October 11 - 21 1998
Our Group Included: Rosie, Leah, and Teddy Bear Hughes, Joeseph & Patricia Palkovits, Jane Woodward, Theresa Ogershok, Victoria Glessner, Al & Penny Crowley, Pauline Hedges, John & Dawn Bure, Jeff Olson, Robert Johnson, Susan Reighard, Candy Bauman, Alvina Lawrence, Jeff & Nona Stuber, Robert & Melissa Aberle, Craig & Dale Provost, Jim & Virginia Bullers, David & Diane Herman, James Winchel, Fr. Vincent Ventura (Mauro), Bill Emrich, Steve Shawl, Gene, Jeannine, Eric & Georgia Nelson, Ed, Liza, and Nathan Sacramento.
Pictures From Our Trip.. For anyone in our group who took pictures, please contact us and we will scan them and return them to you...
Our Medjugorje pilgrimage started on October 11, 1998. I arrived in Chicago and met up with about 2/3 of our group. The rest of the group left from Houston and Newark. All of us then met up in Paris.
Upon arriving in Paris, we boarded our Croatia Air flight headed for Split, with a quick plane change in Croatia's Capital of Zagreb. Once we arrived in Split, we were met by Miki (Miljenko Musa) our tour guide for Medjugorje. We gathered our luggage and boarded our awaiting bus for the beautiful three hour ride along the Adriatic coast. Miki did an excellent job welcoming our group, and telling us all about the rich history and culture of Croatia. As we drove along the Adriatic coast toward Medjugorje, we all enjoyed the breathtaking scenery. The family we stayed with in Medjugorje was Jasna and Kruno Vasilj. Their home is perfectly situated behind St. James Church, about 3-5 minutes walk. Half of the group stayed in the main house, and the other half stayed across the street. Both houses are very comfortable with excellent accomodations. We were happy to see Jasna once again, and after warm embraces, we were served a nice hot dinner. After dinner, many of us took a walk to the church and around the area experiencing the peace one feels while in Medjugorje.
The next days in Medjugorje were busy! We did so many things. Just a few of the highlights include:
We heard talks by the visionaries Vicka, and Mirjana, as well as locutionist Marijana. We also heard talks by Fr. Slavko Barbaric, Father Branimir Musa, and of course no trip to Medjugorje is complete without taking a trip to see Father Jozo in his parish in Siroki Brijeg, which is located about 45 minutes from Medjugorje. It is always a wonderful and moving experience to attend Fr. Jozo's talk and healing Mass. His words reach right into your heart, and his fervor after 17 years remains as strong as the day they began. It is no wonder that Our Lady has said to the visionaries that Fr. Jozo is a saint. He is truly a holy, and deeply spiritual priest. Another surprise was a private talk by Sister Emmanuel to our group. She gave a powerful talk which touched everyone present. Thank you from all of us Sister!
Of all the talks we hear in Medjugorje, Vicka is always one of the highlights. She is so simple, joyous, and sincere. The tremendous love that she has in her heart exudes from her smile and in every word she speaks. It amazes me that after 17 years of speaking sometimes 4 times per day, she has not lost one ounce of enthusiasm. It is plain to see that it is only through God's grace that she is able to maintain this zest and zeal.
No visit to Medjugorje is complete without climbing Cross Mountain (Mt. Krizevac). It is a difficult climb for many, and it is amazing that virtually everyone who starts the climb, no matter what their physical condition, makes it to the top. It is a welcome site to see the 15 ton cement Cross when you finally reach the top. As we ascended, we said the Stations of the Cross, which are marked by the same beautiful bronze plaques as on Podbrdo (Apparition Hill). Our Lady has said that she prays at the foot of the Cross on Mt. Krizevac every morning at 5:00am. About 20 of us from our group started off at 3:00am one morning in the darkness of night to arrive at the foot of the Cross before 5:00am so we could join Our Lady in prayer. It was a powerful experience that made a deep and profound impression on all of us. It is difficult to explain in words the incredible peace, love, and presence of Our Lady that we felt as we knelt in front of the Cross praying the rosary. It was a very emotional experience for all of us, and one which we will always treasure.
