NUMBER 311 : April 2017 : FREE Published Monthly MONTHLY NEWSLETTER MEDJUGORJE CENTRE NORTH EAST. (Established since 1989)

Transcription

1 NUMBER 311 : April 2017 : FREE Published Monthly MONTHLY NEWSLETTER MEDJUGORJE CENTRE NORTH EAST (Established since 1989) medjugorjene@yahoo.co.uk OUR MINISTRY To spread the messages of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus, given through the visionaries in Medjugorje. PEACE CONVERSION FAITH PRAYER FASTING OUR LADY QUEEN OF PEACE PRAY FOR US

2 1 MEDJUGORJE AFTERNOON OF PRAYER led by Fr. Martin Morris 2nd Sunday of the month 4pm 6pm 14th May 2017 No afternoon of prayer on 11th June 2017 Resumes 9th July 2017 At St Teresa of the infant Child Jesus Heaton Road Newcastle upon Tyne NE6 5HN ANNUAL PILGRIMAGE TO MEDJUGORJE 2017 led by Fr. Martin Morris Wed 7th - 14th June 2017 Flying from Newcastle Half Board ** Due to cancellation 1 place SHARING is available ** Ring Kath Ash Aglow Travel Ltd Ring Jonathan Baylis Or travel@aglowpilgrimages.com Medjugorje Centre North East Invites you to celebrate the 36th Anniversary of The Apparitions at Medjugorje 4pm 6pm Sunday 25th June 2017 Rosary, Healing prayers and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament Led by Fr. Martin Morris St Teresa of the infant Child Jesus Heaton Road Newcastle upon Tyne NE6 5HN

3 2 OUR LADY S MESSAGE To the World Given 25th April 2017 to Marija Pavlovic D ear children! Love, pray and witness my presence to all those who are far away. By your witness and example, you can draw closer the hearts that are far from God and His grace. I am with you and intercede for each of you so that, with love and resoluteness, you may witness and encourage all those who are far from my Immaculate Heart. Thank you for having responded to my call.. Fr. Martin Morris s Reflection Spiritual Director of Medjugorje Centre NE Dear Brothers and Sisters of Medjugorje North East and beyond, In this Easter season, we celebrate our Risen Saviour's victory over the powers of darkness, and the freedom he brings us through his Cross and Resurrection. Each day at Holy Mass we hear the Accounts from the Acts of the Apostles, the miraculous transformations that took place in the lives of those first Disciples after encountering the Risen Lord Jesus. These wondrous deeds were accomplished by the Apostolic community, because their point of contact was the Risen Lord. Their, Witness, Love and Prayer brought new life to so many because they were in touch and remained close to the Risen Jesus. So too for ourselves, the recipients of the Apostolic witness and faith, are also in touch with the same Risen Lord and the power of his Resurrection, through the Church's Faith, the Sacraments, and His living Word, and are invited by Mary Queen and Mother of Peace to, "Love, Pray and witness so as to "draw closer the hearts that are far from God and his grace." Let us again reflect that the main goal of Our Lady is Peace. Peace is the main grace that God wants to give us, but only if we open ourselves to this grace. God's Peace will help us to, "Love, Pray and Witness" When one wants to take this path with Mary to God, then we call this the path to conversion. The path of conversion always brings about a change in relationships-towards oneself, our family and friends, and

