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| l Cecilia Becerra l Angelo Casimiro l Paul Gray l Julia Hamilton l Lorena Iniguez l l Doreen Munzenberger l Colleen Muzer l Brenda Nunez l Julianna O'Brien l Janine Sadowski l l Steve Shawl l Paula Sisco l Steve Shawl l Aneta Yamraj l Jane Young l | |||||
 ANGELO CASIMIRO December 1-3, 2000 I discovered Medjugorje only a few months ago. I read a book about the Virgin Mary and the apparitions she had made in the past two-thousand years (Guadalupe, Lourdes, Fatima, Medjugorje, etc.). I was very skeptical about the apparitions and felt that I didn't need to believe in miracles in order to believe in God. I'm eating my words now. Here it is, a couple of months later, and I am in Medjugorje, of all places. But first, I want to share a little background about what my spiritual faith was like before all this happened. My spiritual faith was very weak. I had been raised a Roman Catholic and never felt the need to join another religion. When I was a child, I felt more spiritual. But as I got older, religion took a backseat. I thank God that I never got involved in drugs and alcohol as a teenager. I know that my guardian angel was always watching over me. In my twenties and early thirties, my life was a constant struggle, which sometimes lead me down the wrong road. I was so depressed in my early twenties that sometimes I thought about killing myself. I never could do it though. I remember one Christmas when I was so depressed that I pretty much slept through it and didn't even bother going to church. I didn't celebrate Christmas with my family and resented them for waking me up. A few years ago, I went through some financial challenges. It was a very humbling experience and I had to learn to trust in God’s providence. Since then, God has given me many material blessings and I was always thankful for that. Soon, I found my spirituality drifting and I was starting to love my career and material things more than God. I was starting to feel very empty. I felt I had lost my way. My best friend is Paul Gray. We have known each other for eight years and our friendship has taken a lot of twists and turns. Paul and I have been through a lot together. This past summer, Paul experienced a profound spiritual conversion. He has also been a Roman Catholic all of his life. Paul started talking to me about his conversion and at first, I didn't mind. I thought that maybe it was just a passing phase. But he started talking about it all the time and I thought that Paul was turning into a religious fanatic. In October, Paul found out about the Medjugorje Peace Conference in Irvine, California. I decided to go but had doubts about a week before the conference. I'm glad I did go because the Medjugorje Peace Conference changed my entire life. When I woke up Monday morning after the conference, all I wanted to do was to pray the rosary and go to mass! It was as if a light had been switched on. I was filled with the Holy Spirit. I was thirsty for anything Catholic and started devouring books. I had been Catholic and didn't really know anything about my faith. I also felt a strong calling to go to Medjugorje. Paul and I had been planning a trip to Rome but we chose to book a trip to Medjugorje instead. On Friday, December 1, Paul and I left Los Angeles early in the morning and were on our way to Medjugorje. Our flight from L.A. took us to Chicago, Illinois and from there we flew to Frankfurt, Germany and then Split, Croatia. When we landed in Split, we met up with Steve Shawl, who was the leader of our pilgrimage group. There were fifteen of us altogether (four men and eleven women): Steve, Paula, Doreen, Mark, Lorena, Janine, Julianna, Julia, Aneta, CeCe (Cecilia), Brenda, Jane, Colleen, Paul, and myself. With the exception of Steve, this was the first time all of us were going to Medjugorje. At the airport in Split, we met our tour guide, a lovely lady named Slavenka. We then boarded a bus, which would drive us to Medjugorje. It was a scenic three-hour ride, which took us through the mountains. About halfway, we took a little side trip to visit a replica of the Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine. It was beautiful. From the time we left L.A. and finally got to Medjugorje, it took about a day and a half. When we arrived in Medjugorje, we passed by the St. James Church and then got to the house where we were going to be staying. We met our hosts, Mirjana and her family, and were assigned our rooms. After we all got settled in, we gathered in the dining room for a home-cooked dinner. We were all tired and hungry. Dinner was wonderful! After dinner, we all walked to the St. James Church for the rosary service and the Croatian language mass. The church was standing room only! It was great to see so many young people at mass on a Saturday night. I knew right away that this was a very special place. Even though I couldn't understand Croatian, I could see the devotion in the faces of the people that were around me. After mass, Steve introduced us to Sister Emmanuel. She is a French nun who is one of the strongest proponents of Medjugorje and spreading Our