Choir and an Afternoon with a Visionary

 

The Spotlight is on Our Group

   We arrived early at St. James Church this morning in order to work out the details for Mass.  Our group was asked to be the choir today.  Rather than gather in pews, we found seats on the risers off to the left of the main altar. Pilgrims from our group volunteered as readers, barring the doors, taking up the collection, and as cantors.  I was one of those taking up the collection.  Although we began passing the collection baskets as soon after the petitions were read, most of us only got through half the congregation before we heard the Consecration bells ringing.  We stopped wherever we were and knelt in the aisles, facing the altar, until the final words of the Consecration were spoken and then resumed our collection.  Once all of the collection baskets traveled through the congregation, we brought them forward and emptied them into a larger basket and returned to our places in the choir.  During the reflection portion after Communion, two men with beautiful, powerful voices sang the "Panis Angelicus", partly solo and partly in harmony.  One of the men was a tenor from Boston; the other was from Los Angeles.  

Side altar dedicated to Our Lady of
Medjugorje at St. James Church.

   There were several people who volunteered to bar the doors.  Among the "door guardians" was a petite lady from Michigan.  She made sure that the doors were barred when the church had reached its seating and standing capacity and then made sure the bars were taken off at the end of Mass to allow new pilgrims to enter the sanctuary.  We referred to Nanette as "Mighty Mouse" after her stint as "door guardian".  The main celebrant at Mass was our own Fr. Joe.  There were perhaps two or three dozen more English-speaking priests who concelebrated Mass with him.  Fr. Joe's homily centered around our visit to Medjugorje.  He asked all of us to reflect upon the reasons we were here.  Why did we make this journey?  He gave us a lot to think about.

Daily Confessions

   One thing that I have seen every day while here in Medjugorje is the number of priests hearing confessions. There are about a dozen confessionals a few yards to the left side of the the church's main entrance. These closed-door confessionals display a sign on the door indicating the language of the priest hearing the confessions.  A priest picks up the sign with his language and slips it into a slot that tells penitents what language he is hearing confessions. And, as seen to the right, when all the closed-door confessionals are taken, priests set up on empty benches, each with the name of his native tongue displayed on the bench for easy identification.  I went to the Sacrament of Reconciliation before leaving for Medjugorje so it was only a few days since my last confession.  We were encouraged, though, to go to Penance while in Medjugorje.  I reviewed the few days that we were in this Balkan country and decided to find an English-speaking priest.  There were probably two or three dozen priests from various English-speaking countries such as the United States, Canada, England, and Australia who could have heard my confession.  The penitent lines for all the languages were always long so I did not move away from my line.  You can imagine my surprise when it was my turn to enter the confessional and I found the priest that I had gone to confession just a few days ago back home was the same priest I was now facing.  As I got comfortable in my chair, before I began my confession, I said to the priest, "Father, I hope you don't mind a frequent flier!"  He just smiled.

Marija Speaks to Us

   This afternoon we returned to St. James Church, but this time to the outdoor area.  Marija, another one of the six visionaries, spoke to us in Italian.  Her interpreter, Mickey, translated her words into Croatian.

Pilgrims came to hear Marija.

Marija with interpreter Mickey.

If you did not speak or understand either language, you could purchase a radio at the Franciscan bookstore for seven dollars and tune in to a certain frequency to hear the message translated into English.  Marija began with prayer and invited all of us to become closer to Our Blessed Mother. She told us how she and the other visionaries were very afraid in the very beginning, but Mary's joy and the prayers that came from their hearts helped them overcome their fears. Marija expressed Our Lady's wishes for all of us to get closer to Her Son Jesus.  If we fall in love with God and pray every day, we will increase our faith.  Marija ended her message by calling all of us to prayer and personal conversion by putting God first in our lives and praying daily.

Evening Adoration

Adoration with big screen so everyone
can see Jesus in the monstrance.

Billboard of visionaries and Father Vasilj.

    Later that evening after supper we went to Adoration which began at 9 o'clock.  I genuinely look forward to Adoration each evening.  It is the most wonderful experience! There is peace and such an extraordinary closeness to God here.  It reminds me of those times that our family attended Adoration, rosary and Benediction.
   Adoration in Medjugorje concludes just as I recall from my childhood ... with Benediction and the singing of "Tantum Ergo". However, here in Medjugorje, you also hear the Medjugorje song sung to Mary during Adoration: "Majci Kralijici Mira" which translates into English as "To the Mother and Queen of Peace".  It is a song written by Father Stanko Vasilij.  Likewise, you find yourself joining thousands of other voices in singing "Zdravo kralijice mira/ Zdravo Majko ljubavi/ Zdravo, zdravo, zdravo Marijo/ Zdravo, zdravo, zdravo Marijo" ("Hail Queen of Peace/ Hail Mother of Love/ Hail, hail, hail Mary/ Hail, hail, hail Mary") as you are leaving the outdoor Adoration area. Your heart not only fills with peace, but with great joy, as well. You feel unconditionally loved.