to God the Creator in the colors of nature. He speaks to you also through the smallest flower about His beauty and the depth of love with which He has created you. Little children, may prayer flow from your hearts like fresh water from a spring. May the wheat fields speak to you about the mercy of God towards every creature. That is why,renew prayer of thanksgiving for everything He gives you. Thank you for having responded to my call."

July 25, 2001
"Dear children! In this time of grace, I call you to come even closer to God through your personal prayer. Make good use of the time of rest and give your soul and your eyes rest in God. Find peace in nature and you will discover God the Creator Whom you will be able to give thanks to for all creatures; then you will find joy in your heart. Thank you for having responded to my call."


August 25, 2003
“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 colors 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.”

September 25, 2012
“Dear children! When in nature you look at the richness of the colors which the Most High gives to you, open your heart and pray with gratitude for all the good that you have and say: ‘I am here created for eternity’ – and yearn for heavenly things because God loves you with immeasurable love. This is why He also gave me to you to tell you: ‘Only in God is your peace and hope, dear children’. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

March 25, 2019
“Dear children! This is a time of grace. As nature renews itself for a new life, you also are called to conversion. Decide for God. Little children, you are empty and do not have joy, because you do not have God. Therefore pray until prayer becomes your life. In nature seek God who created you, because nature speaks and fights for life and not for death. Wars are reigning in hearts and nations, because you do not have peace and you do not see, little children, a brother in your neighbor. Therefore return to God and to prayer. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

Medjugorje – The confessional of the world

April, 2024.

Medjugorje is not only a place of prayer, but also a place of reconciliation and new beginnings. It is precisely through confession that many people find peace, meaning, and a deeper connection with their faith.

Međugorje is one of the most well-known pilgrimage sites of our time, especially recognized for its strong emphasis on the sacrament of confession. Many call it “the confessional of the world” because thousands of pilgrims from different countries and cultures go to confession there every day.

In the spirituality of Međugorje, confession holds a central place. The emphasis is not only on the acknowledgment of sin, but also on true conversion of the heart. According to the messages of Our Lady as conveyed by the visionaries, the faithful are called to regular confession—often even once a month—in order to maintain spiritual purity and closeness to God.

The uniqueness of Međugorje also lies in the many testimonies of people who describe profound spiritual experiences during confession. Many speak of a sense of peace, liberation, and a new beginning. These experiences contribute to Međugorje being regarded as a place of powerful spiritual transformation.

In addition to its spiritual significance, confession in Međugorje also has an organizational distinctiveness: it is available in many languages, and a large number of priests participate daily in hearing the confessions of pilgrims. This enables every visitor to approach the sacrament in their own language.

Msgr. Séamus Hegarty, Archbishop of Derry, Ireland:
“You shall recognize them by their fruits. And the fruits here are so strikingly clear and powerful that they cannot be ignored. For me, the most significant moment in Međugorje was while I was listening to confessions, and I am certain that in those three hours I heard more meaningful confessions, coming from the depths of the heart, than in twenty-one years of my priesthood.
Nothing else could have happened to me except that I was deeply touched by the evident action of divine grace...”

Stop cursing my son!

March, 2023.

A few kilometers from Medjugorje, along the road from Ljubuški, a striking image speaks to every passerby: the Mother holding her lifeless Son… and the plea: “Stop cursing my Son!”
(croatian:Prestanite mi psovati Sina!)
These words are not just a message — they are a cry.
A cry of a Mother.
A cry of Heaven.

Blasphemy is not an ordinary sin.
It is a direct wound against God, a rejection of His love.
And yet, in cursing, man does not diminish God — he diminishes himself.
He turns away from the very source of life, peace, and grace.

As the Catechism teaches, sin rises against God's love and destroys charity in the human heart.
Blasphemy, in particular, darkens the soul and distances it from the light of God.

The saints spoke of this with gravity.

Saint Jerome warns:
“Blasphemy is more terrible than any other sin. It is the impious speech of the mouth against God. Every other sin, when compared with blasphemy, is incomparably smaller.”

Saint Bernardine of Siena adds:
“It seems that every other sin arises from human weakness or ignorance, but blasphemy arises solely from human malice. By blasphemy, God—the infinite Being—is offended; therefore, the malice and guilt of blasphemy are immeasurable.”

To curse is to repay love with insult.
To receive everything — life, breath, blessings — and respond with contempt.

It is the language of emptiness, a voice that echoes not from heaven, but from the depths of darkness.

For just as God speaks through the pure of heart, so disorder and evil find their voice in the one who curses.

But this is not only a personal matter...