Lady’s message of peace. Sister has also written books on Medjugorje. She was very lovely. We then all walked back to the house, through the fields in the dark, aided by our flashlights. When we got back, we all retired to our rooms for a well-deserved night’s rest. On Sunday, December 3, we started the day off with breakfast at 8:30 a.m. After breakfast, our tour guide, Slavenka, came to lead us through our first tour. We first stopped at a site called Blue Cross. There is a statue of the Virgin Mary there with a blue cross directly behind her. From there, Slavenka led us up Apparition Hill, where the Virgin Mary started appearing to six young people (the visionaries) in June 1981. Halfway up the path is a large plain wooden cross, where the Virgin Mary appeared on the third day of the apparitions and said, “Peace, peace, peace and only peace! Peace must reign between God and man and also between men!” There are also bronze plaques depicting the decades of the rosary. We prayed the rosary going up the hill and stopped at the site, which the visionaries closely marked as the very place where the Virgin Mary had appeared to them. There is a high aluminum cross that is erected there and planted into a pile of rocks. Paul started praying the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy out loud and we joined him. I got down on my knees on the pile of rocks surrounding the cross and prayed. As I was praying, I closed my eyes and the first image I saw in my mind was Jesus standing above me and blessing me. It was a moving experience. We then started heading down the hill and walked to St. James Church for the 12:30 p.m. English language mass. Before mass started, I took a picture of the statue of Our Lady of Lourdes on the right hand side of the church. I then knelt down and prayed to the Virgin Mary and thanked her for her intercession in bringing me back home to her son, Jesus. I told her that I wanted to honor and respect my earthly parents as much as I honored and respected her and my Heavenly Father. I also told the Virgin Mary that I had asked my parents for their forgiveness for the disrespect I had shown them in the past. I felt very peaceful after that. Before I received Holy Communion, I made a sign of the cross before and after receiving the host. The song that was being sung was titled “Turn To Me”. I started choking up and cried. In my prayer, I asked Jesus for his forgiveness for all the sins I had committed in my life. I felt such remorse for my sins but felt so at peace after I prayed. After church, our group went to a restaurant nearby called Colombo. We got to know each other and shared our stories and reasons for coming to Medjugorje. This continued well into dinner back at the house. After dinner, we prayed the rosary for a member of our group who was going through some serious problems. They had chosen not to join us during the day and we didn't know their whereabouts. While we were praying the rosary, Vicka (one of the six visionaries whom the Virgin Mary had been appearing to since 1981) was having her daily apparition with the Virgin Mary in another room in the house. We paused for a moment of silence when this happened and some people in our group said that they felt a strong presence there with us. Afterwards, we headed to town to look for the missing member in our group. We never found them but we are still praying that they will show up. Before we went back to the house, we stopped at a restaurant for coffee and hot chocolate. The past few days have been very special. I have never seen a place so full of devout Roman Catholics. Everywhere you go, you see people praying the rosary. The people of Medjugorje are very simple and family-centered. The Virgin Mary has touched this town in a very profound way. I know that tomorrow is going to be just as special. December 4, 2000 Today began with another trip up Blue Cross and Apparition Hill. Only Paul, Janine, Aneta and myself made the trip at 5:00 a.m. It had rained the previous night and so the rocks going up the hills were slippery. Paul and Janine ended up going ahead of Aneta and myself as Aneta’s sneakers were real slippery and she wanted to change her shoes. Anyway, we made our way up Blue Cross with flashlights and then went up Apparition Hill and prayed the decades of the rosary. As Paul and Janine were heading down, we met up with them and went down the hill together to pray the rest of the rosary. We got back in time for breakfast at 7:00 a.m. Then our group went to see Vicka, one of the visionaries, deliver a talk in front of a relative’s house. She was exactly as we had seen her in the Medjugorje videos. Vicka had the most wonderful glow about her. She relayed the Virgin Mary’s messages, which had been given to her and to the other five visionaries. Vicka spoke in Croatian and our tour guide, Slavenka, translated in English. There was only a small group of people there. Steve said that the place was usually jam-packed each time he had seen her speak. After her talk, Vicka gave the Virgin Mary's personal blessing to everyone who was there. We then took taxis to the St. James Church for the 10:00 