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NUMBER 307 : December 2016 : FREE Published Monthly MONTHLY NEWSLETTER MEDJUGORJE CENTRE NORTH EAST (Established since 1989) www.medjugorjene.co.uk OUR MINISTRY To spread the messages of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus, given through the visionaries in Medjugorje. PEACE CONVERSION FAITH PRAYER FASTING OUR LADY QUEEN OF PEACE PRAY FOR US 1 MEDJUGORJE AFTERNOON OF PRAYER led by Fr. Martin Morris 2nd Sunday of the month 4pm – 6pm 12th February 2017 12th March 2017 At St Teresa of the infant Child Jesus Heaton Road Newcastle upon Tyne NE6 5HN Medjugorje Centre (North East) ANNUAL DAY OF PRAYER Led by Fr. Martin Morris Saturday 25th March 2017 Coffee from 9.45 am Rosary, and Talk 10.30 Shared lunch, Followed by Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Holy Mass ST. AIDAN Church Benton, Coach Lane, NE12 8AD ANNUAL PILGRIMAGE TO MEDJUGORJE 2017 led by Fr. Martin Morris Wed 7th - 14th June 2017 FULL Flying from Newcastle Half Board Further Bookings may be arranged through Aglow Travel Ltd Ring Jonathan Baylis 02032 892627 Or email: [email protected] 2 OUR LADY’S MESSAGE—To the World Given 25th December 2016 to Marija Pavlovic ear children! “ With great joy, today I am carrying my Son Jesus to you, for Him to give you His peace. Open your hearts, little children, and be joyful that you can receive it. Heaven is with you and is fighting for peace in your hearts, in the families and in the world; and you, little children, help with your prayers for it to be so. I bless you with my Son Jesus and call you not to lose hope; and for your gaze and heart to always be directed towards Heaven and eternity. In this way, you will be open to God and to His plans. Thank you for having responded to my call. ” D Fr. Martin Morris’s Reflection Spiritual Director of Medjugorje Centre NE Dear Brothers and Sisters of Medjugorje North east and beyond, we begin this New Year of 2017, with Mary queen of Peace, who brings us the Christ Child, the Prince of Peace. Let us recall Mary's coming at Fatima, one hundred years ago, when Mary promised an "Era of Peace", and let us remember Mirjana's words at the Youth Festival in 2012, when she told us that the Blessed Mother had spoken to her about Fatima, and that Medjugorje was “the continuation and fulfilment" of what Our Lady had begun in 1917. Mirjana added, "I can say that the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary will take place through the Shepherds." Let us thank God for this anniversary, and Mary's call to be open to the Lord and his plans. Mary is "Theotokos" The God Bearer. She tells us, "With great Joy today I am carrying my Son Jesus to you, for him to give you Peace." Mary is the cause of our Joy, for she who is "Full of Grace" overflowingly lovely, Paradise restored, brings us our salvation. Mary's Joy becomes our Joy, the Joy of the Children of God. Let us ponder on this image of Mary carrying to us little Jesus, Prince of Peace. Gift of Gifts. "Heaven is with you, and is fighting for Peace in your hearts, in the families, and in the world, and you little children, help with your Prayers." Mary is reminding us here, that we are in a Spiritual Battle, and that we are not alone. "I Believe in the Communion of Saints, the Resurrection of the dead, and the life 3 of the world to come" we profess in the Creed. Mary tells us that Heaven is on our side, "Fighting" -referring to the intensity of intercession we have from the Angels, Saints, Thrones and Dominations. St. Teresa of Lisieux said, "I will spend my eternity in doing good on earth." and St. Padre Pio said, "I will not rest in Heaven until the last of my Spiritual Children have been saved." all the heavenly powers are coming to our aid with Mary Queen of Peace, so that the reign of God's kingdom might be in every human heart-the reign of Peace. "I bless you with my Son Jesus, and call you not to lose hope." We are used to hearing Mary tell us she blesses us with her Son Jesus, and in the past, has called us to carry this blessing to others. The first blessing that Mary gives us is her presence in Medjugorje. Her Blessing flows from her Son Jesus. Mary as Mother gave birth to Jesus and his name is Emmanuel-God with us. He came to save us, and he is for us. He came to show us the path of love, peace, light and truth, and to remove us from evil. With Sin, came the curse, with Jesus and Mary comes the Blessing. From the Hebrew, the word, "Blessing" also means gift, grace and peace. In Latin, this word also has the significance of saying something good about someone else, or to do good towards others. Whoever blesses gives something and they become a new person for someone else. It is a new relationship. When God Blesses us, then we know he loves us, and that he is with us. When Mary brings us God's Blessing with the Christ Child then we are reminded that we have the gift of a new relationship restored that was lost in Paradise by way of sin. we are