Blasphemy wounds families.
It poisons speech.
It weakens the moral fabric of a society.

It becomes, as Saint John Paul II teaches, in his apostolic exhortation Reconciliation and Penance (1984), speaks of blasphemy as a “social sin”, which is “the result of the accumulation and concentration of many personal sins”.

And yet, there is hope.

Every word can be changed.
Every heart can be renewed.
Every sin can be forgiven.

The call remains — gentle, but urgent:

Stop. Return. Choose blessing instead of curse.

Sr. Muriel Geisler, a nun who dedicated 40 years of her life to humanitarian work

March, 2023.

At the Kovačica Cemetery in Međugorje, just a few meters behind the grave of Slavko Barbarić, lies the grave of the American nun Sr. Muriel Geisler. She dedicated the last forty years of her life to humanitarian work in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The affection and respect the people of Međugorje and surrounding villages had for Sr. Muriel are evident even six years after her passing, as her grave remains full of candles, flowers, and pictures from families and children who pray for her and her intercession.

Sr. Muriel Geisler (1924–2020) was originally from Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Cenacle in New York, USA. After forty years of service within her order, she felt the call of the Virgin Mary to dedicate her life to missionary work. She arrived in Međugorje from the United States in 1992, in the midst of the Croatian War of Independence. Initially, she devoted herself to humanitarian work, providing food and assistance to refugees, organizing aid through donations from Ireland and the United States. In 1999, she was joined by Mary Walsh, who had retired from her position at the Internal Revenue Service.

Through her humanitarian organization, St. Joseph The Worker LTD, based in Chicago with its headquarters in Međugorje, she built two retirement homes (in Ljubuški and Rasno), a hospice for the terminally ill (Ljubuški), and began a sports and rehabilitation center for children with disabilities in Potpolje. She also provided aid to numerous refugees and people in need throughout the region. The residents of Međugorje and nearby villages often saw the familiar faces of Sr. Muriel Geisler and her collaborator Mary Walsh driving their van around the villages, delivering food supplies to those in need.

After a brief illness, she peacefully passed away in the Lord on July 21, 2020, at the age of 96.

For their efforts, Sr. Muriel Geisler and her assistant Mary Walsh were declared honorary citizens of Ljubuški.

Prophetic image 1974 of painter Vlado Falak

March, 2023.

“Our Lady Above Medjugorje” (120 × 80 cm) is a painting created on the eve of the Feast of the Assumption in 1974, seven years before the first apparitions in Medjugorje. It was painted by the self-taught artist Vlado Falak from Šurmanci, a village located only about two kilometers from Medjugorje.
It is believed that this work by the self-taught artist was a sign foretelling the apparitions of Our Lady in Medjugorje.

Depicting Our Lady floating above the Medjugorje landscape—the church, vineyards, Križevac, and what is now known as Apparition Hill—the painter gifted the work to the parish priest at the time, Fra Luka Sušac, and the chaplain, Fra Jozo Jolić. They placed it in the choir loft of St. James Church in Medjugorje.
For a long time, the painting hung on the wall of the church choir, as if prophetically pointing to the future apparitions in the Medjugorje parish. Writing about the first days of the apparitions, Fra Jozo Jolić regarded the painting as one of the signs preceding them.
When asked how he came up with the idea to paint such an image, Vlado answered clearly: “It is simply a sign that God’s and Our Lady’s plans cannot be foreseen. I could ask ‘why’ a hundred times and still not know the answer…”

Vlado’s testimony:
“In 1991, on March 25, I was admitted to the Sveti Duh Hospital in Zagreb, where my appendix, right ureter, and right kidney were removed. I arrived at the hospital with a malignant retroperitoneal fibroma, and after the operation my condition worsened, so I underwent two additional surgeries. I received 20 units of blood, which did not help, as chronic sepsis developed.
When I realized that the doctors could not help me, on the ninth evening after the operation I cried out: ‘My Lady, let it be according to your will, but I beg you to help me stay alive for the sake of my children.’ By morning, my condition had changed! The sepsis disappeared.
When I was discharged from the hospital, I thanked Dr. Gilja for saving me. He said he had done everything he could, but did not know what had saved me, and advised me to take a prayer book and go to Križevac when I returned home. I did not tell him that I had painted that image in 1974, nor the one in 1964, nor that the night before my recovery I had asked Our Lady for help…”

Vlado Falak passed away on March 28, 2019, at the age of 79 in Canada, where he was also buried. His painting, which many consider an announcement of Our Lady’s coming to a small Herzegovinian village, is today kept in the monastery of the Sisters of the Wounded Family in Vionica.