a.m. English language mass. Afterwards, we visited the Oasis of Peace and prayed in the Adoration Chapel, which had a life-size and life-like wax statue of Jesus on the cross. From there, we walked over to the Cenacolo (Cenacle) Center, which is a rehabilitation center for drug addicts. Two young Croatian men, Simond and Alan, shared their personal testimonies and explained what the rehab center was about. They explained that there were no doctors or psychiatrists on staff. There were also no medical treatments. The members of the community are expected to devote their time to work and prayer only. They also have a guardian angel program where an elder member is assigned 24-hour watch of a new member. The talk was held in a small chapel and then we went to a larger chapel, which contained a religious icon painting called “The Resurrection”. Alan and Simon explained the symbolism in the painting. Afterwards, we visited their religious gift shop. At this point, the member of our group who had been missing had rejoined us at Cenacolo and apologized for their behavior. It’s a long story but they ended up losing all their money the night before. Our group then walked back to the house to have lunch. After eating, we all helped take our dishes out to the kitchen. Vicka, the visionary, was there washing the dishes. Talk about humility. Here she is, a visionary, helping her sister Mirjana and her family out in the kitchen by cooking and washing dishes. There was going to be English confession at 5:00 p.m. in the church and so we had a couple hours of free time before then. Some of us went into town to go shopping for religious items. Then we all went to church for confession. It was the first time I had ever done a face-to-face confession. The priest, Father Jim, was very nice and we got to talking a little bit after my confession. He was from Pennsylvania. We all then met again at Colombo for dinner. We had a really good time. Afterwards, we all went to the cemetery behind the church to visit Father Slavko’s grave. Father Slavko was a priest at St. James Church in Medjugorje since 1982 and had just recently passed away. He was only in his fifties. We had also visited Father Slavko’s grave the night before. We had prayed for Father Slavko’s intercession in bringing back the missing member of our group. Tonight, we all lit candles and placed them at his grave and then prayed the decades of the rosary. After we prayed, Paul asked if anyone had been leaning up against him while we were praying. Everyone said no. Colleen said that she thought that someone was leaning up against her as well. We all came to realize that Father Slavko must have been there in spirit when we were praying. As we were walking back to the house, we came across this really bright star in the sky. This star would emit rays of color: blue, green and red. Not everyone saw it at first but eventually everyone saw it. Then the star would start moving back and forth. The longer I stared at it I started seeing the form of an angel. I was the only one who saw that. We then started to see shooting stars. Steve told me that he had never seen a star like that in Medjugorje before. Some of the group felt called to go up to Apparition Hill while four of us decided to go up to Blue Cross. It was Doreen, Colleen, Aneta and myself who went up to Blue Cross. When we got there, there was another group nearby playing guitar and singing songs. It was beautiful. Anyway, the four of us prayed the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy while we were there. As we were praying, we saw another shooting star. There was a collie that led Aneta and myself up Blue Cross this morning. This same collie led us again tonight. As we were heading down, this collie all of a sudden started circling around Aneta and wouldn't let her go. Then the collie went up to me, started biting at my pant legs and wouldn't let me go either. We weren't sure whether to go back or not. We probably should have. December 5, 2000 Today was another wonderful day in Medjugorje. I started the day by going up to Blue Cross and prayed the rosary. We all had breakfast at 8:30 a.m. Six members of our group had gone up Apparition Hill the night before and were there until 1:30 a.m. They all talked about the experience that they had up on the hill. They said that the dancing star we all had seen the night before would respond every time they said a certain prayer or sang a certain song. There was also a man they saw up on the hill who wore no shoes and had on very light clothing, considering how cold it was at night. A husband of one of the members of our group had just recently passed away and they thought that this man they saw on the hill may have been his spirit watching over her. Another member of our group was also given a sign on the hill concerning a prayer. We all just sat in awe as we were listening to all of this. After breakfast, I headed off to church with Paul and Steve. The English language mass was moved to the Adoration Chapel because they were painting in the church. Father Jim, from Pennsylvania, celebrated the most beautiful mass this morning. His homily talked