Bulletin
170
Medjugorje,
January 26th, 2002
“Dear
children! At this time while you are still looking back to the past year I
call you, little children, to look deeply into your heart and to decide to be
closer to God and to prayer. Little
children, you are still attached to earthly things and little to spiritual
life. May my call today also be
an encouragement to you to decide for God and for daily conversion.
You cannot be converted, little children, if you do not abandon sins
and do not decide for love towards God and neighbor. Thank you for having
responded to my call.”
January
25, 2002
OUR
LADY SHOWS THE WAY
Only
a mother can do it in this way. Only Our Lady – the tireless teacher at the
school of the grace of God. When everyone becomes tired, gives up, becomes
deceived and discouraged, the Mother – the Queen of Peace- seems only to begin
with her task. Through her presence in Medjugorje, she opens a space for a new
hope, a new beginning and new inspirations. At this Shrine, she has not stopped
for more than 20 years now. Our Lady represents God’s plan in the modern world
precisely through Medjugorje. God sent her among us, and she brings back to God
the scattered children of the Heavenly Father. Through each and every message,
she brings down to earth a bit of Heaven itself, and through those who are
converted, she offers a gift to God, the greatest benefactor and friend of man.
When
I reflect upon Our Lady in Medjugorje and on her messages, I am struck almost
every time by the fact that she shows the way, opens the door, invites us to the
Eternal banquet. Like St. John, she cries in the desert of our world, in the
desert of human hearts. Like John, she does not put herself in the stage light.
She is the servant, the ambassador and, said in modern words, Our Lady is the
communication media between man and God. Each one of her messages, warnings and
appeals indicates the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This is how she opens
for us the way towards the Most Holy Trinity.
Just
as Our Lady listened to the voice of God and changed the direction and the
residence, she asks the same from us. Our Lady wants us to look at our lives and
question our belonging to Jesus. She wants to direct our paths towards God on
the way of renunciation, of fasting and of prayer. She does not propose any
sweet or passing things, but gives homework to her children. And while some
think that she is too demanding, millions of others are attracted to this shrine
precisely by these demands. People want challenges and new orientations, and
they can find plenty of them in Our Lady’s words. To hear and to accept Our
Lady’s voice and walk on the way she shows is the biggest challenge for a
contemporary Christian. Let us not be afraid to orient our paths toward the
unknown. Through the intercession of the Queen of Peace, God will undoubtedly
reassure us in our fears and uncertainties.
Fr. Mario Knezovic
NEWS
Fr. Leonard Orec Passed Away
Dr. Fr. Leonard
Orec, a highly regarded Herzegovinian Franciscan father, passed away on January
21st, 2002, after a serious illness. The burial was held on January
23rd, 2002, in Posusje. (More about it on the Web page of the Shrine:
www.medjugorje.hr)
NUMBER
OF COMMUNIONS AND NUMBER OF CONCELEBRANTS
During the month of
December, 45,000 communions were distributed and 1,007 priests from this country
and abroad concelebrated Holy Mass in Medjugorje.
Pilgrims
were here from USA, Latvia, Australia, France, the Philippines, England,
Portugal, Czech Republic, Italy, Austria, Slovenia, Belgium, Lebanon, China,
Korea, Poland, Ireland, Slovakia, Malta, Germany, Romania, Croatia, and
Bosnia-Herzegovina.
STATISTICS FOR THE
YEAR 2001
During
the past year, pilgrims from all of the continents came to Medjugorje, about
which we informed you in our monthly Bulletin. Among them were also one cardinal
and 14 bishops/archbishops. 27,322 priests concelebrated Holy Mass and 1,164,000
communions were distributed.
Prayer
and Fasting Seminar for Pilgrims from Austria
From
December 10th to 14th, 2001, a Prayer and Fasting Seminar
for a group of 34 pilgrims from Austria took place in the house of prayer
“Domus Pacis”. This seminar was organised by Fred Gassner from Salzburg.
Members of the group were mostly housewives who did not want to submit
themselves to the “Pre-Christmas”-stress imposed by society, but rather
preferred to prepare their hearts for Christmas with prayer and fasting, and
also to pray for their families.
Many
participants discovered the richness of the Word of God with great love. They
were all very grateful for the intensity of prayer and silence, and its fruits:
the encounter with God. The seminar was led by Fr. Ljubo Kurtovic.
