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www.medjugorje.ws » Echo of Mary Queen of Peace » Echo of Mary Queen of Peace 86 (October 1991)
www.medjugorje.ws » Echo of Mary Queen of Peace » Echo of Mary Queen of Peace 86 (October 1991)
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"With God among us we shall fight like heroes, he will trample on our
enemies." (Ps 60)
Italy. Year 6 - no.10 -
wants to show his disgraceful face to the world and through it, sweep as many people as possible onto the path of death and sin.
Thus, dear children, help my Immaculate Heart triumph in a sinful world. I am asking all of you to offer up prayers and
sacrifices for my intentions, so that I may present them to God for what is most necessary. Forget your desires my dear children,
and pray for what God wants, not for what you want.
Thank you for having responded to my call.
spoke about the realization of Her plans according to the secrets of
Fatima. And this month’s message is also linked to those
apparitions, because for the first time She talks about the triumph of
Her Immaculate Heart.
Last month Our Lady invited everyone to pray like never
before, and this month She is inviting everyone to prayer and
renunciation because, ”like never before, Satan wants to show
his disgraceful face to the world and sweep as many people as
possible onto the path of death and sin.”
This should convince us that the visitations and messages of Our
Lady at Medjugorje are extremely important, not only for
Yugoslavia in this time of torment, but for the whole world. We
should be alarmed by this outrage of satanic forces that want to
corrupt and destroy all humanity like never before, through sowing
sin and death in every corner. Our Lady says that never before has
Satan’s seducing power been so strong, underhanded and
overwhelming. We unfortunately cannot see his disgraceful face,
for we are led astray by his sweet, seductive aspect. That is why
Mary has come to cry out Her warning of danger, for the danger of
being lost looms over our heads, and She has come to open our
eyes. Mary’s hour is also Satan’s hour. The war being fought is
not only between men on this earth, but between the celestial
forces and the infernal forces (Rv 12 & Ep 6.12). Our Lady has
come to wake us up, to make us aware of the devil’s activities, so
that we can be united to Her and God in the battle that has begun.
She pleads us to ”help her Immaculate Heart triumph.”
The triumph of Her Immaculate Heart, but, will take place in a
”sinful world.” In other words, Her triumph shall have to come
about through our renunciation of sin and our conversion to God.
The triumph of Mary’s Immaculate Heart will be in the
sanctification of the hearts of Her children.
Given the importance of the times, and the gravity of the
situation, the Queen of Peace is asking everyone (not just those who
are devoted to Her) to start praying and renouncing so that we can
forget ourselves and offer ourselves entirely to God through Her
Immaculate Heart for the salvation of all mankind.
The invitation to pray and renounce ”like never before” was
already given to us last month in the form of a Novena. This
month it is being proposed to us as indispensable in the fight
against Satan. Jesus tells us that some devils can only be driven
away through praying and fasting. But we are being invaded by
devils and their works do not seem to have any limit, because God
has ”unchained Satan” - the world gives in to him, it has even
founded a cult around his name - the world has throned the king of
sin, the author of man’s death.
That is why he now shows his disgraceful face. Our Lady has
never used such grave expressions in guarding us against falling. It
is understandable that we have to forget ourselves and our problems
in such crucial moments, and unite ourselves totally to the Blessed
Virgin and Her intentions through a total donation of ourselves for
the good of Her cause.
us to question ourselves and our existence more profoundly. It is
three months now that Yugoslavia has been oppressed by a war and
like all wars, it is a senseless war. Just last Sunday the Holy Father,
during the recital of the Angelus declared the fact as being
”unworthy of man and of Europe.” This was not the first time that
we have heard the Pope’s appeal so full of real, sincere emotion - it
is not even the first time in the same year. 1991 began under the
terrible weight of a war and the year has continued under the same
dark, satanic forces - Satan is a liar right down to the roots and with
his lies he kills and makes people prisoners and slaves. Jesus tells
us: ”he is the father of lies, a murderer from the start.” (Jn 8.44)
How can we not recall amidst this darkness, Our Lady’s calls
right from the beginning? ”.. I have come to tell the world that
God exists ... peace is in danger ... whoever finds God, finds life
and peace ..”! Like always, we have extremes: God is God of the
living, He is Light that lights up the world.. Our Lord Jesus Christ
offers Himself on the Cross to remove ”the barrier (hostility) that
separates us..” (Ep 2.14)
everything She can to so lovingly and patiently teach us how to
walk this path whilst carrying out our daily lives. How is it possible
that we could insult Her so openly, She Who came to bring us the
Light, Her Son, once again?