about the spirit of Advent and how we must become like little children in order to welcome the baby Jesus in our hearts. Father Jim’s Consecration of the Eucharist was also the most beautiful one I had ever seen. It was very holy and reverent. During Holy Communion, they sang three of my favorite hymns: “Be Not Afraid”, “How Great Thou Art”, and “Yahweh I Know You Are Near”. After mass, we took the bus to travel to a nearby Franciscan monastery and church in Humaz, St. Anthony’s. The church was beautiful. It was at least 300-400 years old. The priest, Father Branimar Musa, gave the most wonderful talk. I really got a lot out of it. Father Branimar said that Medjugorje is a gift. It is a gift given by Our Lady to certain people. What got to me the most was when he said that God not only forgives our sins but that he also forgets them. When I heard that, I just started crying. It was such a powerful message to me. After his talk, Father gave us a quick tour of the grounds. He is such a humble and spiritual man. Just about everyone wanted to have their picture taken with him afterwards. Father commented that he felt like a movie star or something, like Robert Redford. We then went to visit St. Elijah Church in Tihaljina. This church contains the famous statue of the Virgin Mary which has come to represent Medjugorje. It was at this church where Father Jozo (who was the original pastor at St. James Church during the start of the Virgin Mary’s apparitions in Medjugorje) was assigned to in 1982, after having been wrongly imprisoned for a year and a half. The pilgrims who visited him there fell in love with the beautiful statue of the Virgin Mary. I can honestly say that the pictures that have been taken of the statue do not do it justice. I've never seen Our Lady look so beautiful or so natural. She exemplifies true serenity. The church itself is a wonderful piece of architecture and interior design. It is truly stunning, especially with the natural lighting inside the church. Many of us prayed silently in the short time we were there. We then took the bus back to the house and had dinner at 3:00 p.m. After dinner, about nine of us took taxis to the base of Mount Krizevac (Cross Mountain). On the peak of the mountain is a huge reinforced concrete cross, built in 1933 to commemorate the 1900th anniversary of the Passion of Jesus. Embedded in the cross bar itself is a piece of the original cross which Jesus was crucified on. Along the path on Cross Mountain, there are fifteen bronze plaques depicting the Stations of the Cross. Talk about a steep climb to the top. Not only is it steep but the path is filled with rocks. We prayed the rosary going up and would stop at each station to catch our breaths. When we got to the top, it was so worth it. You could see until forever and the cross itself was awesome. We hit the top of Cross Mountain at 5:40 p.m., the same exact time that the Virgin Mary was appearing to the visionaries who still were having daily apparitions. We prayed and spent a few minutes in silence. The view from the cross was incredible! The climb down was easier but the rocks did get a little slippery. It was quite a workout but the penance and sacrifice made it all worthwhile. We took taxis to Colombo to join the rest of the group for drinks and snacks. When I prayed in the morning, I had asked the Virgin Mary for her intercession and asked her to give me a sign in the form of an angel, concerning working with Steve on his Medjugorje website. I got my answer at Colombo. Steve was talking to a young man (whom I had seen at many of the masses) who turned out to be a reporter for Michael H. Brown’s “Spirit Daily” website. He was talking to Steve about creating some sort of multimedia website on Medjugorje. Steve told me about the conversation he just had with this person and approached me about maybe helping them out with this. It was also Jane’s birthday today and so we surprised her with a birthday cake at Colombo. She did not expect it. After Colombo, we went to the cemetery again and prayed at Father Slavko’s grave to ask for his intercession. We also saw the dancing star again that changes colors. One thing we've all noticed about Medjugorje is how warm and loving all the local people are. They truly put their faith at the center of their lives. The days I have spent here have been overwhelming. I only have a couple of days left here and I’m afraid I’m never going to want to leave this place. December 6-9, 2000 I am finally back home. The past few days have been so busy and incredible that I never got a chance to write in my journal. I’ll start off with Wednesday, December 6. Paul and I started the day off real early in the morning and went with a couple of people up to Apparition Hill. We made it back for breakfast at 8:00 a.m. Afterwards, the group went over to the house of Mirjana, one of the visionaries whom the Virgin Mary appears to on the second of each month. Even though Mirjana understood English, our tour guide, Slavenka, interpreted in English for her. One of the things I remembered her saying was that each of the visionaries were asked to pray for certain intentions by the