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 PILGRIMAGE TO MEDJUGORJEby--Jewell Carter The Mother of Jesus has been appearing daily to six children in Medjugorje since 1981. The children are grown now, and some still receive the daily apparitions. Some receive apparitions monthly and others receive them only once a year. The story of Medjugorje can be viewed at http://www.medjugorjeusa.org I think it was very unusual how the Blessed Mother called me to journey to Medjugorje, a place I never expected to visit. At our weekly prayer meeting at Sophie's home, someone announced that Sophie was going to Medjugorje and that Patsy would also go in another parishioner's place, so there was much excitement at their good fortune. When offering up the Rosary, I quietly and privately asked Our Lady that if she wanted me to go to Medjugorje, to give me a sign after the rosary was completed - to let someone ask me to go. Immediately when the Rosary was finished, Sophie said "Jewell, why don't you go to Medjugorje?" then Patsy echoed it, then nearly everyone in the room said �Yes! Yes! Go! Go!� I was astounded, and told the group of my request to Our Lady. But I still was not sure and decided to go home and think it over. So the next morning, I asked my mother to help me to pray about making a trip to Medjugorje. Her answer was "Jewell, you really should pray hard about this before you decide to go". So I decided not to go, thinking this was the answer to my prayer. Immediately I felt a terrible sadness and depression and the tears began to flow. I left the room so mother would not see the tears. For about 30 minutes I argued with myself. I would decide to go, and a flutter of joy would rise in my chest. Then, I would decide not to go and immediately the terrible sadness and tears would return. After about 30 minutes of this, I made up my mind to go. Then a complete overwhelming joy welled up in my chest and I felt so joyfully at peace. I knew this was my sign to go and that if I did not go, I would never be at peace again. Four people- myself, Sophie Richardson, Ethel Morse and Patsy Rowe - from St. Edward�s Catholic Church in Texarkana, took this pilgrimage to Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina, on Nov 8-18, 1996. Ethel had been given the money years before to make the pilgrimage. But journeys to Medjugorje were put on hiatus because of the Serbian war. We met our tour leader, Betty Urbanovsky, and some of the other pilgrims in Houston, and the remainder at Newark, NJ. The trips over and back were long and tedious, we traveled by car from Texarkana to Houston, then boarded a flight to Newark, NJ where we boarded ChechAir to Prague, Czechoslovakia, another flight to Zagreb, and yet another to Dubrovnik where we traveled by Coach along the Adriatic Sea and inland to Medjugorje - over 24 hours enroute. We were a very tired and hungry bunch of pilgrims when we arrived. It was dark, and no street lights where we were to stay, only porch lights. A mad scramble ensued to find our luggage in the semi-darkness. Then we walked down a short driveway to our guesthouses. Warm welcomes and hot meals awaited us. A carafe of delicious homemade wine was served each dinner meal. Since I cannot drink wine (allergy), I finally made our host understand what "water" meant, and we were, thereafter, also served cold water at each meal. Communication was difficult as our host and hostess spoke no English. But our tour guide, Miro, came at intervals and interpreted for us. For breakfast we were served thick slices of bread, butter, jelly, instant Nescafe, teabags and hot water and warm milk. For dinner we were served plentiful helpings of hot foods. We were served breakfast and dinner daily, but were on our own for lunch. Many of us had brought snack foods and made do with these. But a few places were available to purchase a lunch. Ethel was my roommate and was intimidated by the shower, a square box with a drain that you stood in the middle of and wet yourselves down with a shower hose, soaped, then rinsed yourselves. Plenty of hot water, but no heat in the bathroom, so it was a quick shower and glad to be dressed and warm again. A far cry from our luxurious baths and showers we have at home. Toilet paper was a small brown roll of rough paper, and we were glad we had been warned to bring our own. The next morning was a Sunday, and it was a beautiful day, cool, and our jackets were welcome, but it was not uncomfortable. We had prayed for good weather with some trepidation because November is an unpredictable time of the year especially in that part of the World. Our Blessed Lady must have had a talk with her Son, because even though clouds threatened and we saw puddles of water when we returned from our forays, we never experienced really bad weather or downpours; nor did we experience the extreme cold temperatures that we had been warned to be prepared for. The long johns remained packed and never used. But no more than a week after we departed, that country had much snow and extreme cold. So we were blessed in yet another way. We attended an English Mass each day at 10:00 a.m. St. James Church is spacious and simply furnished, but there is a beautiful large wood Crucifix, and the statue of Our Lady is especially beautiful. Services were beautiful and well attended. No padded kneelers here - another penitential offering for Our Lady's intentions. Also, at 5:00 p.m. each day we participated in Rosaries at this Church in the Croatian language. It was very moving to see the Church fill up with Croats each evening even on weekdays especially when you compare it to the handful that attend weekday Masses and services in our own country. After the Joyful and Sorrowful Mysteries, the Croatian Mass is celebrated, and then the Glorious Mysteries are prayed. In the midst of the Sorrowful mysteries, the priest and entire congregation knelt quickly and seemed to pray