We only need to stop and consider all the messages given to
mankind in this last year alone to wake up to the incomprehensible
desire that Mary has to snatch us from the satanic tricks and a
consequent death. One only needs to find the courage to ”come
out” of that mediocre state that so often accompanies us in our
encounters with God’s graces, and we would discover how good
the Father has been in sending us the Mother to convince us, urge
us, call us...
The hardening of hearts, however, is a terrible illness. Closing
our hearts to the Grace stops us, in these days too, from really
understanding the events, from looking at things objectively. Sin
makes us blind, and closing our hearts to the Spirit generates
coldness and indifference.
Mary though is not backing out, She is not discouraged, She is
not going to leave us fight out this battle on our own, which is a
battle against the envy and presumption of he who wishes to strip
us of our right to be ”children of God.” Our Lady’s fervour in
communicating the messages to us urges us above all to open our
hearts, to accept the Lord’s plan of salvation for all men. Without
this opening of hearts to the action of God, of the Holy Spirit, one is
not capable of accepting His calls in the most proper of manners.
Seriously accepting the call to prayer and fasts means accepting the
plan and the Will of the Lord in one’s own life.
Seriously praying is a continued response of Love - it means
being open to what God is planning, always, every day. Fasting is
wanting to be purified - due to inability to love, on all levels.
Fasting on bread and water is joyfully participating in Jesus’
offering for our true conversion, and God willing, it is a definite
and sincere step towards the denial of oneself, to then start being
true Christians, worthy of Christ and His teachings. Praying and
fasting continually remind us that we have been Saved. Praying and
(especially when we participate in the sacraments with a renewed
conscience) and through fasting we learn from Him: it is an
offering.
It is a waste of time thinking that we can do great things, change
the world and the others, if we are not faithful to our own call, if we
do not change ourselves and renounce to that immense love we
have for ourselves. Mary is also a Teacher. She knows what we
need most and what steps we must take. No-one is more realistic
than Her and She knows how much false humbleness and
hypocrisy can even hide behind our Christian deeds. Without Her,
without accepting what She and the Spirit want, we only do what
we want. If there is no gratitude in us for the infinite Graces that
the Lord pours down on us, we are unable to pray. If we do not
look upon God with the familiarity and due respect of children,
then we are even incapable of renouncing (for the sake of love) the
superfluous and trivial things in life. The Cross of Christ, Sign of
God’s Infinite Love for all men, together with His Blood and His
Offering, are made trivial by us, we who claim ourselves to be
Christian.
Only Christ’s strength will be able to open up man’s heart and
permit man to live together in peace and justice. It shall have to be
Christ’s strength in purified souls who will make all those ”good
intentions” of makers of peace become effective. Just the way
Mary’s calls will be accepted, to make it possible for this world
(which is hostile to God) to receive the gift of life and peace. Niki
of the Federal Army admitted that favourite targets were the Catholic
churches (Il Sabato - 21 Sept.) This war is openly an anti-Catholic
war, because they blame the Pope and the Church for having made
Communism fall. At violent protests in Belgrade, they accused the
Pope of being supported by the ustascia, (Croatian fascists) calling
him the enemy of the great Serbia.
But who stopped this war? One could certainly not attribute it to
the Croatians whose armoury is by far inferior to that of the Serbians.
If at first, the Serbian attacks were done in hiding (behind the Cetnici
or Serbian partisans), they later openly (and with great ferocity)
attacked the Croatians after their attack on the federal barracks.
It would be best not to talk about the ”help” given by the European
countries who discussed the problem in vain and signed truces that
went no further than the paper they were written on, for they could not
come to an agreement on how to help. The French President
admitted: ”They say we have to intervene, but in the name of who?
No political union has yet been formed.” (Avvenire - 21 Sept.) Less
noble interests have divided the heads of state, yet they were united
like never before (for the sake of petroleum) against Irak. The
governing bodies on an international level, guided by the Freemasonry
and caring only about their own interests, have left Croatia to
themselves - a country which has been unjustly attacked for
legitimately wishing to be independant. No-one has of yet recognized
such independancy.
