The Apparitions of July 1-5, 2008 and 2009 at Caritas
It might be difficult to go back to the year 2007 and remember what you were thinking at the time concerning the future of United States. The news was filled with the looming election for President that would take place in 2008. There were many concerns, especially in regards to the direction the country would head in depending upon who would be elected. The year 2008 was going to be a pivotal year for the country. A Friend of Medjugorje had just released his latest book, Look What Happened While You Were Sleeping, which began educating tens of thousands to the satanic agendas that had already established a foothold into the fabric of our government and society. The future looked bleak. It was for this reason that A Friend of Medjugorje invited Medjugorje visionary Marija to come to Caritas for a five day prayer event in July, 2008. His desire was to gather Her followers from across the United States in order to consecrate the nation to Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart on its very birthday, July 4th. Marija readily agreed.
In November, 2006, the United States bishops formally re-consecrated the United States to Our Lady, claiming Her as the Patroness of our country. This took place in the National Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC. The time of the Mass and consecration coincided to the time of Our Lady’s apparition in Medjugorje, which allowed pilgrims in Medjugorje to participate in the consecration in union with those in Washington. The purpose of the consecration at Caritas on July 4th, was to gather Our Lady’s children together as a reaffirmation of the bishop’s consecration by “we the people.” With Marija confirming the dates nearly a year in advance, the community and mission of Caritas were able to promote and spread the event for many months which allowed for a greater amount of people to hear about the apparitions and make the decision to come. It was one of the largest gatherings in the history of Caritas.
As you will read, there were many beautiful things that happened during the 2008 apparitions. Marija was moved by this event and spoke to Caritas’ founder about returning the following year, in 2009, to repeat these five days of prayer, July 1-5. This took place, and again the event was highly attended. What follows is a description of these events, following them day by day—both 2008 and 2009. In 2009, Marija returned to Medjugorje shortly after the event ended. However, in 2008, Marija came with her four young sons and stayed throughout most of July for some rest and family time. They returned to their home in Medjugorje on July 21, 2008.
July 21st was actually the anniversary of another visit of Our Lady to Caritas. In 2005, Marija came to Caritas to celebrate Our Lady’s August 5 birthday with the Caritas Community and thousands of pilgrims who attended the days of prayer from August 1-5. Marija arrived on July 20, 2005. So, as we go through the month of July, leading into August, there are many beautiful remembrances of the Caritas Community being with Our Lady, Marija and her family. As we have been doing all throughout this special Silver Jubilee Year of Caritas’ founding, we invite you into our family to share with you the many graces Our Lady has bestowed upon Caritas’ mission and community over these past 25 years and beyond. We thank Her for walking with us these many years, for giving so generously Her graces to those who come here to encounter Her, and for always helping us in all our needs.
2008
Medjugorje visionary Marija Lunetti arrived in the United States on Saturday, June 28, 2008. The Five Days of Prayer, July 1-5, was a solemn event in which thousands of pilgrims from all 50 states came together to be with Our Lady. The purpose of the gathering was to formally make a solemn act of consecration of the United States of America on July 4th, the birthday of our Nation, to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary.
June 29, 2008
Our Lady appeared to Marija in the Bedroom at 11:40 a.m. The Community of Caritas was present. After the apparition, Marija told the Community that Our Lady did something special. She started on one side of the room and slowly looked at every face present before Her, scanning the entire room of faces, finishing at the other side of the Bedroom. As if She was marking each face in the Community, Marija said Our Lady moved Her head to peer around those who were blocked by other Community members as if to show or emphasize how each one is important to Her. In response to Marija’s question about the apparition the next day, Monday, June 30th, Our Lady responded that the apparition would be “Same time, same place.”
Before Marija and her boys arrived at the home of our founder, all the members of the community came to the house. It has become a custom of the community to bless the house before Our Lady’s arrival. Taking the “Prayer to Purify Your Home” which includes the St. Michael prayer, one member takes Holy Water to sprinkle around the house, while everyone else, including the little children, takes a pinch of Holy Salt and in a procession will go through the entire house, praying this prayer, while sprinkling the salt in corners, on door and window ledges, making the Sign of the Cross on windows and the tops of door frames, and doing the same around the outside of the house. It is the final preparation the community does for Our Lady’s coming. Here, Marija kneels at the foot of the Bed in the Bedroom with the community around her. It was a beautiful reunion with Marija, but also with Our Lady, and we were so touched to be told that Our Lady had looked at each of our faces, even moving Her head aside to get a better look at those who were behind others. Perhaps we shouldn’t have been, but we were surprised at the love and goodness of Our Lady, treating us so much like Her children. We were excited to see how the week would unfold with Our Lady.