4 3 then the wider world. This is what happened to the first Apostles after the Resurrection. Mary wants to bring us to that same point of contact with her son, where we have a friendship with him that is worthy of God. From this friendship comes a "Love, prayer and a witness that is born of the Spirit of Christ. Once Mary told us, "Do not Pray according to your needs, but pray seeking God because he loves you." Let us pray because we love God and because we like to be with him. Prayer is foremost a loving presence before God. This type of prayer gives way to witness. This is the goal Mary has before us when she teaches us to pray from the heart. Our Blessed Mother emphasises again the words, " Love and witness" She calls us to a love that is resolute, so that those who are far away from my Immaculate heart may receive encouragement." The Apostles and Martyrs died witnessing; " I am a Christian and I love God over everything." A Martyr is someone who in every situation remains absolutely clear about who he is, and who in every situation loves God above everything else, even more than his own life. The Apostles and Martyrs throughout the centuries carried the Faith forward, because they kept loving, living and renewing the Church through their personal love for God, and holiness of life. Mary encourages us to keep alive the awareness of who we are as children of God, Christians, freed through the precious blood of the lamb. Through the grace of God and Mary's presence, Medjugorje has helped so many to make that first step towards this renewed awareness, and so bring many of our brothers and sisters back to the maternal fold of Mary's Immaculate Heart. Lord Jesus, Risen Saviour, Make us living witnesses to your Resurrection today. Send us your Holy Spirit to help us love in a profound way all our fellow men. Renew the spirit of Prayer in each of our hearts. Help us to receive your holy Word in a new and deeper way, so that a new heart is created within us, to Love, Pray and witness to all people. Come Holy Spirit of Risen Jesus, come from the pierced side of Christ on the Cross, Come Holy Spirit, blowing from the lips of our Risen saviour. Come, and make us your holy witnesses today, with Mary Immaculate at our side. Fr. Martin Morris.

5 4 Newman Association Talk Medjugorje By Fr. Martin Morris Wednesday 31 st May 7.30 St Mary s Church Hall Farringdon Road Cullercoats NE30 3EY All welcome Evangelisation; That Christians in Africa, in imitation of the Merciful Jesus, may give prophetic witness to reconciliation, justice and peace. Pope Francis Intention for May 2017 Our Lady s message to Mirjana 2nd April 2017 Dear children! Apostles of my love, it is up to you to spread the love of my Son to all those who have not come to know it; you, the little lights of the world, whom I am teaching with motherly love to shine clearly with full brilliance. Prayer will help you, because prayer saves you, prayer saves the world. Therefore, my children, pray with words, feelings, merciful love and sacrifice. My Son has shown you the way - He who became incarnate and made of me the first chalice, with His exalted sacrifice He has shown you how you need to love. Therefore, my children, do not be afraid to speak the truth. Do not be afraid to change yourself and the world by spreading love, by doing everything for my Son to be known and loved by loving others in Him. As a mother I am always with you. I am imploring my Son to help you for love to reign in your life - love that lives, love that draws, love which gives life. I am teaching you such love - pure love. It is up to you, my apostles, to recognize it, live it and spread it. Pray with feeling for your shepherds so that they can witness my Son with love. Thank you.

6 5 REPORT FROM SISTER EMMANUEL of The Community of The Beatitudes April 15, 2017 Dear Children of Medjugorje, praised be Jesus and Mary! 1. On April 2, 2017, Mirjana received her monthly apparition at the Blue Cross. After the apparition, she shared the message from Our Lady: (see page 4) 2. Medjugorje in a State of Shock! those of His words and those of a pastor, a down to earth man with a kind-hearted spirit who, above all, is seeking the good of souls and does not hesitate to impart the truth of the Gospel. His homily, as well as the press conference he gave to journalists the next day, was filled with peace. Best of all, his joy at being with us was palpable. He exceeded our expectations! In fact, Mgr. Hoser encouraged us! Here are some of the things he said: Wednesday March 29th was a historic day for Medjugorje! For the first time in nearly 36 years of apparitions, a special papal envoy officially entered the parish church of Medjugorje. Msgr Hoser very quickly turned out to be a friend, a real friend. On Saturday April 1, 2017, he celebrated the international evening mass in the presence of a large crowd. Seeing him walk in the procession to the altar, wearing his Archbishop's miter, we thought: "This is Rome coming to Medjugorje!" At first, we were wondering what he would say about Medjugorje in his homily. We were inspired and amazed by his words. They were "This worship, which is so intense here, is extremely important and necessary for the whole world... Let us pray for peace, because today the forces of destruction are enormous... We need an intervention from Heaven, and that is what the presence of the Blessed Virgin is! It is an initiative of God. And so I would like to encourage and comfort you as a special envoy of the Pope!" (This sentence triggered a round of applause. Many were overcome with emotion and crying with joy (so was I!). You can listen to his homily in English here:

7 6 These words are significant for an official envoy of the Pope! We are filled with immense joy. On Sunday, April 2nd, he privately visited my community of the Beatitudes, with the pastor, Fr Marinko Sakota. To the journalists, he said: "Tell the whole world that in Medjugorje we find light! I wish you the possibility of registering for a seminar here, to discover what you do not yet suspect." our struggle and filling us with hope. "In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph!" she said to the little shepherds Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta, on July 13, What a wonderful prophecy! To make the celebration complete, we can re-consecrate ourselves to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and take into account each of her requests which, if we had followed them earlier, would have saved us millions of deaths and many other troubles. What is the connection with Medjugorje? According to Saint Jean- Paul II, "Medjugorje is the continuation and realization of Fatima." 3. Fatima, preparation at Medjugorje! On the 13th of May, we will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the first apparition of Mary at Fatima, so we have a whole month to make this event a real celebration! But how? First, by re-reading the messages given by the Mother of God to the 3 visionaries. This is a must if you want to be educated by Our Lady. Indeed, these apparitions are a divine initiative of prime importance, putting a special light on the final outcome of The 6 apparitions at Fatima gave the world a program to follow to end World War I, and to finally achieve a true time of peace for the world, an issue that is more relevant than ever today. In Medjugorje, not only did Our Lady repeat the same requests to achieve peace (praying the Rosary, penance, consecration, etc.) but she also offered something exceptional: to train us daily over the years to make of us "Apostles of her love". In short, we can say that Medjugorje is the instruction manual for Fatima. Let us rejoice: the Queen of Peace is

8 7 counting on each of us to help her carry out her plan, as she so often expressed it! Here is a small personal testimony: in 1989, during my 2nd pilgrimage to Medjugorje, I was struck by a message: "Dear children, each of you is important to me, I need you! Without you I cannot help the world." I was deeply moved! I knew that we needed her, but I never thought she could need us. So I immediately replied: "Mother, here I am, if you need me!" As a result, she quickly hired me and it isn't over! This very urgent appeal is addressed to all her children and to each one in particular, with no exception. Whether you are bed-ridden in a hospital or healthy, old or young, rich or poor, married or single, the Gospa hopes that we will say Yes with our whole being to make us her instruments, and better yet: her Apostles. Do not hesitate, because no one has ever regretted giving himself or herself unreservedly to Mary! With this Crown of Yes-ses, the deep desire of Mary, announced at Fatima, will be greatly hastened: the triumph of her Immaculate Heart over the darkness that surrounds us. 4. St. Teresa of Calcutta and the Sin of Judgment. During this election campaign, it is good to look at the attitude of the Saints to cleanse one's mind of all the colliding political speeches. Though candidates in power may feel obliged to demolish their opponents to rise in the polls, the Saints adopted other methods to achieve true greatness, the kind that builds and brings peace. As a child, Mother Teresa was in good hands with her mother in Skopje. At home, when one of her 3 children murmured against a teacher or another person, she would immediately turn off the electricity. She then explained that she did not want to pay for electricity for children who were saying bad things about others. In her very direct style, Mother Teresa, who had picked up the lesson, beamed light on the sin of judgment wherever it hurt brotherly love. A few examples: "It is better to excuse than to accuse." "If you judge someone, then you don't have time to love him." In front of someone who was describing the corruption that was rampant in Calcutta, she exclaimed: "I know full well that there is corruption in Calcutta! But I also know that there is good, and I choose to see the good!" As for insults that one might receive,