The English Mass is said every day at 10:00am, and the Croatian program starts at 5:00pm. The 5:00pm program begins with the Joyful and Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary until 5:40. At 5:40pm there is 2-3 minutes of silence in recognition of the exact moment of Our Lady's appearance to the visionaries each day. The rosary then resumes and at 6:00pm, there is Croatian Mass, followed by the Medjugorje Rosary which consists of the 7 Our Fathers, 7 Hail Mary's and 7 Glory Be's. Finally the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary are prayed, sometimes continuing on with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. One might think that all this praying would be "too much". Quite the contrary is true. While you are in Medjugorje, life is very different.
Most of the group chose to go on a side tour of the City of Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik is a Medieval fortress surrounded by walls 24ft thick and 60ft high. It is an absolutely beautiful city, and we had the opportunity to celebrate Mass in St. Blais Church, which is where the custom of the annual blessing of throats came from. Unfortunately the day went by quickly and before we knew it, it was time to get back on the bus for the ride back to Medjugorje. On the way back to Medjugorje, the bus dropped me off at my wife Ana's relatives house, which is about 30 minutes from Medjugorje. Ana's parents and all the relatives were waiting for me when I arrived and gave me the usual loving and warm reception. I was able to spend a couple of hours eating and enjoying their incredible hospitality. There is a stark contrast between Croatian families near Medjugorje, and how life is in the US. Life in Croatia is centered on the family, and even though they are poor by our standards, they are very rich and blessed in all that matters. It is hard to put into words, but it is very touching to experience their love and hospitality. To illustrate this kindness, on our last night in Medjugorje, my relatives brought a special treat for all those in our house (20 of us). They picked fresh grapes and tangerines, and baked special pastries, and brought home made walnut brandy. They offered it with a toast to all of us as a welcome and thanks for having traveled so far to come to Medjugorje.
Another special gift which occurred for many in our group was the miracle of their rosaries turning gold. This is a frequent yet special gift from Our Lady. Even our priest, Fr. Mauros' rosary turned gold. I have heard of scientific tests being performed on these rosaries, and the results are facinating. The tests concluded that the gold is not real gold, but rather an alloy that is not known to man. It is like a special hug from Our Lady when your rosary turns gold. Here is a scan of my rosary which turned gold in 1995 in a matter of hours.
I also wanted to take a quick second to express my gratitude to Fr. Mauro. Fr. is a beautiful humble 76 year old Marian priest, who was our spiritual director for our trip. We all grew to love Fr. Mauro and appreciate his humility, holiness, and the beautiful way in which he gives thanks and praise to God for every little thing in his life. Thank you Father!
As the time for our departure neared, everyone had a sense of sadness, as we realized the blessed days we spent together were coming to an end. It is always difficult to leave Medjugorje for so many reasons. When in Medjugorje, you are able to leave the world and all of its ugliness behind, and draw so close to God. Medjugorje is truly holy ground, and the presence of God and Our Lady is so strong there. It is something that you don't want to give up. But we all knew that we were called to return to our lives and live Our Lady's messages, and share the graces and experiences we had received. On our last night in Medjugorje after dinner, we all gathered together in the second house and one by one, shared with the group why we came to Medjugorje, and what the trip had meant to us. There were so many touching stories, and we all realized there was a special and unique bond that had formed between us. It was as if we had known each other for many years.
I want to share with you a couple of special stories that occurred on our trip. There were so many, and I had a difficult time choosing these two, but I believe they are good examples of the grace present in Medjugorje.