AFTER THREE DAYS AND 30 HOURS AT THE BORDER Mothers and children from Ukraine arrived in Medjugorje

March, 2022.

After three days of driving, waiting at the border for 30 hours, a bus with 42 refugees from Ukraine (mothers and children) arrived in Medjugorje tonight. From the madness of the war from Ivano-Frankivsk, they arrived in Herzegovina to find protection and refuge.
With them came two drivers, both over the age of recruitment, as the younger ones have to stay to defend the state. A total of 47 of them left, but five of them remained in Hungary and found their current peace there.
"It was hard to drive for three days, but especially to wait at the border. The children were exhausted from the hard road, but we had to go to save their lives, they are innocent," said one of the bus drivers.
"In our place Ivan Frankivsk, the military base and the airport were destroyed on the first day. Our people are under great stress, but the real fighters have a big heart. The Russians will have big problems here. Putin knows we will stand up straight. We will not surrender. "Putin thought it would be easy with our army, but it is not going. We will fight to the death," the bus driver said.
Everyone wants to defend their country.
"Almost all of our friends have gone into battle. If you have three or more children, you have the right to leave the country. A lot of such families have come here tonight, but their fathers and husbands did not want to leave their homeland."
In Medjugorje, people will be safe. “People have welcomed us here with open hearts and I thank them for that" said the Ukrainian bus driver.

The Auxiliary Bishop of Barcelona in Spain blessed the statue of Our Lady of Medjugorje

February 2022.

Last Sunday, February 20, in Spain, a statue of the Queen of Peace was blessed in the house for the reception and spiritual renewal of "Villa Gospa", owned by the cultural association Amor de Déu in San Vicente de Montalto, near Barcelona.
The event began at 12 noon with Holy Mass, followed by lunch and agape with more than 500 believers. The rosary was prayed from 4 pm and at the end the statue of the Virgin Mary was blessed, an event that everyone has been waiting for. His Eminence Mons. Sergi Gordo Rodríguez, Auxiliary Bishop of Barcelona, ​​led the ceremony in association with the local councilor, the Rev. Pere Montagut, and 11 other priests and many young people.
Believers from Spain made a faithful copy of the star and pedestal from Medjugorje's Apparition Hill, while a statue of Our Lady bought in Medjugorje was taken to Barcelona last August when some members of the Amor de Déu were on pilgrimage here.
Oriol Vives, President of the Centro Medjugorje Foundation, finally enthusiastically addressed the audience with a few words of thanks, taking the opportunity to present gifts to the bishop and councilor with love prepared for the occasion.

Fr. Massimo Fusarelli: I am making a pilgrimage here to invoke a living faith in Jesus Christ

January 2022.

On the last day of 2021, pilgrims from Sweden, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Austria, Ukraine, Slovakia, Slovenia, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Mexico and Croatia visited Medjugorje. Prayer vigil in the church of St. James's in Medjugorje a day before the Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary and World Peace Day began at 10 pm, followed by a Mass at 11:30 pm, which marked the beginning of a new civil year, and Holy Mass was presided over by General Massimo Fusarelli, General of the Order of Friars Minor, with the concelebration of about a hundred priests. The Provincial of the Franciscan Province of Herzegovina, Fr. Miljenko Šteko, welcomed him to Medjugorje, and the parish priest of Medjugorje, Fr. Marinko Šakota, thanked him for coming, and in the end wished many pilgrims a Happy New Year in their languages.