Who then threw the situation upside down at the last moment - a
situation that seemed would have ended up in total destruction of an
entire population? If the battle was being conducted by Satan, then it
could only have been won by Heaven. ”Help us in this hour of crisis,
the help that man can give is worthless. With God among us we shall
fight like heroes, he will trample on our enemies.” (Ps 60) And
through the Woman, the strength of God will defeat the enemy.
ready for final assault.” These were the headings on the front pages of
the papers on Sunday 21 September - it would have been the end. On
the same day, however, the H.Q. (of the Federal Army) and the
President of Croatia ordered a cease-fire. It was like liberation after a
nightmare. Up to date (26 Sept) the truce is holding; even though we
cannot say that there is peace. We are invited to look upwards. The
Apostle tells us: ”It is not against human enemies that we have to
struggle, but against the Sovereignties and the Powers who originate
the darkness in this world, the spiritual army of evil in the heavens.
That is why you must put God’s armour on.. ” (Ep 6)
We are certain that it was the incessant prayers to have been
Mary’s armour, and Who was thus able to save a whole population
from total destruction.
We are all convinced that Satan was the author of such a terrible
war, who wanted to wipe out the name and works of Our Lady. The
situation was so serious that Mary had prepared us by inviting us, with
Her previous messages, to more intense prayer and renunciation. Her
plan which had begun at Fatima was at risk: ”Help me so that my
plans may be realized and I may save all souls.” Mary then is the
protagonist of this story. Many ignore the fact, but in doing so they
remain stuck to a scheme and however good it may be, it is not that
which we are called to live and construct together with Our Lady.
Let’s read Our Lady’s message of August 25. Jesus has decided a
plan of peace (in us and the nations) which will be actuated through
Mary and those who will help Her, but Satan opposes it - he wants
war and death. With these disconcerting events (Russia, Croatia) he
wants to make us believe that Jesus is incapable of keeping peace, and
that he (Satan) is stronger than God. The truth is that there are so
many adverse signs that we do doubt God’s strength. Who could stop
an enemy - we would say - when he seems to have already won?
We can now see who the real protagonists of the story are. With the
June message, Our Lady invited us to read the Scriptures that talk
about these times. During these years we have come to know what the
Scriptures call ”.. the mystery of wickedness that has begun, the lost
one who claims to be so much greater than all that men call ’god,’ ..
and even enthrones himself in God’s sanctuary and claims that he is
God.” (2 Th 2) Satan used the atheist Communism to cancel God
from the earth, presenting it as the one and only religion. And he will
occupy very high positions, even arriving at certain positions within
the Church (from an article in Avvenire - Italian Catholic weekly, 21/
09/91); but in the end ”the Lord Jesus will kill him with the breath of
his mouth.” (2 Th 2)
It is not amazing that those who held political power in Russia (and
who incarnated this anti-God) had reacted with such unusual anger at
its fall, and neither is it amazing to see them reacting with such
terrible cruelty in Yugoslavia. But we have our opponent. Rightly, Fr.
Jozo said: ”Satan is fighting out his last battle against Mary here.” It
is not by chance that religious symbols have been a target in this war -
churches (including the cathedrals at Osijek and Sebenico) and
convents have been destroyed and priests have been imprisoned or
background. Sunday 15 September, at 11.00 a.m. Eucharistic
celebration under the big Cross on Krizevac. There were less people
than usual, with only a few hundred pilgrims, mostly from Italy,
Belgium and the United States. The lack of Croatians was
noticeable - because of the impossibility of reaching Medjugorje
from many other regions of Croatia.
Even during Mass we could here the distant bombings which
had begun the night before at Kardeljevo (Ploce) (about 25km away
on the seaside). We could see the glare of the bombs at night time,
dropped by the aeroplanes that took off from Mostar, and launched
by the ships at sea. We thought that we may not have been able to
leave from Mostar then next morning, but every now and again,
between one fighter-bomber and another, they let a civilian plane
leave, one of which was ours. Even at Medjugorje they fear that
they might start bombing. Every time a plane or helicopter passes
over head everyone thinks of the worst, but nonetheless, there is
much peace in the people’s hearts.