My first story is about a small group of us who decided to climb Podbrdo (Apparition Hill, where Our Lady first appeared) near sunset. We prayed the Joyful and Sorrowful rosary as we ascended, and stopped periodically to take in the breathtaking scenery, which was even more incredible due to the sunset. We all felt an incredible closeness to Jesus as we prayed the Sorrowful Mysteries, we felt some of His pain, and had a special realization of what he endured for us. It became an emotional time for all of us, and the presence of Jesus was so strong. As we reached the Cross which marks the spot of Our Lady's first appearance, we prayed and offered our personal intentions, and once again drank in the beautiful scenery and surroundings. As we descended the mountain it was nearly dark. I came up behind an old French woman with a cane who was having a very difficult time making it down the steep and rocky hill. She was slipping and stumbling even with the help of a smaller woman who was with her. I must admit the first fleeting thought that went through my mind was that of impatience as I was very hungry and wanted to get back to the house for dinner. I mention that thought because I believe it is fairly typical of Americans. We are not good at having to wait. As the path widened and I started to make my way around her, my focus became very intent on this woman and her struggle down the hill. As I came up next to her I had the immediate and very strong urge to reach out and grab her shoulder. Without understanding exactly why I was doing this, I reached out and got a firm grasp on her shoulder. The moment I grabbed her, she put her weight on her cane and it snapped. The grip I had on her shoulder was the only thing which prevented her from falling into the jagged rocks, and down the hill. It is another example of the special presence of God in Medjugorje!
My second story illustrates how God works to change, and convert peoples hearts, and bring them back to Him. One of the men on our tour was named Bill. At first glance, most people would be frightened of Bill as most of his body is covered in tattoos, and he wears traditional heavy duty biker attire. He had long hair in a pony tail, and overall it would be easy to judge him as someone to stay away from. The story of Bill is interesting, and it took a few days before he started to open up and talk to anyone. He explained that he was a tattoo artist, and went to Medjugorje because his grandparents offered to send him. He originally asked them for the money instead, but when they refused, he decided to go to Medjugorje with plans to ditch the group and go out on his own as soon as he arrived. Since there really wasn't anywhere for him to go, he spent the first couple of days sleeping in the afternoons and not really participating in much that we were doing. Many of us recognized Bill's need for prayers and we prayed for him everywhere we went. Some offered up their Communion for him, prayed the rosary, and offered special prayers and intentions wherever and whenever possible. We felt as if we needed to take Bill under our prayer wing so to speak, and do all we could do to help. As time went on, Bill slowly started to open up. You could see a change taking place. One day he decided to sit down and draw a picture of Our Lady. At dinner, he proudly showed us what he had drawn and we were all speechless! It was beautiful! He then drew the picture of Jesus, again beautiful! It was wonderful to see that Bill had gone from drawing demons and fanged clawed creatures to drawing these soft and beautiful sketches of Our Lady and Jesus. Bills next accomplishment was to climb apparition hill in his bare feet. Bill told us he was doing it in atonement for his many sins. He obtained a Brown Scapular, and Miraculous Medal, had them blessed by Father Mauro and wore them everywhere he went. By the end of the trip, he even purchased a rosary and asked Father Mauro to teach him how to pray it. His entire physical appearance had also changed. At the beginning of the trip he appeared hard, and cold, and did not smile. When we finally parted company on the trip home, he had a definite glow about him, and the warmest smile you can imagine. He told us that he was trying to find a different line of work, and wanted to pray the rosary every day. As a side note, it turns out that there was an artist staying at our house in Medjugorje who recommended Bill's work to be shown at an exhibit with other artists which will take place in Medjugorje. We ask for everyone's prayers for Bill, that God's grace will continue to grow within him, and guide him on his life's mission. Here are the two pictures that Bill sketched while in Medjugorje!
There are so many stories to tell. Everyone was touched in a special way. That is one of the graces of Medjugorje. Your heart and your life are changed forever. It is amazing to see 38 people from all areas and walks of life come together as strangers, and leave with a very special and unique bond of friendship, and love. Their spiritual lives renewed, refreshed, re kindled. The fire of the Holy Spirit burning brightly inside them. Our Lady invites each person who goes to Medjugorje individually, and for a reason, going to Medjugorje is a special calling, and a special gift. It was interesting that as we flew back to Chicago, a few people approached some of our group and asked us where we had been. They said there was such a glow of joy and peace on our faces that they wanted to know what we had experienced. There were many tears flowing as we shared with these total strangers our experiences. And that is what it is all about! We can't wait for next year! and with God's blessing, we will be in Medjugorje next Spring!!!
Thanks to all the wonderful people who were part of this trip to Medjugorje. I will never forget any of you, and I feel privileged to have spent such a special time together.
Steve Shawl