Virgin Mary. Mirjana also described what the Virgin Mary looks like to the visionaries. She said that she looks like she’s 18 or 19 years, has blue eyes, long black hair and wears a long gray dress with a long white veil on her head. Someone asked Mirjana if she’s ever seen the Virgin Mary’s feet. She said, “No.” Mirjana was most lovely and gracious. She talked for about half an hour until she said that she had to get back to her children. We then took taxis back to town and attended the English language mass in the Adoration Chapel. When we got to St. James Church, Father Branimir pulled up in his car and greeted us. He’s such a nice man. There were a couple more English-speaking pilgrim groups who had arrived in Medjugorje the day before. So there were three English-speaking priests who celebrated mass that morning. This particular day was also the feast day of St. Nicholaus and so the children from the area came to the church for a special celebration. During the mass, they sang one of my favorite songs, “Hail Mary, Gentle Woman”. It was beautiful. After mass, we all took the bus to Father Jozo’s church in Siroki Brijeg to hear him speak. It was a 40-minute trip from Medjugorje. One of Steve’s friends, who was a priest, joined us. The church was breathtaking. However, the talk took place in the auditorium. Father Jozo’s interpreter was a woman named Nancy, who was originally from Canada. Father Jozo spoke for about an hour and a half. He gave an inspirational talk about the Virgin Mary’s message of peace for the world. Father Jozo gave each of us a rosary and a picture of the Virgin Mary which he blessed. He asked us to hold up our pictures of Our Lady and told us that she was our Mother. I started crying and was so thankful to Mary for her intercession in bring me back to her son, Jesus, and for having given me the call to come to Medjugorje. Father Jozo also had a beautiful crucifix, which he held up every time he talked about Jesus. He also talked about the lack of faith that he saw in the Roman Catholic Church in America. After Father Jozo’s talk, we all then went into the church to be blessed individually. Two of the English-speaking priests joined him in the individual blessings. As people were blessed, some of them fell back and passed out for a few minutes. It's called being slain in the spirit. This didn’t happen to Paul or myself but it did happen to some people in our group. Afterwards, many of us went to the gift shop. Paul and I bought a beautiful statue of Our Lady of Medjugorje. Many of us brought religious articles to be blessed by Father Jozo during his talk. I had two big bags with me as I was getting back on the bus. Slavenka asked me if I bought all the stuff in the gift shop. I told her that one bag I brought and the other one I bought there. We finally got back to the house late in the afternoon and then had dinner. Since Wednesday was a fasting day, many people in our group fasted. (I didn’t.) Let’s just say that the ones who were fasting were a little on the unpleasant side. It was okay though because we all took it in fun. After dinner, we all walked to St. James Church to attend the Eucharistic Adoration Service. Prior to the service, some of us gathered at Father Slavko’s grave again to pray and to ask for his intercession. The Eucharistic Adoration Service was the most beautiful service I’ve ever been too. One could really feel the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. The church was standing room only. The songs they sung were wonderful. Each song was sung in various languages (Croatian, English, German, Italian, French, etc.). And the way that the violin was played during the interludes was so inspirational. After the service, we all walked back to the house and saw the dancing star again. On Thursday, December 7, Paul and I were planning on going up Apparition Hill again but we both slept through the alarm clock. We joined the others for breakfast at 8:30 a.m. I decided to leave for church a little earlier so that I could have time for myself. I dropped by Blue Cross, took some pictures and prayed. I also dropped by the Statue of the Risen Christ near the cemetery and took some pictures. I then joined the others at the Adoration Chapel for the English language mass. It was a beautiful mass as always. Because of what Father Jozo said the day before, I decided to receive the host during Holy Communion on my tongue, instead of in my hand. At 11:00 a.m., Father Svet, who is one of the priests there in Medjugorje, gave a talk in the Pilgrims’ Conference Center. In the building is a beautiful painting of Our Lady of Medjugorje. It was painted in 1998 and according to the visionaries, it is the closest image of the Virgin Mary which they have seen. Father Svet’s talk was very powerful. He said that if someone said that they believed in God and that they do not go to church, then they are atheists. He also mentioned how Christianity is dying out in Europe and how it’s becoming a God-less society. Father Svet also shared his feelings about the passing of Father Slavko. After his talk, I thanked Father Svet and shook his hand. Afterwards, some of us