Zoran Grizelj and the Glowing Virgin

Zoran Grizelj's photo when the lights were turned off.

Inside Vicka's Childhood Home 

    It was nearly midnight when the young Croatian teen counted us off (Nancy, Stephen, Mary Grace, Lodie, Michelle and me) so we could enter Vicka's childhood home.

Pilgrims wait to enter Vicka's
 former home.

We climbed six or seven very steep steps in a single file line. When we entered the house we lined up against a wall in order to allow the previous group to exit the room and house.  Once we were inside this small room housing the large concrete statue of Mary, we were instructed to line up against the back wall and make another row of people in front of the people in the back row.  We were told to get our cameras ready because we'd only have a fraction of a second to take a photo before the next group was allowed in and we would have to leave.  All of us had our cameras ready.  They turned off the lights for perhaps two seconds and we could see the green glow. Cameras went off and then the lights came back on.  We were lead out of the house the same way we came in except we took a second set of steps to get out to the road.

Notice slight green glow on statue even with lights turned on. 

Meeting Zoran Grizelj

Comparing our blank pictures

   When we had assembled as a group on the road, I examined my photo more closely and noticed that particular frame was blank.  I asked my fellow pilgrims if they had anything on their cameras.  We were surprised to learn that all of our photos were blank.
   We stood there comparing blank photos and expressing our amazement when a gentleman with a very professional looking camera strolled over to us and scrolled through his digital camera to show us his photo of the Virgin with the green glow.  I immediately asked him if he would e-mail it to me.  He answered, "No."  I was fine with that because with the equipment he was carrying, he obviously was a professional photographer and this was his livelihood.  He said something else and I thought that I detected a German accent.  I proceeded to ask him if he was from Germany since I had been there on two study tours.  He told me that he was not German but from the local area.  I continued by speaking to him in Croatian.  I told him that I was born in Valun on the island Cres.  He was familiar with the island and his eyes lit up.  We spoke for just a while longer in Croatian.  This had been a long day for the other pilgrims and me.  It was our first day in Medjugorje and now it was well past midnight.  He handed me his business card and said, "In two days."  I was ecstatic!  I wrote down my e-mail, gave it to him, and told him I would post his photo of the glowing Virgin on my blog with all of his contact information so others could contact him if they wanted a copy of the Glowing Virgin.

The rest of the group:  Mary Grace and Lodie

All the photos above were taken by Zoran Grizelj.  If you would like a copy of the Glowing Virgin or would like to get in contact with him, you can reach him in any number of ways.  If you are calling by phone, you will have to enter your country code first.  For the United States, that code is 001.  To reach him in Bosnia-Herzegovina dial (001) 1 387 63 325 984.  In Croatia dial (001) 1 385 91 896 62 52 or (001) 1 385 99 871 99 14.  You can also e-mail him at: fotozog@gmail.com   You can even visit with him via Skype.  His Skype name is fotozog.  Reach him on GoogleTalk also with the name fotozog.  Use the same name to connect with him on Facebook.

Hvala vam za fotografijama, Zoran!  (Thank you for the photos, Zoran!)