"May the Lord turn his face to you and grant you peace. On this first day of the year, annually dedicated to the Mother of God and to prayer for peace, the words of the blessing of Aaron give us light for the new time that is opening before us: it is the face of God that shows us the way and gives us peace. Let us not begin the year trusting in ourselves and in our own ability to sow and obtain peace. We know that peace is a gift from above, a blessing addressed to us, a promise of good: Christ is our peace - it is a gift that comes from above, it is a blessing to us, it is a promise of good", were the words with which Fr. Massimo Fusarelli began his homily and called on everyone to "accept this gift of peace."
"In this solemnity which completes the octave of Christmas, we are allowed, as we prayed at the beginning of the Mass, to taste the first fruits of his merciful love. For peace is truly a gift of God and not the result of our own poor efforts'', Fr. Massimo explained.
''I have come as a pilgrim to this shrine to begin the New Year and to bring here with joy and faith especially all the brothers of the Order of Friars Minor, the Poor Clares and the many members of the Franciscan Family. I have made myself a pilgrim here in order to invoke on behalf of all of us a more living faith in Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, the centre of the cosmos and of history. I am a pilgrim here as the successor of St Francis, who "surrounded the Mother of Jesus with an unspeakable love, because she had made our brother, the Lord of majesty. To her honour Francis sang special praises, raised prayers, offered so many and such affections that human language could not express them." Thomas of Celano tells us this.
In this place, for many years now, many people have seen the flame of faith rekindle as they listen to the word of God and celebrate the sacraments, especially those of Reconciliation and the Eucharist.
And it is here that freedom opens up to discover the gift of prayer, especially through silence and adoration. And this is why so many have been able to taste the gift of reconciliation and peace in this place. Do we not find all this in the Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our sister in faith?
As St. Francis said we can truly become with Mary the house, the palace, the tabernacle of God in the midst of the world. As on her, so on us the Spirit of the Lord will rest and make his dwelling and abode with us. And we are children of our heavenly Father, and spouses, brothers and mothers of our Lord Jesus Christ. In this way we can generate him through the holy work that must shine as an example for others.
This is the new life, the fruit of the peace that comes from welcoming Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary: this is the gift that many have experienced in this place and that many others will be able to receive. Let us pray that this work of God may continue and grow according to his will.
As on Her, the Spirit of the Lord will rest on us, and will find a home and abode in us", said Fr. Massimo Fusareli, and then concluded :"Our Lady, Queen of Peace, who made the Supreme Lord our brother, may continue to bless us and accompany us in peace. Happy New Year! Amen.''

Christmas greetings from the parish priest of Medjugorje, Fr. Marinko Šakota

December 2021.

Fr. Marinko Šakota, Medjugorje Parish Priest, sent Christmas greetings to the parishioners, pilgrims and all the faithful in his message :

Celebrating Christmas: The Word became flesh. That word is life and the light that enlightens. Evangelist John advises us what the path of being born of God is to live with the Word who is light, who enlightens, dwell with that Word, read it and listen to it. Then it would become a friend, a guiding star along the way. In it we will receive many advices similar to those received by the three wise men of the East. We will be able to expose the Herods and the glitters of Jerusalem and recognise the right path and true values, even if they were far from the public eye: in a simple stable. We will also discover the power: that we are children of God, beloved sons and beloved daughters of God.
We decide whether to remain only born "of blood and of the will of the flesh" or to be born again of God, anew every day.
Merry Christmas to all parishioners of the parish of Medjugorje, all pilgrims and to all the people of good will!

A new Apostolic Visitator for Medjugorje appointed

November 2021.

The Press Office of the Holy See announced today at noon, November 27, 2021, the news that Pope Francis had appointed Archbishop Msgr. Aldo Cavalli, titular Archbishop Vibo Valentia (Vibo Valentia - lat. Dioecesis Vibonensis), former Apostolic Nuncio to the Netherlands, as the Apostolic Visitor with a special role for the parish of Medjugorje, indefinitely and ad nutum Sanctae Sedis.

It is a continuation of the mission carried out in Medjugorje by Archbishop Henryk Hoser, S.A.C., who died on August 13, 2021 in Warsaw.

Msgr. Aldo Cavalli was born on October 18, 1946 in Lecco (Italy). He was ordained a priest of the diocese of Bergamo on March 18, 1971. After being ordained to the priesthood, he taught literature at the Seminary, during which time he completed his studies in political science at a Catholic university. He has been at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in Rome since 1975, crowning his stay with a postgraduate degree in theology and ecclesiastical law. He served in several nunciatures as the Secretary and in the State Secretariat of the Holy See. He was ordained a bishop on August 26, 1996 in the Cathedral of Bergamo. He has been the Apostolic Nuncio to Chile, Colombia, Malta and Libya, and since March 21 2015, he has been the Nuncio to the Netherlands and the Permanent Representative of the Holy See to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

On the occasion of this appointment, the Provincial of the Franciscan Province of Herzegovina, Fr. Miljenko Šteko, said: “I express my deepest gratitude to the Holy Father Pope Francis for appointing a new Apostolic Visitator with a special role for the parish of Medjugorje, represented by Archbishop Cavalli. We see this appointment as a sign of the careful attention of the High Priest for this place of pilgrimage. We welcome the new Apostolic Visitor with a deep sense of gratitude and respect as his predecessor, the benevolent Msgr. Hoser, whose birthday is, quite significantly, on this day. May the new Apostolic Visitor in the new ministry, by which he represents the Holy Father and the Holy See in Medjugorje and in the local Church, be accompanied by the heavenly help of the Most Holy Mother of God, the Blessed Virgin Mary!”