did a little shopping and then had lunch at Colombo. At 1:30 p.m., we gathered outside the church in front of the statue of the Virgin Mary and took a group picture. The only person who was missing was Janine. We then took taxis to Mount Krizevac (Cross Mountain) where we would climb it as a group. There are the Stations of the Cross leading up the mountain. Each of us took turns reading at each station. Paul did the reading at the first station (Jesus is condemned to death). Mark read at the second station (Jesus carries his cross) and he tried holding back his tears. I did the reading at the eight station (the women of Jerusalem weep over Jesus). They say that each station is meant for whoever is doing the reading. What got me most about the station I was reading was when it said, “It is your Love, more than the fear of hell, which causes me to weep for my sins.” This answered the question of why I was weeping for my sins earlier in the week. Because of health challenges, Colleen had a hard time going up the mountain and many of us thought that she might not be able to make it to the top. At one point, she thought about quitting. Steve first was helping her and then Slavenka helped her the rest of the way. It was quite an accomplishment when Colleen finally reached the concrete cross at the very top of the mountain. Doreen also had some health challenges and it was quite an accomplishment for her as well to reach the top. When we went up the mountain the day before, it was already dark but this time it was still daylight. The view from the top of the cross was breathtaking. I was taking pictures around the area and all of a sudden, Paul called me over to where some of the group was. He said that the Miracle of the Sun was happening! So I immediately ran over. I looked straight ahead at the sun and I immediately was able to see right through the rays. I saw the sun (which to me represented the host) with the outer edge lit and spinning around the circle. It was radiating a pinkish color from the center of the sun and one time formed a rainbow around the edges. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life. Paul said that he could see a cross right in the center. I was able to see it faintly but he said that he could see it distinctly. As more of us gathered to see the Miracle of the Sun, we were in complete awe and some people started crying tears of joy. Brenda was really affected by this miracle and thanked the Virgin Mary for letting her experience this. We all stared directly at the sun for more than a half hour and it didn’t affect our eyes. We were all so happy to witness this miracle that we all started singing songs in thanksgiving: “Immaculate Mary”, “Here I Am, Lord”, “Yahweh I Know You Are Near”, etc. It was truly one of the most moving experiences of my entire life, sitting on that mountain and witnessing this beautiful gift from God. Colleen made it to the top just as the sun was setting but she too saw the Miracle of the Sun. Someone in our group commented that as they were looking at us from afar that they saw each one of us with a golden halo. We all took a group picture before heading down the mountain. We all took taxis back to the house and had dinner at 4:30 p.m. It was quite a dinner too. We all were so excited about what we had seen that day. We were almost like little children in all our excitement. There was another Eucharistic Adoration Service at 7:00 p.m. so some of us attended the service. Afterwards, Paul was going to meet with Steve and his priest friend. The service was jam-packed. There were so many people inside and outside the church. It was a beautiful service, which was led by Father Svet. It was so peaceful. The closing song was very joyful and had everyone clapping along. Lorena, CeCe and I went outside to meet up with the people in our group who went to the service. We could see Jane crying and she was being comforted by Nancy, Father Jozo’s interpreter. Julianna, Mark and Paula were also with them. Paula explained that Jane had passed out during the service and everyone got concerned about her. Nancy explained that it was the Holy Spirit working within her. Jane was trying to understand what had just happened to her. She was also comforted by one of the English-speaking priests, Father O’Malley. Those of us who were there visited Father Slavko’s grave again to pray and to ask for his intercession. As we were praying the rosary, an Italian group joined us and prayed with us. We prayed the rosary in English and they did it in Italian. It was beautiful. After we prayed, we stepped out of the cemetery and looked at the sky. We had been kidding earlier that since we had seen miracles happen with a star and the sun, that the moon was probably next. We looked up and there was the moon surrounded by a big white ring with the clouds forming rays leading up to it. The first words out of my mouth were, “Oh, my God!” and I immediately fell to my knees and made a sign of the cross. It was such an awesome sight. It looked like something out of the movie “The Ten Commandments”. We all saw this, as did the Italian group who was praying with us. We all