no longer under the curse, but under the Blessing. Dear Friends in Christ, in this New Year, a time of Grace, let us all become conscious in a deep way, that we are Blessed by Heaven, and that we must carry that Blessing from little Jesus and his Mother to others. Peace is the first fruit of this Christmas Blessing that we need for all time, so let us open our hearts to the blessing of his outstretched arms so that all distress leaves us and the Peace of Heaven comes upon us. A Happy and Blessed New Year to you all. Fr. Martin Pray, fast and confess regularly. If receiving my Son in the Eucharist is the centre of your life, then do not be afraid, you can do everything. June 2, 2012 THE ‘FIVE STONES’ OF MEDJUGORJE 1. PRAYER, 2. FASTING (Wednesday & Friday) 3. HOLY SCRIPTURE. (daily reading) 4. CONFESSION, monthly at least. 5. EUCHARIST, Frequent celebration 4 December 25, 2016, Our Lady’s Annual Message to Jakov At the last daily apparition to Jakov Colo on September 12th, 1998, Our Lady told him that henceforth he would have one apparition a year, every December 25th, on Christmas Day. This is also how it was this year. The apparition began at 2:20 pm and lasted 10 minutes. Afterwards Jakov transmitted this message: "Dear children! Today, on this day of grace, in a special way, I am calling you to pray for peace. Children, I came here as the Queen of Peace and how many times have I called you to pray for peace. But, children, your hearts are restless. Sin is preventing you from opening yourselves completely to grace and peace which God desires to give you. To live peace, my children, is to first have peace in your hearts and to be surrendered completely to God and to His will. Do not seek peace and joy in the things of this world, because this is all passing. Long for true mercy and peace which come only from God; and only in this way will your hearts be filled with true joy; and only in this way will you be able to become witnesses of peace in this peaceless world. I am your mother and intercede before my Son for each of you. Thank you for having responded to my call." Our Lady’s message to Mirjana 2nd December 2016 “Dear children! My Motherly heart is crying as I am looking at what my children are doing. Sins are multiplying, the purity of soul is all the less important; my Son is being forgotten - honoured all the less; and my children are being persecuted. That is why, you my children, apostles of my love, with soul and heart invoke the name of my Son. He will have the words of light for you. He manifests Himself to you, He breaks the bread with you and gives you the words of love so that you may transform them into merciful acts and, thus, be witnesses of truth. That is why, my children, do not be afraid. Permit my Son to be in you. He will make use of you to care for the wounded and to convert lost souls. Therefore, my children, return to the prayer of the Rosary. Pray it with feelings of goodness, sacrifice and mercy. Pray, not only with words, but with merciful acts. Pray with love for all people. My Son, by His sacrifice, exalted love. Therefore, live with Him so that you may have strength and hope; that you may have the love which is life and which leads to eternal life. Through God's love, I am also with you, and will lead you with Motherly love. Thank you.” Mirjana said that Our Lady was very sad. 5 REPORT FROM SISTER EMMANUEL of The Community of The Beatitudes www.childrenofmedjugorje.com December 12, 2016 Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe Dear Children of Medjugorje, Praised be Jesus and Mary! 1. On December 2nd Mirjana received her monthly apparition at the Blue Cross in the presence of a smaller crowd. After the apparition, she delivered Our Lady's message ( see page 4 ) 2. Are we going to let Our Lady cry much longer? The closing of the Holy Door of the Jubilee year of Mercy made a twinge in our hearts, as if suddenly God was going to close the gates of his wonderful merciful heart and be less generous in distributing his gifts. Of course not! God never goes back, he is the one who always gives more! If the Holy Door was closed in our cathedrals and churches, it is because it is now open in our hearts, yes, in our hearts of flesh, like a new opening to the coming of God. It is a door that we carry in ourselves everyday. "Allow my Son to be in you", Mary tells us, and the Son, He is the Door that opens the Kingdom! Before Christmas we can also adore Jesus hidden in Mary, as we imagine Him in the miracle of Guadalupe, the only image given from Heaven (along with the shroud of Turin) which pictures Our Lady pregnant. Why not create your own prayer with your own heart, asking "Jesus hidden in Mary" to protect His little brothers and sisters also hidden in the womb of their mothers and dramatically threatened to not see the light of day. As we approach Christmas, if we listen to Our Lady's heartbeat, we can feel her great desire that Jesus be born in us. We also understand how much she suffers