“I am truly happy because of this news. I was wonderfully surprised by the news that Pope Francis had appointed Msgr. Aldo Cavalli as the new Apostolic Visitor with a special role for the parish of Medjugorje. We are grateful to God for Msgr. Henryk Hoser for being with us and for having done so much for Medjugorje and we believe that Msgr. Cavalli shall continue his path. We are glad for this news. Thank you, Pope Francis, for sending us Archbishop Cavalili as Apostolic Visitor with a special role for the parish of Medjugorje”, said the parish priest of Medjugorje, Fr. Marinko Šakota, after the announcement of this news.

The 21st anniversary of the death of Fr. Slavko Barbarić was marked in Medjugorje

November 2021.

Today, on November 24, 2021, the 21st anniversary of the death of Fr. Slavko Barbarić was marked in Medjugorje. During the day, two walks were organized to Fr. Slavko's grave, one from his hometown in Dragićina, and the other from the high school in Čitluk, which bears his name. High School Slavko Barbarić celebrated their day with this procession.

Fr. Slavko died on this day, 21 years ago, in the afternoon, finishing the devotion of the Way of the Cross on Križevac, so also today we prayed the Way of the Cross on Križevac, and at 6 pm in the church of St. James. The Holy Mass for Fr. Slavko Barbarić was celebrated in Medjugorje, which was presided over by the Provincial of the Franciscan Province of Herzegovina, Fr. Miljenko Šteko, with the concelebration of the Medjugorje parish priest Fr. Marinko Šakota and 22 other priests.

Referring to the Mass readings, Fr. Miljenko Šteko in his homily also spoke about the life and works of Fr. Slavko Barbarić.

''In his dream, he would be awake and was looking at images that were etched in his mind, in his head, in his heart, in his breath, in his life. He wanted to make so many things much different, more pleasing to God, and turn so many human abodes into a house of prayer. He would often feel that so many leaders, writers of all kinds, national champions were standing in the way. They wanted to direct the course of events, measure time, load people on their shoulders, and not even to move a little finger.

“I am truly happy because of this news. I was wonderfully surprised by the news that Pope Francis had appointed Msgr. Aldo Cavalli as the new Apostolic Visitor with a special role for the parish of Medjugorje. We are grateful to God for Msgr. Henryk Hoser for being with us and for having done so much for Medjugorje and we believe that Msgr. Cavalli shall continue his path. We are glad for this news. Thank you, Pope Francis, for sending us Archbishop Cavalili as Apostolic Visitor with a special role for the parish of Medjugorje”, said the parish priest of Medjugorje, Fr. Marinko Šakota, after the announcement of this news.

However, Fr. Slavko would step forward always. He would enter into the gloomy pains, into the souls of so many, into the misery and misery of many, into the ruin of people crushed by immorality, addiction, hatred, division, scarcity. For him, there was no lost man, no lost battle. Everyone had to be hugged, saved, given accommodation. Every battle with evils and human evils had to be won with God's help, with Our Lady's intercession", said Fr. Miljenko Šteko, adding that he was "a straw of salvation for so many who were drowning".

"They grabbed the skirts of his habit, grabbed his hand feverishly, fell into a spasm of tears into his arms. And he was just arranging things in his soul and praying for Our Lady's intercession, immensely pious with a rosary in his hand. He turned the youth of the world like a river under his Zion, here at the Youth Festival. He led the addicts in columns to the Merciful Father, gave them refuge, consolation, and helped them on the difficult path of returning to life. He gave the village of Mother's Love to the weakest, just born. He gave refuge to family warmth and security", said Fr. Miljenko, who in his homily called Fr. Slavko a man of prayer, who "felt best on his knees, before the Blessed Sacrament".

"After prayer he would open his eyes, soul, heart completely, and realising the need of that man, that woman, that husband, he would clearly see the wounded child, his need. Despair and misery would ripen from afar, which completely robbed people's eyes, and in fact they were just the windows of their whispered souls with sin. That needed to be released. And that was what Fr. Slavko did! Tirelessly, stretching from his first extreme, to that second extreme, always with warmth and gentleness, a life that no longer distinguished time, for twilight and dawn met him in greeting. And so, from day to day, until he was transformed into eternity 21 years ago", said Fr. Miljenko Šteko, Provincial of the Franciscan Province of Herzegovina, in his homily on the 21st anniversary of the death of Fr. Slavko Barbarić.

We want to follow Our Lady

From „Glasnik mira“, November 2021.

In fasting and prayer, the heart is opened to God and people. It is a time of grace, conversion, and renewal relationships with oneself, others, God and nature. God speaks powerfully in prayer through His own words, through the people around us, through bread, through sound, through “ordinary” events and over stone and sun. In gracious silence everything begins to tell us about God and His love.