just stood there for a while and looked at this beautiful miracle. From there we walked home and Paul caught up with us just as we reached the house. When we got back to the house, Lorena, myself and a couple of others decided to go up Apparition Hill. We prayed the rosary as we climbed the hill. When we got to the cross, I was leading one of the decades of the rosary and I saw a shooting star. We could also still see the dancing star. I looked at it for a while and for a few seconds saw an outline of the Virgin Mary with a halo on her head. What a day it truly was and Paul said that the next day, which was the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, would be just as spectacular. On Friday, December 8, we celebrated the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, which is one of the Virgin Mary’s feast days in the Roman Catholic Church. About eight people in our group got up very early in the morning and took taxis to Mount Krizevac (Cross Mountain) at 3:00 a.m. It wasn’t that cold, it was actually kind of warm. The trip up the mountain seemed faster than the day before. It also wasn’t that dark. We could see the rocks real clearly. We still did the Stations of the Cross on the way up. I ended up doing the readings for Stations 4 (Jesus meets his sorrowful mother), 11 (Jesus is nailed to the cross) and 13 (Jesus is taken down from the cross). When we got to the last station, I felt something tap on my right elbow. I didn’t know what it was. There wasn’t anyone else standing near me. We got to the top of the cross right before 5:00 a.m. We were told that the Virgin Mary prays at the foot of the cross at 5:00 a.m. each morning. We all gathered around the cross and started praying the rosary. When the hour came, Jane quietly said, “She’s here.” We stopped praying out loud and prayed silently. Around this time, it got cold and windy. We felt the presence of Mary there. About half an hour later, the wind stopped and it was warm again. We finished praying the rosary and each of us grabbed a rock and touched it with the cross. I also took my rosary and touched it with the cross. As soon as it started getting light, we started heading down the mountain. Aneta, CeCe and Janine decided to walk down the mountain in their bare feet for penance. I stayed with them for awhile and helped lead them with my flashlight. We all got back to the house after 7:30 a.m. and had breakfast. The English language mass wasn’t until 12:00 p.m. and so we had some free time before then. Some people went shopping. I went to the Croatian language mass at 11:00 a.m. for a little while but it was too crowded inside the church and so I left. I then went to the photo store to make photocopies of the address and phone list for the group. Next, I went to Father Slavko’s grave to take a picture of it in the daylight. Then I went to the church. The mass was beautiful. I ended up recording it. I wish I could have recorded all the masses that week, as every homily I heard during the week was so meaningful. Father O’Malley was the priest who celebrated the mass. At one point during mass, I started crying when I realized that this was probably the last time I was going to be in the church for mass. We had some free time between 1:00 and 3:00 p.m. Some of us went to Colombo for lunch. Father O’Malley dropped by our table to talk with us for a while. He asked us where we were all from and who our group leader was. We said, “Steve Shawl”, and he immediately recognized his name from Steve’s Medjugorje website. Father said that he wanted to meet him. Steve arrived at the restaurant a few minutes later and met Father O’Malley. Father also connected very well with Julia, who was still trying to find some comfort with the loss of her husband. Father O’Malley told us that he would celebrate a special mass with us at 7:00 a.m. the following morning and offer the mass up for Julia’s husband. Our group was going to be leaving for the airport at 8:00 a.m. the next morning. This way we wouldn’t miss mass. Father O’Malley was truly an angel in disguise. After Colombo, Steve, Paul and I visited the Catholic bookstore where they had some of the most beautiful religious art I had ever seen. We then went back to the front of the church to join the rest of the group. Steve had some more errands to run and so we waited for him. We were going to go to Blue Cross and lay roses by the statue of the Virgin Mary. Steve didn’t get back until half an hour later and they were serving dinner at 4:00 p.m. at the house. So we decided to do Blue Cross after dinner. We did stop by the flower shop to each get roses. When some of us were in the shop, Jane went to get Paul. The Miracle of the Sun was indeed happening again. It had been cloudy all day and the sun finally decided to come out. After Paul got me out of the shop, I immediately saw the Miracle of the Sun again. Julia never saw it the afternoon before on the top of Cross Mountain but this time she saw it. It was so beautiful seeing that sun again. Julianna said to me that when she was looking at me across the street that she saw a blue cloud behind me. When we got back to the house, they