to see that He is considered as nobody, is rejected, is forgotten. The big shopping malls are overflowing with new products for "The Holidays". Whose Holidays? Where is Jesus? Where is His Birthday mentioned? Where is the Birthday present for The One who is The Father's present for us? In contrast with this emptyness it will be easy to console the heart of Our Lady who is hurting for her Son in this Advent 2016. May our hearts become the little crib in the manger where she will be able to deposit the fragile and divine body of her Child. Here is her dream: To find in us a warm welcome for her Son! Be able to count on us to warm Him up with our love and let him have the first place in our lives. She has explained everything during 35 years of apparitions and messages. Today it is up to us to dry her tears! 3. Malaysia is waking up! In November, I went to Malaysia for a wonderful mission in the Kota Kinabalu region. In the town of Ranau, there is a parish, and its priest, 6 Father Nick, is crazy about baby Jesus. As I told you last year, this sparked a movement among the families who wanted to receive the statue of the baby Jesus for 24 hours and honor him. As a result of the many miracles and conversions happening in people's homes, Father Nick had to reduce the amount of time each family could keep the statue to one hour, so as to satisfy all the requests. It was so successful!! And because the requests kept flowing in, he decided to build a little Sanctuary to shelter Baby Jesus. That way, everyone could come and worship the Baby. Because he knew about our connection with the Child Jesus and the presence in our garden of a life-size manger, Father Nick waited for my coming for him to consecrate this Sanctuary. And that's not all. A week before the closing of the Holy Door in his church, a woman arrived in a wheelchair to pass through the Door and obtain the grace of the Jubilee. For a long time, she was paralyzed, hemiplegic, not to mention all the other illnesses that caused her much suffering. As she left the church through this blessed Door, she began to walk! She still does! The news of the miracle spread like wildfire. The very next day, thousands of pilgrims showed up to pass through the Holy Door. Providence permitted me to arrive at that precise moment! When I addressed this crowd to share the messages of Mary, there were about 20,000 people from all over the country. After I spoke, they bombarded me with questions about the messages, so we spent several hours together. Interestingly about 80% of these people were young. I told them that in Europe, such a meeting such would probably consist of 80% of elderly people. They laughed, but it's not funny! At Easter, Father Nick baptized 234 adults, and that is not counting the children. In Europe, we might have as many as 3 or 4... Lord, have mercy! As if that's not enough.... Father Nick, anxious to give his flock a good Catholic formation, decided to have them renew their Baptismal promises. He knew that, for these simple people, it was important to have a hands-on experience more than words; so he built a one-foot deep pool, with 3 steps down; he filled it with water and made them walk across it while repeating their Baptismal Promises. The Lord confirmed that the idea came from Him, because miracles occurred immediately. One man had a hand that was completely paralyzed, but as he stepped out of the water, he was waving his hand around with amazement. "He has healed me!" he cried. Another was almost completely blind. As he was coming out of the water, he started shouting: "I can see clearly, I can see!" I willingly went to renew my own promises, knowing that, according to exorcists like Don 7 Amorth, this prayer is an excellent way of casting out demons. And we have too many of those in our world! May this idea be looked at! I thank each of you for your support through prayer, worship, fasting and sacrifices offered for these missions. When you get to heaven, you'll see what you have obtained and you will not be disappointed! 4. Prayer to the newborn Child Jesus Have you prepared your crib for Baby Jesus? If not, then do it without delay! Our Lady asks for this because in this way we may deepen our expectation of the child God prepare ourselves to celebrate His birthday. When I was in Malaysia Fr Nick asked me to write a prayer to Baby Jesus. Let me give it to you "With Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds of Bethlehem, I also come to adore you. Make of my heart your little manger, come live in me! Little Jesus, Herod wanted to kill you while you were coming to save us. Keep me from every sin and everything that may sadden you in my life. Fill my soul with love and the divine peace I am so longing for. "Oh, how I wish to take you in my arms like Mary your Mother and cover you with tender kisses! You were feeling so cold in Bethlehem at winter, I want to warm you with the songs of my soul. May each one of my secret acts of love be to you like a wisp of straw and warmth. "Save us from Satan, do not let him sow hatred and division in our families. Please, recreate love among us. May evil crush against your innocence! I beg you, Baby Jesus, bind the wounds of my heart, and heal my illnesses. here so that you may read it in your families during the 9 days after Christmas and allow Baby Jesus to be born in your heart and to dwell there with joy. He will inspire you with works of mercy to realize through Him! Isn't it a good way to console the Heart of His mother? "O Child Jesus, how I love you! As I look at you, I see you so small, so innocent, so vulnerable... Yet you are my Lord and my God! "Divine little Shepherd, may your blessing always be upon us! Lead us all on the way to salvation!" 