Did you ever think that in your lifetime you would be in a place where there is a visionary and an apparition? 

No, no, definitely not. In fact, four months ago I didn’t know that I would be here. This was a surprise—all of it. 

I had heard about Medjugorje, but I hadn’t studied or read too much about it, very little. Then recently with the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, I read just a little bit of what they had said giving it the ‘nihil obstat.’

I was nervous because I had read some articles saying that they might come out with something in the week or two, before we came here. I was worried, like, “What if they say it’s a place prohibited from going to on pilgrimage?” And I’m thinking, “I don’t know what we would do.” But thankfully, it was all good. 

I like the rhythm here, the rhythm of the pilgrims coming here. We start off with Mass mid-morning and then the evening confessions and Rosary while confessions are happening and then another evening Mass where many pilgrims come while confessions are also offered and then adoration after. That rhythm of prayer that’s so powerful and so good is very impactful, and it’s been really refreshing. 

I did like climbing up Apparition Hill. I’m nursing an injury so it was a little bit challenging at points for me, but it was also very fruitful. I really like that we stopped to pray at each of the Mysteries. It gave us time to actually continue to reflect on not only the mysteries, but then also some of the context that [local guide] Miki was sharing with us about the power of prayer and so many things that we know, but we allow to go into the routine of it so we’re not thinking, we’re not engaged in what we’re doing. I really appreciated a lot of his commentary about being engaged in what we’re doing, the power of prayer, the power of the sacraments. I enjoyed that. 

We talked with Fr. Nicolas after Our Lady’s apparition to Ivan.

I didn’t know what to expect. There were easily 60 to 70 priests in there. It’s always really beautiful to see a lot of priests together because we don’t often do that other than maybe ordinations or Chrism Mass. It was beautiful to see that many priests together from all over the world. 

They asked me to sit in the front, but I said, “I’d rather sit back here.” I didn’t want to sit in the front. We were just waiting there while everyone got situated. 

Then we started praying the Rosary. They identified people in the front to lead different decades of the Rosary in different languages. We had two mysteries in English, one mystery in Italian, one in Croatian, and then one in French. That was really neat. To start each mystery they introduced it with a little bit of a scripture passage and then a brief reflection.

After the Rosary, we sat back down for a little bit, and then Ivan came up to the front and knelt down. There’s a little kneeler in the front. He was just quietly praying while he had the vision. 

I was just thinking about the people that I was bringing intentions for. I was praying for those particular intentions for my parish, for my family, for my godchildren. I was just trying to remember all the people who I told I would pray for them. I was in quiet reflection for those people at that time.

Afterwards, he went up to around the altar. He had a translator and shared a few words about what our Blessed Mother said to him in the vision. It was a lot of what we heard from visionary Mirjana—about peace. I would say that was the overwhelming message that he was sharing with us, that that we should pray for peace, that we should be trying to help peace reign in our own hearts. And that we should also pray for our bishops, for our priests, for vocations to the priesthood.

He also shared that in the vision that our Blessed Mother was happy to see all of us priests there, that whenever he was having the vision, She was looking on us with eyes of tenderness. I forget how he phrased it, but with affection, as a mother would. 

It was kind of short. It was beautiful. I can’t say it was what I expected or what I didn’t expect because I didn’t really go in with any kind of expectation. But it was very peaceful. I would say that was the sense that I got while I was there the whole time. 

It was beautiful to see that number of priests and praying together, praying the Rosary. Ivan was kind. He greeted us all whenever we came in. Then when we left, he was greeting everybody.

The thing I’ve been wrestling with is, what’s the value of apparitions and miracles and all these things if obviously the sacraments are more powerful than them? When we go to Mass, we receive the Body of Christ, the Blood of Christ. 

That’s what they’re trying to get us to do, and yet there’s something attractive about meeting a visionary, about going to the spot where these apparitions took place. And there is clearly value in it.

We’re obviously sensible people. And that’s why. Because we need things through the senses to be able to appreciate them more.