LJUBICA
LUKIC PASSED AWAY
Ljubica Lukic, a former Chief Redactor of
the Radio “Mir” Medjugorje, passed away on December 19th, 2001,
in Zagreb. Ljubica was born in 1959 to a Catholic family in Konjic. She went to
the primary and the secondary school in her town. She was studying Special
Education at the University of Zagreb. As teacher for handicapped, she was
working with children in Zagreb, in Split and in Mostar. During the war, she was
member of the Military Police and Chief redactor of the military newspaper “Sokol”.
In February 1998, she began to work on the Radio “Mir” Medjugorje, where she
was Chief Redactor for two years. Ljubica was also writing poetry and assisted “Anonymous Alcoholics” and people with difficulties
hearing. She was also working at the catering school in Mostar.
Ljubica was buried on December 22nd
at the Roman Catholic cemetery in Konjic. The burial was led by Fr. Ante
Kurtovic, parish vicar in Konjic, and he was assisted by four priests. The
Funeral Mass, celebrated in the Franciscan church, was presided over by Fr.
Mario Knezovic, Director of the Information Centre “Mir” Medjugorje. The
staff of the Radio “Mir” Medjugorje remembers her as a hard worker, totally
devoted to God. May the Lord recompense her for all the love she has gives us
while working with us.
At
the end of each calendar year, the Administration Committee of the Fund “Fra
Slavko Barbaric”, whose goal is to help the academic formation of young
talented people, organises an annual meeting and recollection for the
scholarship recipients of the Fund.
This
year, more than 200 students of various Croatian colleges gathered together.
They were received by Fr. Ivan Sesar, President of the Fund, and Ljiljana Gospic,
its secretary, who together expressed the desire to see these gifted students be
able to put their talents at the service of their nation, which deeply needs
capable and well-educated young people. Fr. Ivan promised that the Fund will do
all that it can to find necessary finances for their scholarships,
and called them to pray for their benefactors and show their gratitude by
working with great zeal and discipline.
For
the traditional “recollection,” about 50 students gathered together in the
“Domus Pacis” house. They were accompanied in prayer and meditation by Sr.
Petra and Sr. Franka Bagaric, both being Franciscan religious involved in
education (from the province of Herzegovina) and Fr.
Ljubo Kurtovic. The group spent many hours in personal and group prayer, both in
the parish church and on the hills, and the group participated in the New
Year’s Vigil in the parish church.
Contact:
Fund “Fra Slavko Barbaric” – Medjugorje / 88266 Medjugorje / BiH / PP 29 /
Tel/Fax: +387 36 651 549
The
New Year in Medjugorje
Several
thousands of people (mostly youth) from all continents gathered this year in
Medjugorje for the New Year’s Eve Vigil and Midnight Mass. The Vigil –
Eucharistic Adoration - was conducted by the pastor Fr. Branko Rados, and Fr.
Ljubo Kurtovic. 108 priests joined them in concelebrating the Holy Mass. Because
of the lack of space in the parish church, many pilgrims and parishioners were
placed in the conference hall and under a tent built especially for this
occasion, where they could follow the programme held in the church on a big
screen.
In
his homily, the pastor said: “Man
is great only when he does not pretend to be great, only when he is ready to
acknowledge his littleness. …. God, Master of time and of life, has given you
your life and your time. In His love, He thinks unselfishly on you. It is His
will that you are here tonight, exactly as you are. He gave you what no one else
can give you: He gave you to live, to love, to forgive, to help, and to be
happy. Do not forget that He wants you to be happy, to be realised as a creature
of God, as a child of God. This is at the same time your will. …
My New Year’s wish to all of you, dear parishioners, dear pilgrims and friends
of the Queen of Peace is: Be happy - belong to God! Belong to God today more
than yesterday. Be happier in the year 2002 then you were in the year 2001. May
in the New Year Christ be your leader and your master and the Queen of Peace
your intercessor and the one who consoles you!”
The
Vigil and the Holy Mass lasted three hours, from 10 pm to 1 am, and it was
translated into nine languages: English, French, German, Italian, Romanian,
Polish, Czech, Slovak and Korean.
In
our restless world, where often everything seems to be hopeless, this prayerful
crowd, especially of young people, is a hope for a better world.
Again
this year, the members of the Cenacolo community (Community of the Cenacle)
presented to the parishioners and the pilgrims a production of the Living
Manger, bringing to life the atmosphere and love that would have no doubt been
present in the original scene 2002 years ago in Bethlehem… It was a complete
presentation filled with enthusiasm, which used music, dance and light effects,
presented three separate times during the week. Pilgrims
and parishioners alike did not seem to mind standing more than half an hour in
the bitterly cold wintry weather.