This experience was experienced by many at the seminar of fasting, prayer and silence held in Medjugorje from October 24 to 29, 2021 for a group of pilgrims from Latvia. The seminar was led by Fr. Marinko Šakota. Each participant learned something new, experienced a kind of spiritual discovery and made a concrete decision for himself.

Family spiritual renewal for pilgrims from Austria

From „Glasnik mira“, November 2021.

The last week of October in Medjugorje is usually marked by the numerous arrivals of Austrian pilgrims. It is because on October 26, two days are celebrated in Austria statehood, holidays that then merge with the weekend and so they get more days that they gladly use for some the trip. Those who believe, most often then make a pilgrimage to Medjugorje. This year, despite the pandemic, it was about 12 buses of pilgrims from Austria. She was among them is an interesting group led by a married couple SCHALLAUER. On the pilgrimage from October 23 to 28 In 2021 there were 42. The group consisted of families with children and this was their family pilgrimage organized as a spiritual renewal for parents and children.

Pilgrims from New Jersey (USA):
This is nowhere else in the world

From „Glasnik mira“, November 2021.

Rev. Ariel Hernandez (47 years) is originally from Argentina, but is currently serving in the Roman Catholic the diocese of Camden in New Jersey in United States, consisting of 62 parishes and about 475,000 Catholics in the southern states of New Jersey in counties Atlantic, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem. He arrived in Medjugorje on a pilgrimage from Saturday, October 29 to Friday 5. November 2021 with a group of about fifteen of its parishioners. Among them are his sister and her fiancé who have arrived from Argentina and who are like and most pilgrims, for the first time in Medjugorje.

Medjugorje is a special place for them to which they come regularly once annually since 2002. "When it comes once, it changes you so much and we feel like we are here as at home, as Heaven is here and everything is here! ”- says Rev. Ariel who thanks to the Queen of Peace he became one a priest in the diocese of Camden. And so he promised Our Lady that for as long as he could alive and well, come here to her how would thank her for the gift of the priesthood and the opportunity to help their people from Latin America.

They would usually come in larger groups of 40-50 people, but they are now due pandemics decided to come in smaller number to reconnoiter how everything will go through the journey, and are happy to everything is going normally. They are also before combined a trip to Medjugorje with by visiting another Marian shrines in Europe (Fatima, Lourdes…), but this time, also because pandemics, decided to stay all day in Medjugorje, with a possible visit churches in the area.

Return airline ticket from Philadelphia via Frankfurt to Split and back it cost them about $ 1,400. Most of them were eager to come so they could save it, and his the sisters and the fiancé then helped each other financially so that they could pay for your trip from Argentina to America and then here. "I find something in Medjugorje that I can't find it anywhere else in the world: family togetherness and religiosity which people here still 'have in veins'. I’m not saying people in North America aren’t religious, they are, but their religiosity is much more in their words than in the way they live. There is no place that has a prayer like this adoration as in Medjugorje, where confession as in Medjugorje and the families who received us who are behaving towards us - as if we were members of their families. Not, there is no such thing in the world!

Also here I still see a living faith in the mystical Jesus presence in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. In America, people know that theoretically, priests tell them about it, but that realization is somewhere in the head, not in the heart. Also, code there are a lot of us protesters so their influence is strong more on Bible study. There is no rosary prayer or worship The Blessed Virgin Mary, which leaves a certain void in their spirituality, and then to the people who follow it. That's why we try to bring Medjugorje to our parishes. Our country needs us too we have a great responsibility and we have so much more work! ”- concluded Rev. Ariel Hernandez.

Pilgrims from Albania in Medjugorje

From „Glasnik mira“, October 2021.

From 1 to 3 October 2021 in Medjugorje there was also a group of 46 pilgrims from Albania. With them are two priests and four nuns. Pilgrims come from different cities of Albania: Shkodër (Shkodra), Lezhë (Leš) and Tirana. They gathered through the agency "Best Travel" Adventures ”from Shkodër run by Mrs. Simon Bushi. Most of them have already been there several times in Medjugorje, they know Simon and follow her through her Facebook and Instagram pages and so join the pilgrimages that organizes.

They arrived in Medjugorje on Friday, October 1 after eight hours of travel. They are still that day used to go to the Apparition Hill. On Saturday morning they were at Križevac, then at visit the Cenacolo community. It's afternoon visited the monastery of St. Ante in Ljubuški where they had Holy Mass. They went back to evening adoration in Medjugorje. On Sunday in the morning they visited Mother's Village and after that they continue to return home.

