The Apparitions of November 1988 – January 1989
Marija, her brother, and two friends traveled to America where Marija underwent surgery to donate one of her kidneys to her brother, Andrija. They arrived on November 18, 1988. Our Lady did many beautiful things. A human issue caused Mary and Joseph to travel to Bethlehem. The census was the means God used to get them to Bethlehem, and therefore, God’s words, “And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a Ruler who will govern my people Israel,” was fulfilled. Likewise, the kidney transplant was the means and human issue to get Marija to Birmingham, Alabama, thereby initiating Our Lady’s plans She foretold in the October 6, 1986 message (page 184).
Marija stayed almost three months. Other than their homes, never had a visionary stayed in one place for such a long time. Over time, Our Lady began to unfold a beautiful love story, establishing a way of life.
Whenever Caritas Community members are at an apparition, detailed information is gathered of the entire events leading up to the apparition, the apparition itself, as well as what occurs after the apparitions. It would be too lengthy to provide this information here in this chapter, so an appendix has been provided at the end of the book with the detailed descriptions of some of the different apparitions.
November 19, 1988, 10:40 a.m.
Our Lady came and was very happy. She blessed everyone. Marija recommended everyone present to Our Lady and Our Lady prayed The Lord’s Prayer and one Glory Be. Our Lady said She would appear at 10:30 p.m., Sunday night.
The apparition took place in the bedroom of the couple whom Marija was living with. The location of the apparitions surprised the couple. Day by day, through the weeks and into the months, it became clear why Our Lady wanted these apparitions in the Bedroom. The apparitions began there when Marija was shown around to familiarize her with the house. The last place she was shown was the couple’s bedroom. Upon standing at the foot of the bed, Marija firmly and even authoritatively said, “The apparitions will take place here.” The couple, standing on either side of her, looked at each other shocked.
In time, it became clear as to how the Bedroom was chosen, not by Marija, but chosen by Our Lady, Herself. The impact Medjugorje had made in the life of the founder* was profound. After his first pilgrimages to Medjugorje, he began to pray that God would show him how to become holy, especially in living out his vocation as a husband and father. This became a very focused prayer, and, for several years, he prayed this every day. When Our Lady came and began to appear in the Bedroom, Marija would kneel at the foot of the Bed while the husband, wife and children would gather on their knees around it. Our Lady would then appear upon the Bed.
Hanging over the Bed was a special crucifix that Fr. Slavko had given the founder in Medjugorje. It had hung in the apparition room in Medjugorje and had been blessed by Our Lady on hundreds of occasions, through Our Lady’s apparitions over it as the visionaries daily gathered before it to pray. Before leaving Medjugorje, the founder brought the Crucifix to Marija and asked her to say a prayer over it, and that she would particularly seek the grace from Our Lady that this Crucifix would become a great tool of conversion for the United States. Marija went into a deep prayer while holding it and then bent to kiss it with great reverence. Seeing Marija’s attitude towards the Crucifix deepened the founder’s own reverence and awe of it. The couple spent months praying for inspiration in where to hang the Crucifix in their home.
On one particular night, with a fire in the heart of the wife, it became clear to her that it was to go above their bed in their bedroom. Through the whole night, her heart burned to hang this Crucifix over the bed, though she did not particularly want to. The flame was quenched only when she hung it just before dawn. The Bedroom quickly became known as a pilgrimage site once Our Lady appeared in this room.
Because of the actions of Our Lady to bless the Field for the first time on Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 1988, the Field became known as a pilgrimage site dedicated to the conversion of our Nation. However, though Our Lady was present for more than two and a half months, only one time did She instruct everyone to go out to the Field. All other apparitions took place in the home. What began to be understood through Our Lady’s actions is that before healing can come to the nation, it must first come through the family. As spiritually healthy individuals are raised in good families, good families make good nations, thereby, it is the path to heal nations. As both sites have been blessed and consecrated to the Virgin Mary by Her very presence in the apparitions, these sites are not mere symbols but actual places of grace, healing and renewal for the family and for our Nation.
November 20, 1988, 10:30 p.m.
Our Lady came and was very happy. She blessed individually everyone in the room. Marija recommended all present to Our Lady and She prayed The Lord’s Prayer and the Glory Be. Our Lady’s message:
She made the Sign of the Cross over everyone and left saying, “Go in peace.”
