date: 18.08.2020.
There have been numerous fruits of Medjugorje recognisable and visible all over the globe, summarised in the newest project called ''Fruits of Medjugorje''. This project began two years ago and it is project of Information Centre Mir Medjugorje that our viewers and listeners had chance to see at this year’s Youth Festival. The project is led by Marija Jerkić.
''Nearly two years ago, the project ''Fruits of Medjugorje'' began and it was initiated by the Provincial of Herzegovinian Franciscan Province, Fr. Miljenko Steko. Radio station Mir Medjugorje has been collecting testimonies and stories of Medjugorje pilgrims for more than 20 years now and they are usually translated and broadcasted in Croatian language at this station. It was our desire to offer similar content to our friends of Medjugorje from all over the world and that is how this project began. It is in the form of video testimonies of people whose lives were changed due to Medjugorje, said Marija Jerkić, and some of those stories were in the programme of this year’s Youth Festival.
''Our initial plan was to start the project and to make it available for the public this spring, but due to this pandemic we decided to postpone the project and this turned to be a very good decision since we now contributed to the programme of the 31st Youth Festival”, said Marija Jerkić, leader of the project ''Fruits of Medjugorje'' when two videos were shown along with one documentary film made in Italy and Medjugorje and produced for several months.
''Most of the testimonies are in the form of the interviews, but it is our desire also to make short documentary movies, depending on finances and logistics. The first such film – Gift of Conversion (''Dono di Conversione'') was broadcasted on the second day of the Youth Festival. When we decided which testimony should be made in the form of this film, Fr. Miljenko suggested a couple from Italy - Romano Magnani and Silvana Spalanzani, whose only son was killed in a car accident.
Several years ago, I was able to learn that not a single language in the world has a word for a parent who lost their child. We have words for spouses whose other spouse died, for orphan, but not a word for parents who lost their children. This must be very painful, it is a pain Our Lady encountered also, there are no words to describe this pain and it must be something very, very hard. So, the story of Romano and Silvana, two amazing people who found consolation in Medjugorje for their great loss, seemed to be the right story for our first short film”, said Marija Jerkić.
''So far we have testimonies of people from Argentina, Austria, Czech Republic, Italy, Ireland, Columbia, Mexico, Nigeria, Germany, Poland, Ruanda, the United States, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, Scotland, and others. Among these testimonies we also have stories of those who received their vocation in Medjugorje, of people who were physically healed, confessed for the first time after twenty or more years, stories of couples who received a gift of children here or whose marriages were saved here, due to Medjugorje. Indeed, there are many interesting and moving stories and experiences”, said leader of this project believing that many viewers would be moved by these stories that are being translated to many world languages.
''All of the testimonies are recorded in the native language of the speaker and titles are in Croatian, English, Italian, German and Spanish language. Thanks to the interpreters who translated this year’s Youth Festival, we have translations in Chinese, French, Czech and Slovakian, and Korean is about to be completed too”, said Marija Jerkić, leader of the project ''Fruits of Medjugorje''. You can view this channel HERE and subscribe to it.