9 8 she said: "If someone accuses you, ask yourself: 'is he right?' If he's right, go ask him for forgiveness. If he's wrong, then seize the insult you received with both hands. Don't drop it, take this opportunity and offer it to Jesus as a sacrifice. Rejoice that you have something worthwhile to offer Him." She practiced this herself, and she went on to say: "There is one sin that I never had to confess, that of judging someone." 5. The next live broadcast will take place on May 3rd at 9 p.m. (BiH Time) in French. I will talk about the message of the 2nd. Live on March 3rd at: index.php/le-direct-du-3.html Ambulance of the Order of Malta in Medjugorje began to work on Palm Sunday date: The ambulance of the Order of Malta began with their activities in a new season in Medjugorje on this Palm Sunday. Their hours for urgent medicine are from 9 a.m. to 2.30 p.m. and from 3.30 p.m. to 9.00 p.m. They will continue to work until October 31, All staff are volunteers who do not charge pilgrims for their services and the ambulance is financed through contributions and donations. The service is done in accordance to the motto of the Order of Malta: Defense of faith and aid to the people in need. Dearest Gospa, how can we not be in communion with your maternal heart, In these days of passion and glory where you were one heart with that of your Son Jesus! Please, introduce us into this communion of love that you know so well, and that is a fore-taste of our happiness in Heaven! Sister Emmanuel + Dates for your Diary 2017 May 13th -Our Lady of Fatima 20th - Anniversary Fr. Ciaran McDonnell ( RIP ) 25th -Ss. Gregory VII, Mary Magdalene de Pazzi & Venerable Bede 26th -St. Philip Neri 27th -St. Augustine of Canterbury 28th -The Ascension of the Lord 31st -The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary June 7th to 14th -Pilgrimage to Medjugorje 25th - The 36th Anniversary of the Apparitions of Our Lady in Medjugorje

10 Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon to you all. At the very beginning, I ought to give you some explanations and I owe you a few apologies too. The scope of my mission was defined by the Holy See. As we have heard, it is about determining the pastoral situation of the pilgrims in Medjugorje. This is my first visit to Medjugorje, I came here without knowing the exact situation here, but I knew this was an international pilgrimage destination. I will speak in French, as this language has been the official language for diplomacy for many years, even up to today. Certainly, you all expect to hear my impressions and my conclusions. First of all, I would like to emphasize a very important fact, that Medjugorje once was not known in the world at all. It was a small place, lost in the hills, which is what its name actually means. Today, Medjugorje is known all over the world, and it should be pointed out that pilgrims come from eighty different countries. When it comes to the importance of this place of pilgrimage, it could be compared to others too. For instance, two and a half million pilgrims come to Medjugorje each year, while six million go to Lourdes. Nevertheless, Lourdes exists for 150 years, while Medjugorje is hardly 36 years old. This is a time to make a first balance, a first estimate that could be highly important for the future development of this place. 9 Press Conference with Archbishop Henryk Hoser in Medjugorje (the Special Envoy of the Holy See) April 5th, 2017 How come so many pilgrims come here? On one hand, they have surely heard about the Medjugorje apparitions that began in On the other hand, those who come here, discover something extraordinary. The first aspect is the environment, the atmosphere of peace and of reconciliation. It is also an atmosphere of inner peace, peace of the heart. They also discover a huge range of profound spirituality. They re -discover or discover for the first time in their lives the meaning of the sacred reality. In Medjugorje, they can have an experience with sacred time and sacred space. Sacred means it is something withheld in a special way in relation to God. Usually we hear that Medjugorje is a place of Marian devotion, and that is the truth, however, if we enter into the depth of it, we can see that devotion in Medjugorje is very Christ -centred, as the centre of devotion is the celebration of the Eucharist, the transmitting of the Word of God, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, when man discovers that the Blessed Sacrament is the real presence of Jesus in His divinity and in His human nature. Some discover here the prayer of the Rosary, which is meditative prayer on the mysteries of our faith. Finally, as they pray the Way of the Cross, they enter into the Easter mystery, meaning the Passion, Death and Resurrection of the Christ.