November 21, 1988, 10:40 a.m. (SPECIAL BLESSING)
Our Lady appeared with three angels and was very happy. She looked around at everybody, even the people outside. A Catholic school, St. Rose Academy, closed today so that children could come to the apparition and many were present. Our Lady prayed in Hebrew over the whole crowd. She gave all a SPECIAL BLESSING. Our Lady said:
November 22, 1988, 10:40 a.m.
Our Lady came and was very happy. She looked around the crowd of about 400 people, inside and outside the home where Marija was staying. Our Lady blessed everyone. Marija recommended everyone present to Our Lady and She prayed The Lord’s Prayer and the Glory Be. Our Lady’s message:
Our Lady gave a blessing of peace and left.
November 23, 1988, 10:30 p.m.
Our Lady came and was very happy. She blessed everyone. Marija recommended everyone present to Our Lady and She prayed The Lord’s Prayer and the Glory Be. Our Lady’s message:
The Blessed Mother said She would appear the next morning in a field near a large pine tree and Our Lady extended an invitation for all to come.
November 24, 1988, 10:40 a.m. (THANKSGIVING DAY)
The apparition took place near a large tree in a field near the home where Marija was staying. Our Lady came and was very happy. She looked at all who had gathered there. She blessed everyone. Marija recommended every person present to Our Lady and She prayed The Lord’s Prayer and the Glory Be. Our Lady’s message:
Several hundred people were present. When She left, Our Lady said: “Go in peace.”
November 25, 1988, 10:40 a.m.
The next three monthly messages for the world were given to Marija while she was in Birmingham.
November 26, 1988, 10:40 a.m.
Our Lady came and was very happy. With Her hands extended, She prayed over everyone and blessed them. Marija recommended all those present, especially the sick, to Our Lady, and She prayed The Lord’s Prayer and the Glory Be. Our Lady’s message:
November 27, 1988, 10:30 p.m.
Our Lady came and was very happy. She blessed the people and all their religious objects with the Sign of the Cross. Marija recommended everyone present, especially the sick, to Our Lady, and She prayed The Lord’s Prayer and the Glory Be. Our Lady’s message:
November 28, 1988, 10:30 p.m.
Our Lady came and was very happy. She prayed over everybody. Marija recommended every person present to Our Lady, and She prayed The Lord’s Prayer and the Glory Be. Our Lady blessed everyone and went to Heaven. Our Lady gave no words, but Her presence and being very happy were Her message.
November 29, 1988, 10:30 p.m. (SPECIAL BLESSING)
Our Lady came and was very happy. She blessed and prayed over everyone. Marija recommended all those present, especially the sick, to Our Lady. Our Lady prayed The Lord’s Prayer and the Glory Be. Our Lady extended Her arms above all who gathered there and for a certain time prayed in that manner. Tonight Our Lady gave the SPECIAL BLESSING. Our Lady’s message:
Our Lady left saying, “Go in peace.
The November 29th SPECIAL BLESSING was given on a day which was not a feast day or a special occasion. Our Lady spoke specifically about what She desired with this SPECIAL BLESSING. This was rare, and it was interpreted as Our Lady’s desire to spread this important gift. Those gathered in the Field were surprised and elated because no one expected this gift.
Marija has said:
1. This is a blessing which has the power to convert and to
help people.
2. It may be used on believers and non-believers to help them
convert or to help them progress in their conversion process.
3. Once Our Lady gives it to you, it lasts your whole life.
4. You do not have to be in the presence of the one you
are blessing.
5. You can only give it individually from you to the individual,
whereas a priest can bless a crowd. Our Lady’s blessing is
from one person to the next.
6. If you receive this blessing from Our Lady and in turn bless
another with it, that person has it to the same degree you
first received it from Our Lady. This second person may
then give it to a third, and the third to a fourth, etc. All
will receive this gift to bless others just as if Our Lady gave
it directly. This blessing will last your entire lifetime.
7. You must be at the site of the apparition to receive it
directly from Our Lady.
8. To bless someone, a spontaneous prayer is fine. You can
say, “I extend to you the blessing of Our Lady.” If you
choose to say more, it is acceptable. When giving this
Special Blessing to a non-believer, a family member, friend,
or non-acquaintance, you may do so silently, in his presence
or from a distance. You may extend this blessing every day,
even several times a day, to help this person to convert.