Little Rebekah Grace lays with her little dolly on the Bed that will receive Our Lady in a few short moments. She is oblivious to the grace that is about to be bestowed upon her. Or perhaps, she is more in tune then all the adults who surround her. There is a story told of a little three year old who just became a big brother, with the birth of his little sister. When his sister was a few months old, he began to pester his parents to let him be alone with her for a few moments. They, of course, were afraid for their baby’s safety, but because their little boy was so persistent, they decided that they would allow him to do so, but they placed a baby monitor in the crib so they could hear what was happening in the room. After leaving the room with their little boy next to the crib, they turned on the monitor. They could hear their son whispering to his sister, and he said, “Tell me about what Heaven is like. I’m beginning to forget.” It is sweet to think that these brand new souls in these cuddly little human packages may connect with Our Lady more than we who try so hard to open our hearts to the grace of Her presence. It is why Our Lady so often calls us, “little children,” that we may become more like them—and therefore be able to perceive Her better.
Shortly after the apparition on June 29th, Marija’s boys and the son of our founder start a pillow fight in the loft of our founder’s home. In this loft on Christmas Night, December 25, 1988, Our Lady appeared to Marija with newborn Baby Jesus in Her arms. One might think that the house should have been turned into a place of prayer, with candles and angelic music playing in the background. However, it was not Our Lady’s intention to create of this home a museum. Rather, it was Her intention to enter into the family life of this family, become a part of it, to show the world that She desires to enter into all our families to heal them, sanctify them, resurrect them, bring new life to them. She has come to teach us that holiness is much more than going around with our hands folded in prayer and our eyes looking heavenward. She said:
July 24, 1986
In this house, there are times that there is prayer, candles and angelic music playing, but there is also laughter, playing, running around with little children, reading, sleeping, cooking and cleaning—and everything else that goes on in the life of the family. Over the years of Our Lady appearing in this house, She has shown Herself quite at home within the setting of family life.
June 30, 2008
The apparition today was in the Bedroom at 11:4- a.m. There were already many pilgrims who had arrived for the July 1-5 events and were praying in the Field during the time of the apparition. Marija asked Our Lady to bless them. At this request, Our Lady turned towards the Field and extended Her hand in a blessing. Marija asked Our Lady about the apparition tomorrow, and Our Lady responded again, “Same time, same place.”
In the apparition of June 30, 2008, the parents of the founder of Caritas brought in a very old handmade bedspread and laid it out on the Bed where Our Lady would be appearing. This had belonged to the great-grandparents of our founder and it was very symbolic to all the family and community in having it lay upon the Bed—a sign of multigenerational faithfulness through the generations of a family to God, and God’s faithfulness back to them. When Christianity became the moving force behind the culture in the Middle Ages, this was the way of every family—faithfulness to God. Our Lady is coming in our time to lead families back to this way, to rebuild the culture through faithful families.
On the Bed lie two crucifixes. They belong to two young families of the community—the Crucifixes that were held in their wedding ceremonies as they spoke their vows to each other. It is a tradition in our community that the man to be married chooses a piece of wood to carve out a cross. The couple then either make or find a corpus to attach to the cross. They hold this crucifix as they say their vows, and eventually it will be placed above their bed as they begin their new life together. There is deep meaning behind this tradition, and the crowning grace upon it, is to have Our Lady bless it during an apparition.
Our Lady has taught us through the apparitions in the Bedroom that the family bed is the altar of the family. With the crucifix above it, it is where all the problems, difficulties, sufferings and joys are brought, where new life begins and where, up until recent times, where souls depart from this world to enter eternal life.