11 10 I shall conclude this overview, with the strongest point on the sacrament of forgiveness, personal and personalised confession. Medjugorje is a very fertile land from a religious perspective. In these years we can count 610 religious and priesthood vocations born in Medjugorje. Most of them come from Italy, the United States and Germany. When we are aware of the crisis of vocations, particularly in the old Christian countries, and in Western Europe, it is clear that there is something new here, something remarkable. If we calculate the number of the ministered Holy Communions, as this is the only way to establish the number of pilgrims, of course including the margin of error, there have been 37 million Holy Communions ministered in the period from However, the number of pilgrims is even bigger, as not all of them receive Holy Communion. When it comes to the estimate of the situation in Medjugorje, there are three different areas to differentiate. The first area is the parish that exists for a long time, which serves the parishioners who are here, who live here and whose number has increased in the past ten years by a thousand of those who came to live here, perhaps even more than that. This parish, that has its own history, built a cross on a hill in Medjugorje in the thirties of the past century, and has accepted today s phenomenon of Medjugorje. Part of the history of this parish is also special, the personal history of those whom we call the visionaries. The second area: pilgrims. As I already said, up to of them per year. This number tends to grow, too. Surely, this is a huge challenge for the priests who are here. This phenomenon has caused development of the existing infrastructure that needs to respond to the needs of pilgrims, and part of that is this Hall, the Adoration chapel, the open area for the celebration of Holy Mass outdoors. Those were some of the elements added according to the needs of pilgrims who were coming here. On the other hand, we can see how this place is developing. There are more and more hotels, restaurants, shops and this already reminds me of little Lourdes. It is not known that Lourdes is second in France, after Paris, according to the number of hotels in it. Perhaps this is the future of Medjugorje in relation to Sarajevo. So, the number of the inhabitants is increasing, as well as the capacity of accommodation of pilgrims. However, we can see the third area, too. There are the communities that came here, associations, social and charity activities, we think there are around thirty of them. Some of them received their inspiration from Medjugorje, their roots are from here. There are also those who arrived from the other countries, they were founded somewhere else, but they came here so they would live this atmosphere, this phenomenon of Medjugorje. There are some originally created works here; in a particular way I am mentioning a work created by Franciscan fathers, the charitable institution, the Mother s village. It is worth visiting this place if you are interested in that, as it is about life in its various stages, specially life in a

12 11 difficulty: orphans, young people with troubles, addicts on drugs, alcohol and other additions, those who are disabled. This is an expression of active love tightly related to the Christian faith. There is another work called the House of Peace, also established by the Franciscan fathers, it is a house for a closed type of spiritual retreats in silence. More than 1200 groups were in this House up to this day, with more than participants. This type of spiritual exercises, these seminars are transforming people from the inside. There are also seminars another pastoral invention of the parish of Medjugorje. The seminars are annual, they take place once a year. For the past 23 years there has been one open for all, for the past 21 years there is a seminar specifically for priests, it is for further formation of priests, for the past 17 years there have been seminars for married couples, and for the last 4 years, seminars for doctors and medical staff. Last year the first seminar for life took place, for the protection of human life. There is also a seminar for people with disabilities. So, all this shows an intensity of Christian life here in Medjugorje and this is a type of model that could be applied to other places. What shrines have to offer in this world today is of such a kind, that Pope Francis has transferred the issue from the Congregation for the Clergy, to the Congregation for the New Evangelisation. People there receive what they cannot find at home. In many of our old Christian countries, individual confession no longer exists. In many countries there is no Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, many countries do not know about the Way of the Cross, there is no prayer of the Rosary. In French Brittany, I was once told that the last time they prayed the Way of the Cross was thirty years ago. Surely, such dryness in the areas of the spiritual and the sacred is causing a crisis in faith in general. People here come to the source; this is where they discern a thirst for the sacred, a thirst for God, a thirst for prayer which they discover to be an immediate contact with God. They feel, I would say the Divinity, thanks to the care of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In Medjugorje, the emphasis is on Mary as Queen of Peace. One could say this is nothing new, as there are churches throughout the world consecrated to the Queen of Peace, but if we observe the world context of our lives today, we can see something that pope Francis refers to as the third world war in pieces. This means in fragments. Civil wars are the cruellest form, the one that destroys and hurts the most. You, who live here in the Balkans, have recently lived one such war. I lived in Rwanda during the genocide. Now you can see that Syria, in the Middle East, the country of the oldest Christian identity is being destroyed even with the use of