It
is obvious that the Newborn Jesus has really found His warm home in the hearts
of these young Cenacolo members, and from hearts He radiates His love and mercy,
showing to the world that love is enough to transform the world. Thanks to the “Cenacle” and Sister Elvira for their open hearts, and
for the love, peace and goodness that they share with the parishioners and the
pilgrims of the Queen of Peace!
“When
Our Lady Appears” - a 60-minute documentary by Patrick Benquet, was
broadcasted on January 3rd 2002 at 10:15 pm on the French/German
TV-Station ARTE, in the context of a thematic evening on “Miracles”. Based
on Medjugorje and Fatima, this film is an investigation on how the Catholic
Church, and especially the Vatican, proceeds with Our Lady’s apparitions. The
film shows that, in spite of vigorous polemics about the apparitions in
Medjugorje within the Church, the Holy Father unofficially supports the
recognition of these apparitions. This attitude of Pope John Paul II is seen as
a part of his efforts in favour of the new evangelisation of the world. The
investigation of the apparitions of Fatima and the revelation of the “third
secret”, on May 13th, 2000, confirm this analysis.
The
Shrine Has Not Given the Mission to Anyone to Represent Medjugorje
To
avoid any misunderstanding, we wish to underline that the Shrine has not given
the mission to anyone to represent Medjugorje. The Shrine has not given any
mission to any person or community – neither in Medjugorje nor outside of
Medjugorje – to spread and interpret Our Lady’s messages. All these are
private and spontaneous initiatives of the faithful and of communities.
The
Ninth International Meeting for Guides and Leaders of Peace Centres and
Medjugorje Prayer, Pilgrim and Charity groups
The
Ninth International Meeting for Guides and Leaders of Peace Centres and
Medjugorje Prayer, Pilgrim and Charity groups: “Pray, Pray, Pray…”, will
take place February 17 – 21, 2002.
You can send your registrations (as soon as possible,
latest by the end of November 2001) by e-mail: medjugorje-mir@medjugorje.hr,
by fax: + 387 36 651 300 (for Marija Dugandzic), or register in the Information
Office personally or by phone: + 387 36 651 988. The programme and all
information about this seminar can be found on our web-page www.medjugorje.hr
under the title Medjugorje 2002: Programme.
We
are looking forward to your reservations and to welcoming you at this meeting!
Second International Seminar for Married Couples “AWAKEN LOVE IN YOUR
FAMILIES” takes place from February
28th to March 3rd, 2002 in the new building behind the
Church. Speakers: Fr. Jozo Zovko, Fr. Mate Dragicevic,
Fr. Milan Loncar, Fr. Branimir Musa, a married couple from the “Cenacolo”
community, visionaries. During
the whole seminar, there will be simultaneous translation so we ask you to be so
kind as to bring with you a small FM radio with headphones.
You may make reservations by e-mail: lidija.paris@medjugorje.hr,
or by fax: +387-36-651-444; in the Information Office personally, by phone/fax:
+387-36-651-988 or by e-mail: informacije@medjugorje.hr.
Participation per couple: 50 DM. All the participants are invited to provide
individually their accommodation in Medjugorje.
Thursday, February 28th,
2002
12 am – 4 pm
Registration
4 pm – Welcome by the
Pastor and introduction into the seminar
5 pm - Rosary
6 pm – Holy Mass
7 pm - Adoration
Friday, March 1st,
2002
“Put God in the first place
in your families, so that He may give you peace and may protect you not only
from war, but also in peace protect you from every satanic attack. When God is
with you, you have everything.” (December 25, 1991)
9 am - Prayer
Conference: The Power of
Prayer in the Family – Fr. Jozo Zovko
Break
11 am – Meeting with a
visionary
12 am - Lunch
2 pm – Way of the Cross
on Krizevac
5 pm - Rosary
6 pm – Holy Mass
7 pm – Veneration of the
Cross
Saturday, March 2nd,
2002
“Teach your children, because
if you are not an example to them, children depart into godlessness.” (August
25, 1996)
9 am - Prayer
Conference: Faith in the
Family – Fr. Mate Dragicevic
Break
11 am – Testimony by a
married couple from the “Cenacolo” community
12 am - Lunch
3 pm - Conference:
Dialogue in the Family – Fr. Milan Loncar
5 pm - Rosary
6 pm – Holy Mass
9-10 pm - Adoration
Sunday, March 3rd,
2002
“There is no peace, little
children, where there is no prayer and there is no love, where there is no
faith.” (March 25, 1995)
9 am – Rosary at the
Apparition Hill
3 pm - Conference – Fr.
Branimir Musa
5 pm - Rosary
6 pm – Holy Mass