Mothers of the soldiers implore Our Lady. Saturday 14 Sept,
8.00 a.m. The mothers of the young soldiers forced to continue
military service after they had already finished their conscription,
met in the church at Medjugorje and then continued their prayer as
they climbed Podbrdo, the hill of apparitions. They greeted us with
a V for victory. Father Slavko reckons that there could have been
about 10,000 mothers, coming from all over Herzogovina.
At 2.00 p.m. Fr. Jozo Zovko celebrated Mass for them on the
altar behind the church. Many of them arrived on foot from far
away. Now that I’m back, I feel ”home-sick” - wishing I was still
there, to pray together with those who have to live in such a terrible
situation, so that they wouldn’t feel so alone, to let them know that
we haven’t forgotten them.
(A further army of mothers, from many parts of the country and
some of whom arrived on foot, climbed the hill of apparitions on
the 8th September to implore help from Our Lady.
On that day, the Pope proclaimed a universal prayer for Croatia.
It was a moving spectacle: mothers crying and holding their small
children by the hand, while praying for their sons who risk death.
The same mothers will go to Belgrade and elsewhere to plead their
cause. God will hear their cry.)
Fr. Jozo talks about his people’s cross. Saturday 14
September - Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Fr. Jozo spoke to the
Italian and English-speaking pilgrims at 4.00 p.m. in the church at
Medjugorje. He started with the mystery of the Cross and
spoke also about the cross that our dear Croatian brothers are
bearing in this moment: ”.. It is not possible to enter into the
mystery of the Cross and imitate Jesus in any other way or occasion
country, here with our Croatian population... You have entered a
place where Our Lady teaches with Her signs; and our people are a
sign too.”
be uprooted by Our Lady. It is a poisonous root, very poisonous for
our Church. It is a deep root, but the Grace is more profound. The
wound in our Croatian population is very deep, it bleeds, but you
can see how it purifies and sanctifies the whole body of the
Church... Thousands of people would like to come, but they cannot
because of the war, and they suffer for this. But their souls are here
with us, they are here in spirit and with their prayers.
How lovely it is to find the Church here that prays! That is why
Satan wants to stop them with this war, to stop millions of people...
The Cross of Christ is exalted with this sufferance. We are here
to exalt, accept and love the Cross because we are the disciples of
the Cross, we are the sons, the fruit of this tree of salvation and of
the love that gives salvation and love. In these days we can learn
and receive much... With what sign did Our Lady promise to defeat
Communism and free the world from evil? Through conversion,
with prayer in the families, with prayer from the heart: this is the
sign of your victory! Where the Church is unity in prayer, the
world converts.” (Victorio Pasqualini - Bolzano)
helps us see Mary’s assistance in these sad and destructive events.
The force of the Grace is needed to live through all this violence of
the evil one. It is truly comforting and saving knowing that Our
Lady, REGINA PACIS, accompanies us always and everywhere,
that She never leaves us alone! Every word of Echo is so
nourishing and comforting and above all revealing. It brings us to
touch the heart of our Celestial Mother and thus receive Her
ineffable Love for all mankind.
It really is lovely to have the Celestial Queen for a mother! (Feel
free to use my letter in Echo if you wish).(Fra Jerko Penava,
Ogulin)
where there are Catholic communities, people are gathering in the
town squares to pray every evening - not summoned by the priests,
but of their own initiative. This is happening also in Zagabria with
many people participating. (Avvenire, 13 July)
* Every day at 3.00 p.m., three minutes of prayer for peace
- wherever you are - becomes an invisible, but powerful chain of
souls praying for peace. (An initiative started by friends in an
Italian region, but which we think is a good idea for all.)
* Another community - one of many, whether heard of or not
- born in the spirit of Medjugorje. A simple but moving ceremony
was held in Foggia (SE Italy) for the brothers and sisters who will
join the new community founded on prayer, work and welcoming
people in need of help (according to Our Lady’s wishes expressed
at Medjugorje). The community is a mixed community, open to
priests, consecrated and lay people, and entire families. The
ceremony was presided over by Archbishop, Msgr. Casale.