N.B. The blessing from a priest is Christ’s blessing. This Special Blessing is Our Lady’s blessing. You should not think of yourself as a priest, blessing as a priest does. Use this blessing in a humble way and extend it to even those you pass individually on the street. The Blessed Mother has given us a great gift, and She desires us to use it.**
November 30, 1988, 10:30 p.m.
Our Lady came and was very happy. She blessed and prayed over everyone. Marija recommended all those present to Our Lady, and She prayed The Lord’s Prayer and the Glory Be. Our Lady extended Her arms and prayed in Hebrew over everyone. Her message:
Then Our Lady made the Sign of the Cross and left saying, “Go in peace.” All gathered in the Bedroom were awed over hearing this message, and it has become for some their favorite message of all the messages over the course of Our Lady of Medjugorje’s apparitions.
December 1, 1988, 10:30 a.m.
Our Lady came and was very happy. With Her hands extended, She prayed over everyone and blessed them. All present, especially the sick, were recommended to Our Lady by Marija, and Our Lady prayed The Lord’s Prayer and the Glory Be. Our Lady also blessed the religious objects which were brought to the site. She made the Sign of the Cross and as She returned to Heaven, Our Lady said, “Go in peace.” No words. Today Our Lady wanted Her presence to be the message.
December 2, 1988, 10:30 p.m.
Our Lady came and was very happy. She prayed over everyone. She smiled and prayed “one by one” over each person present in the room. Marija recommended all those present to Our Lady. She prayed The Lord’s Prayer and the Glory Be. The message:
Our Lady then made the Sign of the Cross and went away saying, “Go in peace.”
December 3, 1988, 10:30 p.m.
Our Lady came and was very happy. Marija recommended all those present to Our Lady. Marija asked Our Lady if She would pray over each individual as She had done yesterday. Very pleased, Our Lady smiled. She looked at everyone and began to pray over each one individually with Her hands over them. Our Lady prayed The Lord’s Prayer and the Glory Be. The message:
Marija asked if Our Lady would appear tomorrow in the morning. Our Lady smiled and said:
(The time, 10:40 a.m. Central Time, corresponds to the same moment of the apparition in Medjugorje.)
Then Our Lady made the Sign of the Cross saying, “Go in peace,” and She left. Marija’s voice was beautiful, gentle, full of love and intensity when she talked about the apparition just after Our Lady left. All felt Our Lady’s presence and sensed that She was happy in a special way. Those gathered really felt Our Lady gave them Her love. One witness said he felt as though love permeated even the walls of the Bedroom.
December 4, 1988, 10:40 a.m.
Our Lady came, and She was very happy. Marija recommended all those present to Our Lady, especially the sick. Our Lady prayed over everyone, and She blessed them all. She prayed The Lord’s Prayer and the Glory Be. The message:
Our Lady also blessed the objects, and from the Bedroom blessed those gathered at the Tree. She made the Sign of the Cross while leaving saying, “Go in peace.”
December 5, 1988, 10:40 a.m.
Our Lady came, and She was very happy. Marija recommended all the people present to Her. Our Lady extended Her hands and prayed over everyone and said The Lord’s Prayer and the Glory Be. She left saying, “Go in peace.” No special message.
Marija left to go back to Medjugorje for one week to inform her family and priest about the operation. She returned to the host’s home near Sterrett, Alabama on December 12, 1988.
December 13, 1988
When Our Lady appeared, She conveyed to Marija Her desire to start a Community at the site. Marija turned to the host in whose house she was living and said to him immediately after the apparition, “Our Lady wants to start a Community here.” The husband and wife were deeply struck by these words.
Father Robert Faricy, a Jesuit who wrote several books on Medjugorje, was present during the apparitions on December 13 and 14, 1988. He was amazed and said:
“I visited Marija in Birmingham and prayed with her and the others when Our Lady came to her in the bedroom. Not even in Medjugorje did I feel so strongly Mary’s presence as I did during Her apparition to Marija in Birmingham.”
December 14, 1988, 10:40 a.m.
She left saying, “Go in peace.”
December 15, 1988, 10:40 a.m.
This message only intensified in the hearts of those who were present that Our Lady had come to implement a special plan.