"Pilgrims are very satisfied and happy, Many thanks to me for organizing the trip, but and I thank them because without them neither do I. I could come "- says Simon, and continues to bring groups of pilgrims from Albania for 10 years. I had groups of this May, June, for the Youth Festival there were us is 50, and for the Assumption. We have come now and in another week I will come with one smaller group. For the arrival of those unvaccinated they did a PCR test, and for the return they did not we need nothing. We trust God to do everything as soon as possible. ”- concludes Simon.

SPAIN IN THE SIGN OF MEDJUGORJE

From „Glasnik mira“, October 2021.

Premiere of the film "Medjugorje, There is a Call for You Too" .
Great promotion of Medjugorje in Spain it happenedat previews and premieres documentary film "MEDJUGORJE, There is one call and for you ”by screenwriter and director Jesús García-Colomera and his friend Borja Martinez in the production of the audiovisual production company "Our Lady arts “.

On Friday, October 1, the Prime Minister film in Madrid’s most famous cinema, on the red carpet, they walked people whose lives have changed in Medjugorje and who give theirs in the film testimonies of the innumerable graces given by Our Lady in this little Herzegovinian place sends to the whole country. Along with the film’s authors, film premieres and premieres participated Petar Ljubičić are "our" Medjugorje-Spanish guides who bring pilgrims to Medjugorje.

Spanish media also state how it is over the weekend this documentary was one of the 3 most watched film in cinemas throughout Spain. It started that way on October 1st its distribution in over 50 cinemas throughout Spain. On this way the message of Medjugorje will resonate even more more and more widely in this country.

In Spain, a lot of people got involved in promoting the film, and for Jesús it is significant how commercial the show is film in Spanish cinemas began just in the year when marks the 40th Anniversary of Our Lady's apparitions. Hence Jesus hope their film will also contribute to that celebration. The Nakin premiere in Spain is followed by the screening of the film in Latin American countries, and translation is underway film in English to be available for screening in non-Spanish-speaking countries. They are also hoping for a Croatian translation.

With a permanent team of 5 people, technicians, actors and translators who dubbed from Croatian to Spanish, about 40 people worked on the film. Recall that the film "MEDJUGORJE, There is one call for you ”, based on a book by Jesús García Colomeri wrote 10 years ago year: "WE ARE BACK" "Estamos de vuelta), Testimony of one of a Spanish pilgrim about his incredible experience in Medjugorje. With numerous uncertainties on this they worked on the project for more than two and a half years. A total of six times they were in Medjugorje for making the film, from that was five times during the pandemic, and twice they were in Zagreb and once on Badia, to record conversation with Fr. Jozo Zovko. From On the first day, Fr. Jozo, together with Fr. Marinko Šakota, supported this film.

They also recorded conversations with them Jakov, Mirjana and Ivan. Vicka and Mary had agreed to film, but because of the pandemic these encounters did not could realize. In the film, they actually retell their experiences from first arrival in Medjugorje, which they changed his life (his friend became a priest, and he consecrated himself testimony of Medjugorje). And now 15 years later they realized they were not only their lives changed, than a lot of people are working around them their changes changed.
Movie therefore it contains their testimonies, the testimonies of people who are because of their conversion changed and testimonies the protagonists of the events themselves in Medjugorje. They recorded so much material that it could be made into a 15-hour film, so it is The hardest part was actually choosing The “most important” parts that fit in the two hours the film lasts.
The film is divided into two parts: Part 1 is the CHRONICLE OF MEDJUGORJE (testimonies of first witnesses Our Lady's apparitions), and part 2 THE FRUITS OF MEDJUGORJE and testimonies.

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JESÚS GARCÍA COLOMER was born in Madrid in 1977. He worked for a Catholic television station that hired him in 2006. sent to make a short report on a small a place in the former Yugoslavia where Our Lady is reportedly appearing. He and the marketing director who came with him had only one goal: record a 'story' that can sell well! Therefore, the main motives they wanted to capture were an apparition, a seer and a miracle. But none of that came true. When they came, and in 2006, from Spain to Medjugorje organized perhaps three pilgrimages a year. So they are had to wait for the first organized pilgrimage that was moving and that had a three-day spiritual renewal for the first stage of the pilgrimage Jozo Zovko in Široki Brijeg. Those three days had already changed his life - that was, they were enough for his conversion.