* The Bishops that make up the Council for the European
Episcopal Conference were united in prayer in the cathedral of
Milan on the day dedicated to the Exaltation of the Cross. They
were praying for peace in Croatia and the meeting was presided
over by Cardinal Martini. Msgr. Bozanic’, Bishop of Krk, asked
for everyone’s support in this terrible situation that is torturing his
country.
Vicka replies.
I asked Vicka to help me understand why this terrible war is
happening here in this country where Our Lady has been appearing
for more than 10 years with messages of peace. She replied:
”10 years ago Our Lady said that Her first message was peace,
but the people asked themselves why She was talking about peace.
The people did not pray for peace when everything was going well
- there was no war and no fighting of any type. But Our Lady
repeated many times, ”Pray for peace! Pray for peace!” We,
however, never took Her invitation seriously enough.
Now that we are in this situation - and it’s certain that Our Lady
knew it would happen - now that there is this war, look what’s
happening. Everybody here is worried, people pray, they climb
the hill of apparitions and Krizevac. People pray the Rosary every
evening (in all the town squares). This is the only thing that can
help Croatia.
How did it come about? It happened because we give too little
thought to God and His Glory - we only think about ourselves. We
want to live comfortably, we want everything to go well, our lives
are superficial. There were wars before too, in our hearts; but now
these wars have come out! And now much prayer is needed to put a
stop to the war! On the other hand, when one searches for freedom
on this earth, like what we would like for Croatia, it cannot be
reached without sufferance and blood.”
Fr. Slavko Barbaric’ seemed less optimistic - to my question:
how do you think this terrible situation will end up, he replied:
”They’re destroying us all.” (By Alberto Bonifacio)
Fr. Tomislav, to a group of Italians who were in the church mid
September, spoke about the cruelty of the cetnic groups towards the
Croatians: ”They even removed the brain from a dead soldier and
made his friend eat it.” This is a cruel war, and not just a war with
rifles, it is a ferocious one. Satan is using all his strength to assail
mankind. Our only defence is your prayers.
You are our channels. Go to your parishes and say: ”Pray,
pray.” Our Lady needs to be armoured with your prayers to
intercede before God. The politicians will not stop this war, but
your prayers will.”
every word of Echo, and for the prophesy concerning our country,
Croatia. It is clear that there cannot be peace if not as a sign and
fruit of our total conversion. Our country has been living its Good
Friday in these last days, it is being crucified. There are thousands
and thousands of refugees... The priests are being taken away and
maltreated, the churches are being destroyed. This is a very sad
moment indeed. I also believe that these are the labour pains of a
new world that is about to begin, whilst the old one is dying.
Thanks be to God! Come Lord Jesus! Maranatha Lord!
The Lord has brought us together with this war. His Christian
people are being purified. And so be it! Amen! The people are
discovering the beauty of prayer, of the Rosary, of forgiveness, of
the Word of God.. In these last two months, at Ogulin alone, so
many prayer groups (a whole dozen) - Marian prayer groups, that
say the Rosary - have started. What Our Lady wanted has begun
happening. Many people have started confessing again after many
years... ”Fiat Voluntas Tua!”
people saying. I would like to reply to this statement said, I would
say, too light heartedly.
1. It is known that where Mary arrives, Satan immediately
appears to destroy Her plans of peace. The Word of God also
affirms that the devil put himself immediately in front of the
Woman about to bear child, to devour the Mother and Son (Rv 12).
Where there is Mary, there are also the satanic forces fighting. This
happens also in communities and people who totally donate
themselves to Mary to find refuge from the satanic forces. Yes
refuge - the battle, however becomes even greater than before. We
are not to marvel at the trials that Medjugorje is going through.
2. Such grave events should be read into deeply, and not just in
political terms. We can’t see a war and take sides, and separate the
good from the bad in the name of justice and civil rights. Jesus
teaches us to look at events in terms of damnation and salvation.
They are strong calls to the reality of things, to the essential, to our
response to Him, because in the end, there is God’s judgement.