had rearranged the two tables so it was just one long table. It was our last supper together as a group. Slavenka dropped by to give us our group pictures and videos from the trip. After dinner, we all walked to Blue Cross to bring our roses. Before we walked out of the house though, we looked up at the sky and could see clouds everywhere except for where the moon was. The moon just shone through the clouds and was surrounded by a circle. It almost looked like a tunnel. In the circle around the moon, shapes started forming. The first shape looked like flames around the moon. Then there was a shape of a chalice, a dove and we started seeing images of the Virgin Mary, profiles of Jesus and other religious images. All of us saw this and experienced it. Each shape or image only lasted a few seconds. It was incredible. After seeing this, there is no denying of the existence of God. Jane, as she prayed at Blue Cross, was almost out of it again but Steve was there to support her. Some of us then took taxis to church where we attended the Veneration of the Cross Service. What a moving service it was. Up on the altar was a huge crucifix with a lifelike statue of Jesus. The church was extremely crowded again. The songs were sung in several languages. This was my last time inside St. James Church and I didn’t ever want to leave. I have never felt so happy or so at peace before in my life. I thanked Mary and Jesus for bringing me to Medjugorje as I did many times during the week. We didn’t stop at Father Slavko’s grave like we had been doing every night but some of us decided to make one last trip up Apparition Hill. Lorena, CeCe, Julianna, Brenda, Aneta, Paul and myself were the only ones who went. We prayed the rosary going up the hill and when we got to the aluminum cross at the top, we all put our hands and rosaries on the cross and prayed. We were all so touched by everything we had seen and experienced during this trip. Some of us then just sat there for awhile in silence. Saturday, December 9, was the day we all said goodbye to Medjugorje. We all got up at 5:00 a.m. to pack and an hour later, we all had breakfast together for the last time. We had known each other for only a week and yet we bonded as a family. Our Lady brought each of us to Medjugorje for our own reasons but brought us there together for hers. At 6:30 a.m., we walked to church together for the last time. Our luggage was left behind and would be picked up by the bus driver. The mass at 7:00 a.m. was being celebrated just for us in the Adoration Chapel. Julia did the reading. We thought the reading was chosen by Father O’Malley, but he pointed out that it was the actual reading for the day. It was very appropriate. Father O’Malley gave a beautiful homily. During the peace be with you, we all went and hugged each other. During Holy Communion, Father asked Paul to serve the wine, which is the blood of Christ. Father O’Malley became our guardian angel and what he did for our group was truly an act of divine intervention. Thank you, Father. We took more pictures outside and then it was time to get on the bus. I took one final picture of the Virgin Mary outside the church. Colleen stayed behind because she was spending an extra week in Medjugorje. We all said our goodbyes to her before we left. Slavenka was on the bus with us and would see us off at the airport. We prayed the rosary on the bus. Before we entered Split, we made a quick stop at a restaurant. We only stayed there for about twenty minutes. Then we arrived at Split Airport. We all got on Croatia Airlines which would take us to Frankfurt, Germany. We all had to split up when we got to the Frankfurt Airport. Steve and a few of the others had to stay overnight in Frankfurt before their connecting flights back home. Mark, Doreen, Janine, Brenda, Julianna and Aneta were taking a flight to New York. Lorena, CeCe, Paul and myself would be flying to Los Angeles. We all said our goodbyes. I told Steve that I wanted to join him on his next pilgrimage to Medjugorje. As we left Frankfurt, I couldn’t stop crying. I went to the restroom and cried like a baby. I asked God, “Please tell me what you want me to do.” I was homesick, but not for California, I was homesick for Medjugorje. I didn’t want to leave. I was so happy and so at peace over there. What had happened during the week flashed through my mind: the people, St. James Church, Blue Cross, Apparition Hill, Mount Krizevac, praying the rosary, everything! I learned a lot of things in Medjugorje: 1. There is no such thing as a coincidence. Before I left Medjugorje, I could see that the silver chains on my rosary were starting to turn a golden color. I had prayed for it to happen all week as I had heard countless stories of this happening in Medjugorje. However, I had also decided that I wasn’t going to be disappointed if it didn’t happen. Thank you, Medjugorje, for being a true example of what living and practicing a true Catholic Christian faith is all about. May I take Our Lady’s message in Medjugorje of “peace, peace, peace” back home with me and share it with my family and friends. - Angelo Casimiro (December 9, 2000) | |||||