They also came to Medjugorje, composed a story and returned to Madrid. This friend of his, the marketing director, after that trip he goes to the seminary and today is a priest, and Jesús begins to write a book about Medjugorje. His book is called "WE'RE BACK" (Estamos de vuelta), Testimony of a Spanish pilgrim about his incredible experience in Medjugorje. Issued was 10 years ago and has contributed greatly to being in Spain expand information about Medjugorje and let people know what is going on Medjugorje is happening. At that time it was about everything in Medjugorje happening and happening, very little knew. Also, thanks to his book, a lot of people came and met Medjugorje. How times have changed and how fewer and fewer people read, and all more ‘watched’, Jesús comes up with the idea of founding one audiovisual production house. That is how "Our Lady of Arts" was created - a digital platform for the production and distribution of high quality a accessible written and audiovisual content to spread the story of to people and to God through mobile and portable devices. The goal is to expand evangelization in this virtual and digital way. So far they are made a film about Lourdes, that is, about the volunteers who lead patients on pilgrimage to Lourdes, and is called: LOURDES, THE HANDS OF OUR LADY (2019).

FOUR YOUNG PEOPLE FROM MEDJUGORJE ENTERED THE POSTULATURE OF HERZEGOVINA FRANCISCAN PROVINCES

From „Glasnik mira“, October 2021.

This year, the parish of Medjugorje can be very proud. Even four young men from the parish of St. James in Medjugorje, 10. September 2021 in Mostar, they decided to become religious invitation, ie entry into the postulate of Herzegovina of the Franciscan Province.
This year there are a total of eight candidates and they are:
Petar Bunoza, Parish of St. Ante, Humac; Stipe Iličić, Parish of St. John the Baptist, Ružići; Karlo Šakota, Parish of Christ the King, Čitluk: Frano Šego, Parish BZ BDM, Posušje; Andrija-Ante Vasilj, Parish of St. Jakov, Medjugorje and Franjo Vasilj, Parish of St. Jakov, Medjugorje. Mateo Kozina, Parish of St. Jakov, Medjugorje; Josip Pavlović, Parish of St. Jakov, Medjugorje.

Official reception in the postulate, prescribed by the liturgical rite it was done in the monastery chapel in Mostar, on the feast of Wounds of St. Francis, on Friday, September 17, 2021 at 7 p.m., with a silver celebration the anniversary of the mission of the four "older brothers" - Fr. Marinko Šakota, Fr. Valentin Vukoje, Fr. Ljubo Kurtović and Fr. Miljenko Šteka. Eight candidates for postulation were presented by the educator of postulants, Fr. Iko Skoko, and the Provincial, Fr. Miljenko Šteko, received them in postulation.

At the beginning, Fr. Iko greeted everyone present: "It is good that we are together gathered together as one Franciscan family on the feast of the Wounds of St. Francis, and the occasion is the various anniversaries that our individual brothers celebrate the liturgical reception of the new generation of postulants… Certainly, such gatherings help us to hear again and deepen that Francis' thought from the beginning of our Order that his brothers are "a gift from heaven." Father ”, and to make us aware and deepen the thought that we are one to another, and all together "the gift of Heavenly Father."

IN MEMORIAM Marinko Ivanković 1940.-2021.

From „Glasnik mira“, October 2021.

Sad residents of Bijaković and Medjugorje received the news that one of the first witnesses to the apparition of the Queen of Peace in Medjugorje and a great friend of the seers, Marinko Ivanković, fell asleep in the Lord on Thursday, August 19, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
He was one of those who immediately believed in Our Lady apparitions not only because he knew the children but because Our Lady instilled in his heart a love of faith, of God. He loved Our Lady and now he has gone to Her hug.

Marinko was with a few other locals in those first days exposed to torture, pressure from the then police and communists authorities, constant arrests, interrogations, even attempts to be hired as an informant to the then police… Of course, to which he refused to consent. He boldly testified about Our Lady apparitions, enduring persecutions for their faith and faith in apparitions.
In addition to living the faith daily, his love for He testified to Our Lady most loudly and tirelessly in public shared his memories of the first days of the apparitions, recounting the circumstances of the time, the actions of the police, the reactions of the faithful, bravely holding the seer…

Marinko was a self-denying and humble servant in the vineyard The Lord's. "Life is made up of little things we should have rejoiced and we forgot that. ” He would often order to us who "cared" for everyday problems. Sir by manners, which he never used his labor and effort hard-earned status to keep others from high watching. Marinko was great in his modesty and modest in his greatness, unobtrusive, self-effacing and quiet, armed with patience, measured in word and deed, open-earted, accepting everyone without prejudice.
Dear Marinko, may God bless us all has given through you. Pray for us as you did in your life. As we look to Christ, the Lord of life and death, we firmly believe and trust in God’s mercy that we will encounters in Heaven again.