These disasters, violent deaths, cannot be considered as a form
of punishment, but as most merciful warnings that invite us to
complete conversion. ”Don’t think that those Galileans whose
blood was mingled by Pilate with that of their sacrifices (during a
revolt in the temple during Passover), or that those 18 on whom the
tower of Siloam fell were greater sinners than the others. They were
not, I tell you, but unless you repent, you will all perish as they
did.” (Lk 13)
In the same way, Mary did not come to separate men into good
or bad, in innocent or guilty, in just or unjust. She came to ask all of
us to understand how seriousness the situation is and to let our eyes
be opened by God to convert to God. The time that passes
shouldn’t make us think that God's Judgement will not come or that
He does not manifest His might. No, this is simply a sign of mercy
for everyone to benefit from (Rm 2.4 & 2 P 3). This wait is
certainly not a justification of our delay or refusal to convert, of our
indifference. The slyness of the devil, however, would like us to
think just that.
3. Couldn’t God permit these tragic events of Yugoslavia to
make the whole world meditate on what happens to us when we do
not respond to a clear call from above? ”If you do not repent, you
will all perish in the same way,” is always actual. In these
hierarchy; the responsibilty of the Church. The Bishops have
shown that they did not know how to read the signs of the times,
they did not know how to help the people understand this call to
conversion. The signs of the times are events that the Lord uses to
call either a single person or a whole generation of people to turn
their eyes towards God, to return to God. These things are clear to
those with open hearts, but unfortunately, ”many will not see, even
though they look, and many will not hear even though they listen,
for fear of being converted and healed by me,” the Lord says. (Mt
13)
sea ports and 7 airports have been destroyed or badly damaged. 45%
of the year’s harvest has been destroyed and the national produce has
diminished by 60%. 10 large industrial plants have been destroyed,
leaving 40,000 people without a job. Money is needed, but above all,
long conservation food, warm clothing and medicines.
In Italy donations may be sent to: Pro Deo et Fratribus, Via Monte
Santo 14, 00195 Rome. Indicate that the donation is for Croatia. In
UK: C/o Bernard Ellis, Anglo World Steel Exports Ltd, Unit J Lambs
Brickworks, Tilburstow Hill Rd, Sth Godstone, Surrey, RH9 8JZ.
months we have received a total of Lit.22,889,000. It was sent to:
Cracow for the Russian and Polish editions of Echo, Radio Maria,
the Marian House in Russia, Mother Theresa and for illustrated
Bibles for Russia and Jerusalem.
continuous obstacles. Fr. Tadeusz (Thaddeus) wrote to us on the
17th August to tell us that he received a letter from an office in
Voievode informing him that a decision had been taken to suspend
the works involved in installing the transmission tower for Radio
Maria. He doubts the credibility of those public servants who at first
did not know who to contact to obtain permission, and then talked
about harmful radiations being emitted. Another excuse for
impeding the works: the grounds where the tower should be erected
is a garden and according to them it is not possible to now give a
new destination for the tower. An absurd reason. Fr. Thaddeus
already has permission from the Episcopate and competent
Ministers, and the radio frequencies have already been assigned
(FM - UKF). Friends in Italy, Switzerland and Germany and the
people from Torun have been very busy in organizing the works.
The Bolognese company, RVR (electrical plants) have already had
to put off starting working twice. It is the local authorities that
cannot come to a decision.
Fr. Thaddeus asks for prayers and sacrifices so that the situation
can be freed and the works allowed to proceed. Those of you who
would like to help the future Radio Maria, may contact: Mrs.
Strzalkowic, ul. Wesola 34, Torun (Poland). Tel. 11186
pages. The times that we are living demand much prayer and
little talk. Apart from this, however, we have been terribly assailed
by problems this month. They are not economical problems, even
though during the summer months less donations come in. But it
was if Satanic forces were opposing us at every step with the 85
edition. They were trying to make us give up with continuous and
unexplainable obstacles. And then the girl who organizes the whole
mailing and sorting operation left us - transferred with her family
far away.
Echo, born as a little brook in a tiny parish, has grown so much
(with more than 500,000 copies per month - 356,000 in Italian),
that the limits have been exceeded. The work involved in
publishing Echo every month has become a colossal undertaking
for our poor means.
So far I have said: ”I WILL NOT GIVE IN.” I do not want to
play at Satan’s game and give him the satisfaction of seeing this
instrument (that reaches all corners of the earth) being silenced.
But can you imagine the work involved in editing Echo, organizing
and overseeing the translations and the printing, looking after the
correspondence, and at the same time have to look after my prime
duties of parish priest? Thanks to God, I have plenty of manual
helpers, but we are waiting for Our Lady, Who we serve, to send us
a person who can direct all the work involved in Echo, and a priest
who is free to help with the parish. It is up to you, dear readers, to
obtain this grace from God, if you want Echo to continue.
