2nd day: We pray for all Priests who Minister at the Sanctuary
Let us pray for all the priests who have ministered in Medjugorje in the past and for all who will come in the future, and for all those who come as spiritual guides and help to minister the Sacraments to the millions who journey to Medjugorje each year.
(We will pray specifically for Archbishop Hoser, the Pope's Official Emissary and Apostolic Visitor in Medjugorje, on Day 4 of the Novena, when we pray for the leaders of the Church).
Brief history and the importance of the First Pastor
"Fr. Jozo Zovko was the recently appointed pastor of St. James parish in Medjugorje, and he initially did not believe the story that his young parishioners were telling everyone, and wondered why everyone was going to the hill, when they should really be in the church praying. He struggled with how to handle this situation, which he viewed as dangerous, because in Communist Yugoslavia it was well known that people could be imprisoned and even killed, simply for publicly expressing their faith as Catholics.
The Persecution
The Yugoslav Communist authorities heard about these events within a matter of days, and immediately came to Medjugorje to put a stop to what they considered to be dangerous, anti-Communist gatherings. Public expressions of faith were strictly forbidden in Communist Yugoslavia, and the Communists would not tolerate thousands of people gathering daily on a hill to pray because of some alleged “apparitions.” The police subjected the children to intense scrutiny, extensive questioning, threats and persecution. The Communists threatened them, their families and all their loved ones, but despite all that, the visionaries never wavered in their story. One day, the Communists wanted to take the visionaries in for additional questioning, but the terrified children ran away from them, running through the tobacco fields and vineyards, towards the direction of St. James Church. The Communist police were chasing them. At the same time, Fr. Jozo was alone inside the church, praying about how to handle the situation that was developing on the hill. As he was contemplating this, he heard the audible voice of a woman, who said to him “go out and protect the children.” Fr. Jozo immediately got up and stood in front of the church, and at that exact time, the visionaries came running to him from the fields and gathered around him, begging him to protect them from the Communists who were chasing them. Fr. Jozo hid the children in the rectory basement. From that point on, Fr. Jozo became a fervent believer in these events, and was an incredible source of hope and inspiration to the multitudes who were coming to Medjugorje daily.The Communists couldn’t seem to put a stop to the events happening on the hill, so they decided to forbid the people from climbing the hill, thinking that if the people could not climb the hill to go to the place of the apparitions, then these treasonous events would come to a stop. They encircled the hill
with guard dogs and soldiers and prohibited everyone from going up the hill. As a result, the children began having their apparitions in their homes and other secret places. The multitudes of people who had been gathering on the hill every evening still wanted to spend that time in prayer so, because they could no longer go to the hill, the people began gathering in the church.
Father Slavko Barbaric was born on March 11, 1946 ...and obtained his doctorate in religious pedagogy and the title of psychotherapist.
As Franciscan priest, he was in Capljina from 1973 to 1978. From the spring of 1982 to September 1984, he was chaplain for students at Mostar, and he held retreats in the house of religious sisters at Bijelo Polje near Mostar. His fruitful work with the students and his retreats very well accepted by the students, however, the Communist government in power at that time persecuted him. In those difficult moments, his eminence, Cardinal Franjo Kuharic, protected father Slavko’s mission.
Thanks to his knowledge of the main European language and despite his numerous obligations in different parishes, Father Slavko put himself ceaselessly at the service of Medjugorje pilgrims from the time he finished his studies and came back to the country in 1982. He was officially sent to Medjugorje in 1983.
At the beginning of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, when all elderly friars were exiled to Tucepi, with the oral accord of + father Drago Tolj, former provincial, father Slavko remained at Medjugorje.
From the very beginning of his mission in Medjugorje, father Slavko has been writing spiritual books: «Pray With the Heart», «Give Me Your Wounded Heart», «Celebrate Mass With the Heart», «In the School of Love», «Adore my Son With the Heart», «With Jesus and Mary Climbing the Golgotha to Meet the Risen Lord», «Pray Together with a Joyful Heart», Interviews, and «Fast With the Heart», which is now in print. Fr. Slavko Barbaric’s books have been translated in twenty languages and more than 20 million copies have been printed in the whole world. He published also numerous articles in various publications...
He gave unceasingly conferences for pilgrims, animated adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, veneration of the Cross, the rosary up the Apparition Hill, the Way of the Cross on the Mount Krizevac, where he finished his earthly life.
He animated annual meetings for priests and youth, in the prayer house of the Franciscan province “Domus Pacis” he animated “Fasting and prayer retreats”.
The destructions of the war inspired him to found and lead an institution for the education and care of the young, the “Mother’s Village”, where more than 60 persons have found their home (war orphans, children from separated families, unwed mothers, elderly abandoned persons and sick children). If there was a man who loved children, it was Fr. Slavko. Children loved him in return: they always gathered around him and he knew always how to gather them – just like Jesus!
His psychotherapeutic formation and education allowed him to work with drug addicts in the Community of the Cenacolo, founded by Sister Elvira, mostly in their house in Medjugorje, “Campo della vita”. He oriented the help received from the whole world in two directions: “Foundation for children of deceased defenders” who died during the war, and “Foundation of friends of talents” to help students.
... Father Slavko Barbaric has travelled throughout the whole world, spreading the message of peace and reconciliation of Our Lady. He was the soul and the heart of the peace movement born in Medjugorje 19 1/2 years ago. He had wonderful gifts: knowledge of languages, facility of communicating with people, education, simplicity, care for human beings in need, inexhaustible energy – one could not believe that one single man could have it, diligence, and above all piety, humility, charity. He prayed and he fasted a lot, he loved Our Lady with a childlike love. It was, in fact, the essence of his life: through prayer and fasting to take souls to God through Mary - the Queen of Peace.