silently. After about five minutes, the rosary resumed as before. As I puzzled over why this was being done, a curious sense of calm and peace filled my heart. I later learned this happens daily at the time Our Lady is appearing to the visionaries. Betty Urbanovsky had asked us to leave before the Croatian Mass as a courtesy to the Croats because the Croat Masses had standing room only and we had already attended Mass earlier that day. On Monday morning we climbed Apparition Hill, where the Blessed Virgin first appeared to the children. The day was cloudy and cool. After Mass, we gathered, ready for departure - I was uneasy about the long walk and climb as I, though not disabled, am not exactly fit for much physical activity. Silently I offered my sufferings of the day for Our Lady's intentions and for the conversion of sinners. We trekked on paths cut through farmlands, beautiful and peaceful, resting at intervals. Autumn is the time of the year the Croats work the barnyard fertilizer into the soil, and this was much in evidence to our nostrils. Even in the villages there are no well-kept lawns, as we know them. Instead there are mostly vegetable gardens in the front yards. We did see one beautiful rose garden in full bloom. A shed by one home housed a huge pink hog, well fattened. Our journey brought us to the foot of Apparition Hill, where there are many gift shops where religious articles can be purchased. Then we began a steep and tortuous climb. The path is extremely rocky; dirt has eroded away from the rocks because so many thousands of pilgrims climb the hill. Just when I felt I could not take another step, we stopped to rest and prayed a decade of the rosary. Along the way up are large bronze markers depicting mysteries of the rosary. The more physically fit helped those of us who needed assistance with the climb. We were delighted at a beautiful, longhaired, black dog with white markings that was very friendly and accompanied us on our way. At one point we saw a shepherd and his goats crossing our path. Finally we reached the cross where visionaries saw Our Lady many times; and where, for a long time, prayer groups from the village met at night for hours of prayer. They dared not meet in the daytime due to Communist oppression. After special prayer services and some quiet meditation, we began the return trip. The view was just tremendous to look out on the valley, and see the autumn colors of that country. At the bottom at the hill, just when I thought I could go no further, our tour guide, Miro led us uphill to a beautiful Chapel where we rested and listened to the story of those who were there to recuperate from drug or alcohol addictions. Their stories and explanations of the symbols in the stained glass windows behind them were fascinating and beautiful. Afterwards we visited their gift shop. The more physically fit walked back to the guesthouses, but Ethel and I rode a taxi. I vowed silently that there would be no more climbing! But then I silently asked for Our Lady's help if I needed to climb Cross Mountain for her intentions. Tuesday was a quiet day. We attended Mass and listened to a talk by a girl who receives inner-locutions from Our Lady (she hears her voice, but does not see her). We had lunch at one of the restaurants and did some shopping for gifts to take home. After the evening rosary and the evening meal, we met in the basement of one of the guesthouses for discussions, songs, and prayer or just friendly discussion and laughter - very relaxing and heartwarming. We learned that many were already experiencing special sights. I had looked out the bedroom window and saw the sun pulsating but dismissed it as my imagination. Others had seen objects turn a golden color, and others had felt spiritual conversions. We met in this basement many nights, and one night we celebrated a man's 81st birthday, with much jesting and laughter and just plain fun. Laughter is a precious gift of joy from Our Lord! This 81year old man climbed both the Apparition Hill and the Cross Mountain with absolutely no assistance. On Wednesday we climbed Mt. Kriezevak (Cross Mountain)! We packed water bottles, snack foods; our envelopes of petitions brought from home, and dressed accordingly in layered clothing. I, very reluctantly, brought up the rear! On the way we stopped at a beautiful chapel and attended Mass. Ethel and some others began to see rays of golden light from the heavens at this point. After Mass, we went to Cross Mountain, most walked but Ethel and I rode in a cab. At the foot of the mountain a shop was selling walking canes to use to assist in climbing, (if you return them at the end of the climb, half the purchase price was refunded.) I purchased a cane and was glad that I did. We prayed the Stations of the Cross at each rest interval where again there were large bronze markers depicting the Way of the Cross. At the beginning of the climb, I began to experience severe fear and loss of equilibrium and had to be assisted the entire way up the mountain. I was literally terrified that I would fall off that mountain. But I had a helper who I called "Simon" in reference to the Simon who helped Jesus carry His Cross. Finally we reached the top, where there is a huge concrete cross overlooking the entire countryside. We continued past it to a relatively flat area where there stands another, smaller cross with the Corpus on it. Here special prayer services were held and all the envelopes full of intentions were buried with a wooden cross in place to mark the spot. I saw where many similar services and burying of written intentions had been held. At this time, most of us began to see the sun pulsating and doing strange things and we saw the huge host in front of the sun. We were looking straight at the sun and experienced no damage to our eyes. Awesome! continued next page (click below) |
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