Sunday / Medjugorje

I met this really nice group of pilgrims from New York. I got to hang out with them yesterday and again for lunch today. I had the honor of being the main celebrant at the English Sunday mass. Being a newly ordained has its perks!!!






This is what it looks like going up apparition hill. Its not easy at all...especially with ice and very strong cold winds and wrong kind of shoes!









This is the site where the first apparitions occurred. The children first saw the vision of the Blessed Mother holding the Infant on June 24, 1981.



This is my last post from Medjugorje. I leave very early in the morning for Rome. I will post from there once I am reunited with the group.

My take on Medjugorje: Something definitely is happening here. There is a real strong presence of the HOLY! Many hearts are being converted. I have seen nothing that is in contridiction with the teachings of the Church. Many beautiful people with a great desire to change their lives for Christ. I really think that the true miracle of Medjugorje is how Our Blessed Mother truly leads pilgrims to prayer, to fast, to mass, and to love her Son above all things! People really walk away from here with that urgency to be a better person...to walk in the light of Christ!


I publicly want to thank my Pastor, Fr. Marino, for allowing me the time to come on this pilgrimage. I thank God for the opportunity to be alone for a few days and to reflect on the beauty of the priesthood and to gain some perspective on the enormity of the call. I think it takes being away from all the hustle-bustle of the day to day work to be able to reflect and give thanks for it all.

I will post from Rome - ciao.

Full day in Medjugorje

A picture of undisturbed snow on an outside pew. One of the good things about being here in the dead of winter is that not too many pilgrims come here during this time of the year. I have really been able to pray and meditate with lots and lots of silence!

Fr. Slavko Barbaric (statue of him above) was very involved with the visionaries and apparitions that took place here for many years. He regularly gave talks to visiting pilgrims, and wrote numerous books about the messages of Medjugorje. Fr. Slavko suddenly passed away on November 24, 2000. The day before he was to be transferred. From all the stories I have heard, Fr. Slavo must of been an amazing priest. They placed a beautiful stone up on Cross mountain where he had the heart attack.

Last night I went to the main International Mass (primarily in Croatian), occurs each night at 6pm, with the rosary one hour prior to Mass. I was amazed to see so many people come out to attend this mass. After the mass they had the Veneration of the Cross... it was a great way to end the day...a good opportunity to encounter the Cross of our Lord, from whom salvation comes...a real sign of His love.

PS> thanks for all the comments...I read them all.

Medjugorje

I arrived late last night to Medjugorje... I flew into Split and from there a driver took me here to Medj. Its a beautiful trip through the mountains of Croatia.

I woke up early...had a huge breakfast (BTW: the food here is excellent!) and then off to the church for mass. I missed mass because I was in the wrong place. The language here is so difficult to understand. So i stayed in the church for a good long while letting it soak in. This place is so beautiful. I keep trying to imagine what this place must of been like before 1981 (before the Blessed Mother appeared to the 6 young children.)


I met some really nice people from Boston...they were coming out of mass just as i was searching for it... It turned out to be great...they let me tag along...they had a private meeting with: Jakov Colo. He had daily apparitions from June 25th, 1981 to September 12th, 1998. On that day, entrusting to him the tenth secret, Our Lady told him that for the rest of his life he would have one yearly apparition, on Christmas Day. Jakov is married, he has three children, and he lives here with his family in Medjugorje.




After that I went up Cross mountain: The Cross of Mt. Krizevac (Cross Mountain) is the most significant, and dominant feature in the landscape of Medjugorje. It gives us a clue as to why Our Lady chose this village and region for the manifestation of Her love and concern for us. Overlooking the church of Saint James, and visible for miles and miles around the valley below.


The fifteen ton concrete Cross was constructed by the people of the area in 1933 in thanksgiving for the cessation of crop damaging hail storms, and to commemorate the nineteenth centenary of the Redemption. Their spirit of penance, and the understanding of its importance, were shown by the simple fact that all the material which went into its construction, was carried up the 1770 foot mountain by hand. The cross was so important to the people that they changed the name of it from Sipovac to Krizevac (Kriz is the Croatian word for Cross). It became the custom, even prior to the apparitions, to celebrate Mass there each year on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (September 14). On every Friday, people would climb the mountain to pray the Stations of the Cross which were led by the parish priest. Clearly, the little village of Medjugorje was filled with the faith and love of God even before the apparitions began.

It was a real test to go up that mountain! It was so cold and I had on the wrong kind of shoes...no traction whatsoever! And the descent was even trickier... It was great experience of prayer and penance.

Happy Birthday Liz!!

Happy Birthday Elizabeth! I am very proud of you! You are an amazing mother, wife, daughter and the best sister ever! I will remember you at mass tonight. I hope that you have the best birthday!!

I love you very much!

Fiumicino Airport-Rome

Just arrived in Rome... Woke up early this morning to ALOT of snow in San Giovanni Rotondo. I woke up fast and a taxi took me to Foggia.  In Foggia i took the train to RomeTermini then in Rome i took another quick train ride to the airport.  Here i wait until 4pm for my flight to Spilt, Croatia.

Pray that the other group can make it out of San Giovanni Rotondo safe in those big huge buses!!!

I hope to be able to post from Medjugorie.  I have no idea if they have internet.  If you see no more posts...you will know what happened.  

more pics from yesterday: 

Padre Pio

What an incredible day!

The picture above shows the exhumed body of St. Padre Pio. The body is in a glass case so that pilgrims can venerate and pray for his intercession. It was very powerful to see him lying so peacefully!

I can not begin to express to you what an amazing day it has been today...filled with so many blessings.

I got to celebrate mass at the same altar that Padre Pio celebrated mass each and every day. It was so emotional!

Fr. Joe was concelebrating with me.

Here you can see how much it was snowing. All the snow actually turned out to be a blessing! We were able to stay in the crypt where St. Pio is for as long as we wanted... we were the only ones there.

There is so much snow. I hope my group can leave here tomorrow! I leave by taxi to Foggia and then by train to Rome... in Rome I will get on a flight to Split, Croatia.

Medj here I come.

San Giovanni Rotondo

We woke up this morning to a huge snowstorm...we are trapped in the hotel trying for it to slow down to go and see Padre Pio! 

Sorry for no new post or pics.  I'll post tonight.  

God Bless!