Referring to Marija’s operation, Our Lady said:
December 16, 1988
Today Marija underwent surgery after test results showed that she could donate her kidney to her brother, Andrija. During the operation, with Rosary in her hand and while under anesthesia, Our Lady appeared over Marija while she lay on the operating table. Marija later said Our Lady stayed with her and smiled for what seemed to her about two hours. For the next month, except for Christmas Eve, Our Lady did not speak to Marija. She appeared to her each day at Mass during Communion. Suddenly, on January 15, 1989, Our Lady told Marija that the next day She would again give messages. There was great joy in everyone’s hearts.
December 24, 1988, (near midnight) (SPECIAL BLESSING) (The monthly message):
The December 25, 1988 monthly message was actually given on December 24, 1988, near midnight, and extended into Christmas Day. The message:
December 25, 1988, 6:00 p.m.
Our Lady appeared again on Christmas Day during Mass in the loft of the home where Marija was staying. Marija said that Our Lady was robed in gold, holding a living, moving Baby Jesus in Her arms. The same little Jesus who laid in a manger 2000 years ago!!
January 15, 1989
Our Lady appeared to Marija during Communion while Marija was in the loft attending Mass, which was being celebrated downstairs in the home where she was staying. Our Lady said to Marija:
January 16, 1989
Today Our Lady began to give messages to Marija again. During this apparition Our Lady, with a wonderful smile on Her face, blessed a newborn baby*** making a Sign of the Cross in his direction. The message:
January 17, 1989, 5:40 p.m.
January 18, 1989, 5:40 p.m.
January 19, 1989, 5:45 p.m.
January 20, 1989, 5:40 p.m.
No public message; however, Our Lady did give a special private message for someone in the room.
January 21, 1989, 5:40 p.m.
January 22, 1989, 5:40 p.m.
January 23, 1989, 5:40 p.m.
Again, Our Lady gave a private message for the same individual She gave a message to on January 20th.
January 24, 1989
Today Marija was late for the apparition and couldn’t get to the home at the appointed time. A local television station had made many requests to set up in the Bedroom. Today they were allowed. As soon as Marija came in the house and saw the television camera, she said, “This is why Our Lady did not wait until I got home for the apparition.” Our Lady came to her just before arriving at the house, but gave no special message; however, Our Lady did say that She extended Her blessing and received all the intentions of the several thousand people who were present near the tree.
January 25, 1989, 10:40 a.m. (The Monthly Message)
January 26, 1989, 10:40 a.m. – Apparition in the Bedroom
This day ended Our Lady’s apparitions for the period of November 1988 through January 1989. The apparition was very intense and emotional. The family that Marija lived with gave everything of themselves for this period and could hardly recite the Rosary, knowing that Our Lady was leaving. Our Lady told them:
Our Lady ended the apparition with the same message She began them with. November 20, 1988 – Her first words, “May your life be prayer…” It was clear, through the 3 months of Her presence, that Our Lady desired something to unfold that She was initiating.
Marija said that Our Lady was always very happy. Marija flew to Italy and convalesced for another two months before returning to Medjugorje.
* The host of the home where Marija stayed and the founder of the Community of Caritas are the same man. He later became known as “A Friend of Medjugorje” through his writings of the messages of Medjugorje.
** For more information on Our Lady’s Special Blessing, write for the booklet “A Blessing to Help Save the World” from Caritas of Birmingham, 100 Our Lady Queen of Peace Drive, Sterrett, Alabama 35147 USA, or call 205-672-2000, ext. 315 24 hrs. This special writing follows the first time Our Lady gave the Special Blessing and includes more details of what Our Lady has said on this extraordinary blessing. You can also order online or download free at mej.com. Do a search for “A Blessing to Help Save the World.”
*** In the middle of thousands of people coming to the apparitions, the host’s wife where Marija was living gave birth. The sacrifice and trials of daily hosting hundreds of strangers who came into the house was through the last three months of her pregnancy. The period of stopping of the messages was seen as Our Lady’s sensitivity to help settle the demands in the house. The mother gave birth to their 4th child two weeks late on the Feast of the Holy Family, December 31, 1988.
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18 thoughts on “American Messages: 1988-1989”
Thank you so much for this beautiful message. We all need to lean towards Mama Mary and to take up the cause. We need to pray, pray, pray – Oh Mama, thank you for your beautiful messages.