8 Dearest Gospa, with you we are all joyfully anticipating the birth of your Son Jesus. Please give us the burning desire of His coming, that same desire that you joyfully bear in your motherly Heart! Please, help us be inventive in love to dry away your tears! Celebration of New Year's Eve in prayer AND music in Medjugorje date: 01.01.2017. Sister Emmanuel + Consecration to Mary O Immaculate Heart of Mary, overflowing with goodness, show us Your love for us. May the flame of Your heart, O Mary, descend upon all mankind. We love You so. Impress true love in our hearts that we may have a continuous desire for You. O Mary, meek and humble of heart, remember us when we are in sin. You know that all men sin. Grant to us by means of Your Immaculate Heart, to be healed from every spiritual illness. In doing so, we then will be able to gaze upon the goodness of Your Maternal Heart, and thus be converted through the flame of Your Heart. Amen Celebration of the Feast of Mother of God and New Year's Eve in Medjugorje gathered many pilgrims and parishioners to come here. Groups arrived from Italy, Hungary, Korea, Spain, Slovakia, the United States, Czech Republic, China, Lebanon, France, Poland, Austria and Germany. Many youth from Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina were here too. Fr. Marinko Sakota, the parish priest, celebrated a Thanksgiving Holy Mass for the previous year at 6 pm, along with 45 priests concelebrating. The celebration was more beautiful thanks to the singing of the parish choir of the Queen of Peace, conducted by Sr. Irena Azinovic. Members of Cenacolo community gave their third live performance of the Nativity scene after Holy Mass, while prayer The Vigil began at 10 pm with the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament led by Fr. Perica Ostojic. Midnight Holy Mass was celebrated by Fr. Vjekoslav Milićević. Fr, Marinko Sakota congratulated New Year to all present at the end of Midnight Mass. The whole programme was broadcasted live by radio Mir Medjugorje. 9 The Little Medjugorje Pilgrim: By Emily Aldridge A story of one Little Pilgrim setting out on a long journey home to discover the joy to love and to be loved. In the Autumn of 2015 we published Emily Aldridge’s (aged 23) story ‘Medjugorje made my blue eyes finally shine’ In August 2016 - We went on to publish Emily’s personal testimony ‘Confessions of a Medjugorje Pilgrim’ As a Pilgrim who had walked and served in the gaze of Our Lady of Medjugorje, Emily found herself serving with Mother Teresa’s Sister of Charity in the Streets of Calcutta. Read on as Emily takes us into the Streets of Calcutta.. I have just returned to my little hometown in Wales after serving with Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta and I can now say with a heart full of gratitude that I have gained an experience that I forever will be unable to forget. Each day, I walked through the hot, dirty and smelly streets of Calcutta, dodging relentless traffic and stepping over piles of rubbish, scurrying rats and bodies lying sleepily all over the ground. I would smile to myself at the sweet sound of the sisters singing at Mass and at the gentle rattling of Rosary beads in the hands of these blue and white angels who hold so tightly onto the Hands of Our Lady as they prayed each night in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Everything there was so external, be it the cacophony of noise from the manic honking of horns and the random shouts seemingly about nothing important that came from each and every corner of this bustling and utterly chaotic city or the smell of some truly pungent stenches that I would rather never remember. But quite remarkably, in this beautiful but undeniably crazy ‘City of Joy’, I could not have felt more perfectly at home. I never thought that I’d leave everything I knew back home to fly out alone to Calcutta. I never thought that I’d share a room with people from all over the world that I’d never met before and that I’d develop some of the greatest friendships I have ever made, or that I’d dress in a dodgy bandana and funky, baggy and honestly totally ridiculous clothing, that I’d have perpetually dirty black feet, that I’d shamefully smell of absolutely everything