Infinite thanks to all the readers who express their support and
help for Echo in so many ways. May everything be for Mary, for
our only wish is to serve Her for the realization of Her plan.
Best wishes to our Polish translator, Anna Vojtas of Cracow who
will marry on the 5th October (they ask for prayers because they
”want to form a real Christian family”). Best wishes also to
Czeslawa Mirkiewicz , a major force in distributing the Polish and
Russian editions of Echo. From her sick-bed she tells us: Mary is
directing everything.
Once again we entrust Sr. Margaret Makarovic (translates from
Croatian) and Fr. Robert Cona (zealous helper of Mary) to the
Queen of Peace, who is also the Health of the sick. Take hold of
the Rosary and be blessed in the Heart of the Mother.
between 6000-7000 people present from every part of the country. It
was the largest Medjugorje event ever organized in England. A 4 day
Youth 2000 retreat was held concurrently.
After giving an all day retreat for priests in central London, Fr.
Slavko celebrated Mass for all the youth present, he addressed them
on the morning of the 24th and led Adoration of the Blessed
Sacrament that evening. The young people reported that this was the
most outstanding of the many Youth 2000 retreats which have been
held throughout the UK as a direct result of the international Youth
Prayer Gatherings in Medjugorje.
A large number of Anglicans were present including clergy, as well
as Orthodox and many other denominations. Fr. Robert Llewelyn, an
Anglican minister, participated in leading the Rosary, and Mrs. Joan
Ashton, the London Secretary of the Ecumenical Society of the
Blessed Virgin, was one of the readers at Mass.
It was here in the Aylesford Priory (founded in 1242) that Our
Lady appeared to St. Simon Stock in a vision on July 16, 1251 and
entrusted to him the devotion of the Brown Scapular which, in
miniature, has been worn by the faithful for over 7 centuries as a sign
of consecration to God and to Our Lady. This and the Rosary are the
most powerful and privileged sacramentals in the Catholic Church.
The Scapular is also an important part of the Fatima message and
revelations. Sr. Lucia, when interviewed on August 15, 1950, stated
that the Rosary and the Scapular were inseparable. During that same
year, Pope Pius XII referred to the Scapular as a sign of consecration
to Mary’s heart which ”we have so strongly recently recommended.”
it has been one of the sources of my peace, encouragement and
spiritual food, especially during the Gulf war, the 1990 killer
earthquake and now the destructive eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in our
country. During all this time I clung to God’s word that He is in
control and trusted in His mercy. I also followed Our Blessed
Mother’s advice to ”take hold of the Rosary” which gave me the
courage to sincerely say, ”may God’s will be done.” I said to
myself, ”I can’t comprehend God’s ways, but all these things have
to pass.” I felt very much at peace. I thank Mother Mary for Her
encouragement.
Our Blessed Mother has always called for prayers for non-
believers. At first I didn’t understand or even care. But four weeks
ago so many heinous crimes were committed here in Manila that
shook me so much. I was praying for the victims and for the
repentance of the perpetrators of the crime. God in his goodness
made me understand why the Blessed Mother is suffering and is
calling for prayers for non-believers. Yes, I came to understand
that all these crimes are the fruit of not believing in God. Only if
man will believe, will there be no more frustrations, no need to
resort to drugs that result in these crimes...”
December, with whatever means possible, to celebrate New Year’s
Eve together with the Queen of Peace, and possibly remain two days
before and two days after.
840804
has been working for the last 30 years for the Eastern bloc countries,
appeals to the readers of Echo, and asks for help for Croatia: ”This
poor tortured country has maintained genuine Catholic faith even
during the invasion of the Turks and many other persecutions.” The
Croatians are being tried terribly, so many are now homeless, without
means, or work. They are our brothers in need - let’s help them with
our prayers and deeds.
wounded and mutilated, whereas the official sources say only 500
dead - the mass media are not telling the truth. There are 350,000
refugees, most of them women, children, the aged and the sick. 5 cities
have been destroyed with more than 10,000 inhabitants. 65 villages
have been razed to the ground. 65 parish churches have been
)