13 12 chemical weapons. This is our landscape today. There are so many political conflicts in each country. So, in my opinion, it is important to pray to Our Lady of Peace. The specific role of Medjugorje is extremely important here. You, my dear friends, should be the carriers of the joyful news. Say to the whole world that in Medjugorje we can find the light again. We need those special places of light in the world that is sinking into darkness. I would also like to say to you that you can register for a seminar here, whatever the theme, you might discover things that you cannot even imagine. Thank you! 5 th Anniversary of Fr. Ciaran McDonnell RIP (Former Spiritual Director of Medjugorje NE ) and PP of St. Augustines, Leam Lane. Who died on Ascension Sunday 20 th May 2012 aged 64 Fr, Ciaran will be remembered during The Afternoon of Prayer at St. Teresa of the Infant Child Jesus. Holy Mass will be offered during Our Pilgrimage to Medjugorje. Fr, Ciaran had a deep love for Mary, the Mother of God and led many Pilgrimages to Medjugorje. A few years ago he went to Medugorje on sabbatical where he ministered most of the time to the Pilgrims, hearing daily confessions. Pax Christie Priest and Servant of the Love of God Act of Personal Consecration to the Holy Spirit O Holy Spirit, love that proceeds from the Father and the Son, font of inexhaustible graces and life, to You, I desire to consecrate my person, my past, my present, my future, my desires, my choices, my decisions my thoughts, my affections all that I am, all those whom I encounter whom I think of, whom I know, whom I love and all that with which my life makes contact. From, the power of your light, from the warmth of your presence, from your peace, are all your blessings. You are the Lord and giver of life, and without your strength nothing is without fault. O Spirit of eternal love, come into my heart, renew it and make it evermore like the heart of Mary, so that I can become now and always, temple and tabernacle of Your Divine Presence. (Fr. Ciaran)

14 th Anniversary of Our Lady s Apparitions at Fatima Medjugorje is a continuation of Fatima. I desire to realise the secrets I began in Fatima may be fulfilled (Medjugorje message 25 Aug 91) In Fatima Our Blessed Mother appeared to three simple shepherd children six times in 1917 so they could warn the world of upcoming trials and tribulations. The three children were, siblings Jacinta, age 7, and Francisco Marto, age 9, and their cousin Lucia Dos Santos, age 10. Since that time, many of the prophecies have come true, and there is much debate about the happenings involving the Third Secret and Our Lady s request to consecrate Russia to Her Immaculate Heart. At Fatima Our Lady asked for consecration to her Immaculate Heart. She looks at us like a Mother, with tenderness, with mercy, with love. The same way she looked at the child Jesus, in every moment of his life When we are tired, discouraged, overwhelmed by the problems, look to Mary (Pope Francis) VIRGIN STATUE (NPVS) AND THE RELICS OF BLESSED JACINTA & FRANCISCO. Will visit 18 Catholic Cathedrals in England and Wales including the North East - Diocese of Middlesbrough 9th -15th Sept and St. Mary s Cathedral, Newcastle upon Tyne Sept 16th and 17th 2017 (Hexham & Newcastle Diocese) Further details : The Medjugorje Youth Festival st July 7th August After a few years receiving readers generous donations we have now offered 3 free places (originally proposed 2) as a large donation was received enabling an extra place. We would like to thank all readers for their generosity and prayers. Further donations to sponser youth for 2018/2019 festival. Please make cheques payable to: Medjugorje Centre North East And write on the back of the cheque Sponsor Youth 2018/2019 send to :- The Treasurer, Miss Fiona Johnston, address back page.

15 14 Medjugorje Centre North East MIDDLESBROUGH CENTRE FOR PEACE MEDJUGORJE PILGRIMAGES st May 28th May 10th Sept 17th Sept FLYING from NEWCASTLE For further details please contact: Mrs Marie Bedingfield Tel: MIDDLESBROUGH CENTRE FOR PEACE MARIAN EVENING Friday 12th May 2017 Friday 9th June pm to 9.30pm Rosary : Holy Mass : Talk : Witness JOHN PAUL CENTRE 55 GRANGE ROAD, MIDDLESBROUGH, TS1 5AU For further details please contact: Mrs Marie Bedingfield Tel: MARCH FOR LIFE BIRMINGHAM 20th May 9.0am until 3.30pm International speakers, music and refreshments: Begins with Holy Mass at St Chad s Cathedral, Birmingham. Followed by a Rosary Procession to Birmingham Market Place & witness. *See: LIFE FROM CONCEPTION NO EXCEPTION *For details of how to join the pro-lifers travelling to Birmingham from the North East, contact SPUC Newcastle Branch Chairman: Mrs Marileine Ollerenshaw (marieoll@hotmail.com ) Tel: The Centre recognizes and accepts that the final authority regarding the apparitions at Medjugorje rests with the Holy See of Rome. We willingly submit to that judgement.