imaginable at the end of each day and that I’d wash both myself and my clothes in a bucket of cold water each night. I certainly never thought that I would walk the same streets that Saint Teresa of Calcutta herself walked and that I would so profoundly and beautifully meet Jesus Christ Himself hidden behind the most distressing disguise of the raw and broken bodies of the poorest of the poor. I never thought I would have such a real experience of Jesus hidden behind the stale stench of bad breath, diarrhoea, urine, sweat and thick dirt, behind wounded limbs and rotting flesh that were crawling with hundreds of maggots and covered in flies, beneath the shrill and violent 10 screams and aggressive lashings out and unforgettably wild eyes of those absolutely crippled with mental illness, in the undeniably beautiful smiles and truly pretty faces of homeless women wearing now-dirty saris and with hair crawling with lice, within the empty and vacant stares of those who have simply lost all hope and within the unresponsive faces of abandoned and orphaned children who don’t, won’t and cannot even smile. I never thought that in my walk with the Lord, I would be physically attacked, followed, screamed at and groped, that I’d be so haunted by the site of suffering and sin that I would have nightmares, that I would feel sick to my stomach with fear and that I would cry as if I was unable to stop because my heart simply ached for our beautiful poor people. I never thought that as a violent patient stretched out her hands to beat me that I would gently take hold of her hands and silently pray to Our Lady, asking Her to give me a piece of Her Immaculate Heart to really love this patient with and to take all fear from me, before instantly watching this patient calm down and smile at me. I never thought that I’d physically hold someone with poor balance in my arms enabling them to go to the toilet outside on the ground, I never thought that I’d find and cover up a dead body in the street, I never thought I’d take a homeless man for a haircut on the side of the road. I never thought that I’d stand in front of a dead body in the home for the dying so that another patient wouldn’t feel afraid. I never thought that as I showered a lady who had previously been abused that I would hear her ask me ‘Are you going to beat me?’ I never thought that as I passed some bread to a homeless man who was completely intoxicated, sitting in his own excrement amidst piles of rubbish that I would see him immediately break the bread in half and give some to his friend in the same condition next to him before he even thought to take anything for himself. I never thought that I would be offered a packet of chocolate biscuits from a homeless man unsure of when he would be able to next eat and that he would simply burst out laughing at my embarrassingly bad attempt to tell him in broken Bengali to keep the biscuits and share them with his friend who was sitting next to him. I never thought that I would find a lady completely naked in the middle of the street staring at nothing and that when I approached her she would cry and cry as if it was the first and last time that she would ever be able to cry. I never thought that I would push patients in a wheelchair through the hectic streets of India and that I would pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet at the bedside of a dying woman. I never thought that I’d laugh to the point of almost falling over at things that honestly weren’t even that funny, that in my pure exasperation, exhaustion and frustration at the sufferings of others I would shout and kick out at my bed and use bad language, that I would bite my lip at Mass and Adoration to stop myself crying in front of everyone because I knew that if I started to cry I would 11 have difficulty in stopping. I never thought that I would look into so many eyes and see Jesus and say both silently in my heart and out loud ‘I love you and I rejoice in the Lord that you exist.’ I never thought that I would feel so overjoyed, so overwhelmed, so loved and so in love, but so hurt, so rejected, so embarrassed, so angry, confused, helpless and frightened, so excited, so fulfilled and just so incredibly grateful all at the same time. I never thought that I would pray on my knees on a cold marbled floor for hours and hours in the same Chapel that Mother Teresa herself prayed in so faithfully every single day and that I would fall even more completely and madly in love with the One who is Love. I never thought that I’d share even in the tiniest of ways in the simple, beautiful and completely selfgiving life of these incredible missionary sisters and that I would grow so much in my friendship with, and my love and my admiration for them. I never thought that I’d eat a concoction of chicken’s head, kidneys, liver and intestines and still live to tell the tale, I never thought that I’d kill a giant spider with my bare hands, and that I’d both vomit and undress in the middle