It seemed sometimes above the reality to live near him – he was here, in the world, but at the same time so much out of the world. In his presence, the words of Jesus from his high priestly prayer became reality: “They do not belong to the world, as I myself do not belong to the world. Sanctify them in the truth, your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, I sent them into the world. I sanctify myself for them, in order that they may be sanctified by the truth…” (Jn 17,16-19)"
Tribute found at the Parish of Medjugorje Website
Archbishop Henryk Hoser
“On February 11, 2017, the Holy Father entrusted Archbishop Henryk Hoser, S.A.C., bishop of Warsaw-Prague (Poland), to go to Medjugorje as special envoy of the Holy See. The mission has the aim of acquiring a deeper knowledge of the pastoral situation there and above all, of the needs of the faithful who go there in pilgrimage...” secretariat of state press communique:special envoy of the holy see named for Medjugorje
As the Vatican Press Release made clear, Archbishop Hoser’s mission as Papal Envoy was to assess the pastoral needs of Medjugorje, for the purpose of future planning, so that the needs of the millions of pilgrims who travel to Medjugorje, can be better met. Archbishop Hoser’s role as Papal Envoy ended in May, 2017, when he submitted his report to the Vatican.
On May 31, 2018, he was appointed by Pope Francis as Apostolic Visitor to Medjugorje, for an undetermined period of time beginning on July 22, 2018. As such, he reports directly to the Holy Father.
“On 31 May 2018 the Holy Father appointed H.E. Msgr. Henryk Hoser, S.A.C., archbishop-bishop emeritus of Warszawa-Praga, Poland, as special apostolic visitor for the parish of Medjugorje, for an undefined period and at nutum Sanctae Sedis...”Archbishop Hoser remarked:
“We call Her here, the Queen of Peace. ... Therefore, that honoring, so intensive here, is of the greatest importance and is necessary to the whole world. ... We need a Heavenly intervention. The presence of our Blessed Virgin Mary – that is this intervention. It is God’s initiative. ... Therefore, I would like to encourage and fortify all of you, on behalf of the Pope, as his Emissary ... Those who come here discover something extraordinary ...They discover a huge range of profound spirituality. We can see that devotion in Medjugorje is very Christ-centered
Archbishop Aldo Cavalli arrived in Medjugorje
On the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes (February 11, 2022), a new Apostolic Visitor arrived to Medjugorje with a special role for the parish of Medjugorje for an indefinite period and ad nutum Sanctae Sedis - Archbishop Msgr. Aldo Cavalli, Archbishop Vibo Valentie, and former Apostolic Nuncio to the Netherlands.
Archbishop Cavalli will celebrate the first Holy Mass with parishioners and pilgrims in Medjugorje tomorrow (February 13, 2022) at 11 am in the Church of St. James inMedjugorje.
On November 27, 2021, the Press Office of the Holy See published the news that Pope Francis had appointed Archbishop Msgr. Aldo Cavalli, titular Archbishop Vibo Valentia (Vibo Valentia - lat. Dioecesis Vibonensis), former Apostolic Nuncio to the Netherlands, as the Apostolic Visitor with a special role for the parish of Medjugorje, indefinitely and ad nutum Sanctae Sedis.
This is a continuation of the mission carried out in Medjugorje by Archbishop Henryk Hoser, S.A.C., who passed away on August 13, 2021 in Warsaw.
Msgr. Aldo Cavalli was born on October 18, 1946 in Lecco (Italy). He was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Bergamo on March 18, 1971. After his ordination to the priesthood, he taught literature at the Seminary, during which time he completed his studies in political science at a Catholic university. Since 1975, he has been at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in Rome, crowning his stay with a postgraduate degree in theology and ecclesiastical law. He served in several nunciatures as the secretary and in the State Secretariat of the Holy See. He was ordained a bishop on August 26, 1996 in the Cathedral of Bergamo. He has been the Apostolic Nuncio to Chile, Colombia, Malta and Libya, and since March 21, 2015 he has been the Nuncio to the Netherlands and the Permanent Representative of the Holy See to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
Archbishop Cavalli stands outside of the Church most evenings greeting pilgrims. His love is infectious! He is a joy!
Fr. Leon Pereira, OP, is the Chaplain to the English-speaking pilgrims in Medjugorje. He speaks with wit and insight as he shares his own amazing testimony and speaks about Our Lady’s Messages.
You can find videos of his homilies, teachings and insights at Marytv.tv: https://marytv.tv/sanctuary-snippets-2/
Pastoral staff
Franciscan School Sisters |
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Come Holy Spirit, Creator, come
best gift of God above,
the living spring, the living fire,
sweet unction and true love.
Thou Who are called the Paraclete,
from Thy bright heavenly throne,
come, take possession of our souls,
and make them all Thine own.
Texts for Meditation
MESSAGE FROM HEAVEN
CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
4. The Litany of the Blessed Virgin
Concluding prayer:
The Medjugorje Hymn
To the Mother and Queen of Peace
Click Here for .mp3 -
We come to you, dearest Mother,
from all quarters, from all nations;
bringing to you all our troubles
ardent wishes, aspirations.
Look upon us and console us,
lay your gentle hands upon us;
intercede with Jesus for us,
Mother of Peace, do pray for us.
All the faithful look up to you,
you the lodestar of salvation;
cleanse, embrace us, we pray to you,
bless all in the congregation.
Bijakovo, Medjugorje,
little hamlets spread the story,
bearing witness to your beauty
to your name and to your glory.
For all your love, dearest Mother
all the wonders that we have seen,
we give to you solemn promise
to be better than we have been.
Complete Novena found here:
http://medjugorje.org/anniversarynovena.htm
© Updated 2021. Janet Moore 2019. All Rights Reserved.
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