2009
June 29, 2009
Visionary Marija Lunetti arrived at 9:40 p.m., June 29, 2009, fresh from celebrating Our Lady’s 28th anniversary in Medjugorje. After a brief greeting from the community, they entered the Bedroom to begin praying the Rosary as Marija had not yet had her apparition of Our Lady that day. The Caritas Community gladly interrupted their work in preparing for the July 1-5 prayer days in order to see Marija, and most especially greet Our Lady. It had been a very intense three months of work in preparation for this event. Our Lady appeared in the middle of the Rosary and stayed for several minutes. She prayed over us and blessed us. When Our Lady comes each time to Caritas, She says what time and place the apparition will be for the following day. Our Lady said She would appear on June 30, 2009, in the Bedroom, in the evening, at 6:40 p.m.
June 30, 2009
As pilgrims began arriving at Caritas the morning of June 30th, and continued to arrive the rest of the day they were told that Our Lady would be appearing that night in the Bedroom at 6:40 p.m. and they were invited to gather in the Field at 6:00 p.m. to pray the Rosary. Marija would recommend everyone to Our Lady in the apparition. This was an unexpected surprise for everyone, as they believed their first opportunity to be with Our Lady would not be until the following day, July 1st, when the event officially began.
The Rosary began at 6:00 p.m. Fifteen to twenty pilgrims were invited to come to the Bedroom for the apparition. When they arrived, several had stunned looks on their faces, others had eyes filled with tears, still others came in very reverently taking their place beside the Bed on their knees. There were families with children, and then also those who had come alone. After the Rosary, several Our Father’s, Hail Mary’s and Glory Be’s were prayed and then Our Lady appeared. Following is Marija’s description of the apparition:
“In the moment of apparition when Our Lady come I recommended all us, all people who is in Field, and I recommend in special way…(Marija stated different people whome she recommended to Our Lady in prayer). And after I said I recommend all people who is coming. And I see Our Lady stay more, so I beginning to recommend more people, some people that I said I specially pray these days. And Our Lady after little time, when I’m beginning to pray for other people, She begin to pray, like cut (Marija begins to laugh), like I no stop, She no stop. And after She smile, She pray over us and She blessed us all. And She blessed all people in the Field and objects for blessing. And then She said:
Marija was asked to repeat, that Our Lady smiled at the end? Marija said “yes.” Our Lady normally does not give extra time in the apparition, so when Marija saw Her hesitate, she immediately began to speak other intentions to Our Lady. Marija laughed because when Our Lady immediately began to pray after Marija began giving her list of intentions, Marija thought Our Lady was thinking, “Once Marija gets started, there will be no stopping her!”
Marija is introduced to the newest member of the Caritas family, a squirrel named Chipper. He was caught when he was just a few days old, and was raised within the founder’s family. He brought a lot of joy to the reunion of Marija and the community.
Just a week before Marija was to arrive, on the day of Our Lady’s 28th anniversary, one of our community members suffered a severe heart attack and fell into a coma, one that he would not be revived from. Our founder, his wife and some of the community were in Medjugorje at the time. Flowers that were presented to Our Lady in Marija’s chapel on this day were carefully wrapped and brought home, where they were laid on the Bed next to a picture of our community brother. During the apparition of June 29th, just four days after the anniversary, the community gave Greg to Our Lady, praying for God’s will on his behalf. There was both joy and sorrow in our hearts when we were before Our Lady, and in both the joy and the sorrow, there was peace.
On June 30, some pilgrims who arrived a day early gathered in the Field at our normal Rosary time, 11:20 a.m. It was a beautiful blue-sky day. The Field was a crisp green, and there was much joy in those who gathered under the tree. There joy increased 100-fold when they learned that Our Lady would be appearing this evening, and they were invited to return to the Field for the apparition. Here, the children have come up to Our Lady’s statue, as they do every day, to say their prayers during the community’s Rosary. They kneel before Our Lady’s statue at the time Our Lady is appearing in Medjugorje (11:40 AM CST; 6:40 PM Medjugorje time). The sheep and goats grazing beside them are completely oblivious to the fact that so many eyes are upon them.
{source}
<!– Put Back Button Here –>
<button onclick=”goBack()”><strong>← Go Back</strong></button>
<script>
function goBack() {
window.history.back();
}
</script>
{/source}
{source} [[?php require_once(‘templates/medjugorje_protostar/html/menujubilee.php’); ?]] {/source}
