Apparition Hill, Adoration, and a Story

View outside my hotel window.

Crkva Sveti Jakov

   This morning I awoke with a severe headache and I normally don't get headaches.  Perhaps it's due to not being able to get a good night's rest the past two nights.  Besides that, my feet were sore from standing on concrete for three hours to see the Glowing Virgin. I showered and got dressed, but I skipped breakfast and missed Mass.  As much as I wanted to attend Mass, I decided to lay back down for some much needed rest while my fellow travelers went to Mass and walked around the villages of Bijakovici and Medjugorje.


Main altar at St. James Church. 

Main entrance to St. James Church.

Side view of St. James Church.

   The pilgrims in our group learned about Medjugorje and St. James Church (Crkva Sveti Jakov) before going up Apparition Hill (Crnica Broda or Podbrdo).  I'm not sure what new information they garnered, but I will tell you what I know about the church and the town's history. The original Crkva Sveti Jakov was built in 1892 across the street from the present day church. The current church was consecrated in 1969.  When the church was built, many questioned the wisdom of such a large church for so few Roman Catholic families living in the Hercegovina region of Medjugorje and four other neighboring villages.  Little did they know that years later they would have to bar the doors between Masses to accommodate all the pilgrims from around the world for daily Masses.
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Mary's Garden near main entrance to church.

History of Cross Mountain

   Not far from the church is Cross Mountain (Krizevac) where a cross towers nearly 40 feet into the mountain air at the apex of this natural elevation.  The concrete cross was completed in 1934 along with the Stations of the Cross (Krizni Put).  Pope Pius XI had declared the previous year, 1933, a Holy Year which commemorated the 1900th anniversary of the Lord's death on the cross.  The parishioners of St. James Church wanted to construct an edifice for their descendants in memory of Christ's walk up Golgotha as a testament to their faith in their Redeemer.  The parishioners carried all their materials up Cross Mountain:  cement, water, sand, tools, etc. during a bitterly cold winter.  Before the erection of the concrete cross, Medjugorje had been plagued with hailstorms that nearly destroyed the villagers' crops and livelihood in an already impoverished environment.  But since the erection of the 60 ton cross in March 1934, the hailstorms have ceased and none have been reported in the area since that time.  Amazing!   

Medjugorje Region and Atrocities

Portrait hangs in Mir Hotel dining hall. 

   Mary's first apparition to six young children on Apparition Hill was in 1981, shortly after the 40th anniversary of the atrocities committed by the Ustasi, a terrorist organization that was  responsible for burying alive seven Serbian monks from a nearby monastery during WWII and massacring 559 unarmed Serbian Orthodox civilians as well as throwing an additional 1300 Serbs into a natural pit two months later.  In addition to those atrocities, 66 Catholic Franciscan priests (in the photo to the right) from the Hercegovina region of Bosnia, of which Medjugorje is a part, were murdered by the Communists from May 1942 until June 1945.  Some of the priests were burned in front of their monastery, others were shot.
   When Mary appeared to the six children in 1981, Medjugorje was part of Communist Yugoslavia. The parish priest at the time of the apparition, Fr. Jozo Zovko, was arrested that same year by the Communist government and sentenced to three and a half years of imprisonment and forced labor. The government alleged that he was participating in a nationalistic plot.  It was only after Amnesty International's appeals for his release that his sentence was reduced to one and a half years and then set free.
   According to what I remember of  the 1995 Dayton Accord Agreement, Medjugorje was established as an autonomous region so no ethnic group could claim it.  



Adoration Chapel next to St. James Church.

Back to St. James

   In the afternoon, after lunch, Linda, a fellow pilgrim and I decided not to attempt the climb up Apparition Hill.  Linda had recent knee surgery and I did not want to attempt the climb after experiencing the headache and sore feet I had this morning.  My feet were still sore from standing on the concrete the night before.  I asked Linda if she wanted to join me for a visit to the Adoration Chapel next to St. James Church.  She agreed.  It was what adoration should be ... a quiet and prayerful visit with Jesus.


Typical kneelers of churches in Europe.
St. James has hard wooden kneelers.

    Later Linda and I went to the Croatian rosary followed by the Croatian Mass at the church. I pulled my rosary out of my pocket (I always carry a rosary somewhere on me) and joined in the responses to the prayers.  I whispered to Linda the prayers we were saying in Croatian so she could say them to herself in English. During Mass I told Linda which part of the liturgy we were at and the prayers we were saying so she would know when to sit, stand, or kneel.  We noticed that we heard a voice but we didn't see a priest at the altar. We continued to stay at this "priestless" Mass until after the homily when we decided to leave since we were certain that there wasn't anyone there to distribute Communion.  Later we found out that the Mass had been said outdoors and that the audio portion was being piped into the church.  That's why we heard the Mass but didn't see a priest at the altar.


View from front of church facing the business area.

   Linda and I decided to visit a shop across the street from St. James Church after we left.  We were looking for postcards and stamps.  We were in luck!  The saleswoman, however, appeared a little indifferent.  It seemed as if the transaction was a real chore for her and she wanted to be elsewhere.  Had she had a different attitude, I might have bought something else.  Perhaps I should have spoken to her in Croatian.

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.

Evening Adoration

   After supper we  headed to  Adoration in the  outdoor area  behind St. James  Church.  It began at  9 P.M. and lasted an  hour.  It was AMAZING!  All the seats were filled.  I experienced peace and tranquility from heaven.

Pilgrims at evening Adoration.

   There were thousands present, some of whom were kneeling with one or both knees on a concrete pavement.  The prayers and songs were in many languages including Croatian, English, Italian, German, French, and what sounded like Polish.  The faith and reverence of these people was inspiring.  During parts of the Adoration it would become very quiet ... so quiet you heard nothing but silence.  I heard neither the sounds of crickets, nor birds, nor even the sounds of the humans present there.  Adoration concluded with Benediction and the refrain "Ave, Ave, Ave Maria" sung by people from all nations.  The singing in unison was incredible.  If being in this presence didn't change you, then nothing could alter your heart.

Family shops along the way.

Road from hotel to church.

 Irma, another fellow pilgrim, accompanied  me back to the hotel after Adoration.  We  walked arm in arm. That's what friends  do in Croatia.  She told me about a  previous pilgrimage experience to  Medjugorje.  A pilgrim had gone missing  after what was suppose to be just a brief  walk.  The man's wife called the local  police but they couldn't find him even  after searching until 2 or 3 A.M.  They  told her to go to sleep and that they  would resume their search again in the morning.  The following morning the gentleman appeared back at the hotel safe and sound and relayed his incredible story.  It had become dark when he had gotten lost in the countryside.  A Bosnian farmer and his family who didn't speak English used gestures to invite him to eat with them and stay overnight.  The pilgrim was frightened thinking that if he stayed the family would rob him; however, he had little choice since he didn't know where he was nor how to get back to the hotel.  The Bosnian countryside becomes pitch black unless the sky is clear with the stars' and moon's glow. There is no electricity along the country roads in Bosnia. The only lights to guide you come from the sky, if you're lucky enough to have a clear night. Imagine the pilgrim's relief and exhilaration when at daybreak the family served him a hearty breakfast and his money was still in tact.  After breakfast, the kind family pointed out the road leading back to Medjugorje.  This pilgrim gentleman had found not robbers, but good and holy people. These angel-like gestures are the typical kindnesses you will encounter from the Bosnians and Croats.