of an Indian street first thing in the morning after discovering that I had put my Tshirt on back-to-front. I never thought that I’d be the first one to say ‘Good Morning’ to those waking up on the street, that I’d get head-lice and make friends through sharing liceprevention products and that I’d drink copious sugary cups of tea in a small cup made out of clay that I would then smash on the ground when I was finished with it. I never thought that I’d experience so profoundly the incredible Mercy, Love, Joy, Peace, Power, Forgiveness, Presence, Guidance, Goodness, Strength, Promise of Salvation and Pure Grace of God in Calcutta and that I would be able to discover everywhere else the same incredible beauty that I found here because as our dearest Mother Saint Teresa says, ‘Don’t search for Jesus in far lands – He is not there. He is close to you; He is in you. Just keep the lamp burning and you will always see Him. Keep on filling the lamp with all these little drops of love, and you will see how sweet is the Lord you love.’ Thank you Jesus. Emily Mother Teresa of Calcutta was asked ‘ Mother Do you Believe in Medjugorje?? ’ On August 14, 1993, I had the unmerited privilege of going down and spending a couple of days with Mother Teresa. We and sat outside her office in Calcutta, and above her desk area was a picture, a calendar of Our Lady of Medjugorje. And I said to her, point blank, ‘Mother, do you believe in Medjugorje?’ and she gestured to me as follows, putting her finger over her lips as if to be discrete. But she said to me, and I quote: ‘I asked Our Lady of Medjugorje to come to the first home for the dying in Calcutta and She did.’ (Dr. Mark Miravalle Notre Dame Medjugorje Conference May 2008) 12 8th December 2016 The Enthronement of Our Lady of Walsingham in Westminster Cathedral On the Feast of The Immaculate Conception, in a wonderful service, the statue of Our Lady of Walsingham was solemnly enthroned in Westminster Cathedral within the Chapel of St George and the English Martyrs. The Chapel now contains a new Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham in London. This beautiful Chapel is on the left-hand side of the Cathedral and well worth a visit. In the Marian Year 1954, His Eminence Cardinal Bernard Griffin commissioned the Cathedral Statue of Our Lady of Walsingham. It was then placed in the Crypt Chapel. That statue was brought up to the main altar for this event, then carried in procession to be enthroned in St George’s Chapel becoming part of London’s new Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. Isn’t that great? HOLY GROUND The pedestal for the statue is a gift made in Poland especially for Our Lady. It was specially commissioned and contains soil from three Marian Shrines, including soil from the Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Poland and from Martyrs Field in Walsingham. There is soil in the pedestal from a 3rd site, but unfortunately, I did not hear exactly where that was! The Order of Service said that:“His Holiness Pope Francis has imparted his Apostolic Blessing on our installation and enthronement of Our Lady of Walsingham in the Chapel of Saint George and the English Martyrs. 9th November 2016”. The service began at 4pm with the Rosary and hymns; then the poem ‘Walsingham Way’ was read out, followed by the Litany to Our Lady. Vespers, or Evening Prayers, were sung in Latin by the Cathedral choir, followed by Solemn Holy Mass. Bishop John Sherrington, Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster was the Principal Celebrant and Msgr. John Armitage, Rector of Our Lady’s Shrine at Walsingham Concelebrated. The Bishop gave a wonderful homily and reminded us that: “When England goes back to Walsingham, Our Lady will come back to England”. At the end of Mass, we remained standing – several thousands attended – for the beautiful procession with the statue to St George’s Chapel and special prayers. Msgr. Armitage then led us all in the Act of Consecration of England and Wales to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, prayed by Cardinal Griffin in Walsingham on July 16th 1948. At 7pm The Prayer for England and the Alma Redemptoris Mater concluded this unique and holy occasion. Hearts of many nationalities were consoled that evening! The London statue is similar to that of the Slipper Chapel in Walsingham with a few subtle differences. In the 1954 statue commissioned by Cardinal Griffin for the Cathedral, Our Lady’s crown is less ornate I would say. Next time you are in London, even just passing through, do call in to Westminster Cathedral to see what you think! May Our Lady of Walsingham pray for us! (The nearest tube station for Westminster Cathedral is Victoria). Sent in from a member of the Tyneside Walsingham Association. Web-site: https://www.sites.google.com/ site/tynesidewalsingham/ 13 Medjugorje Centre North East ARE YOU AGED 18—30 ?? 50,000 youth from across the world attend the youth festival Medjugorje 28th Youth Festival 2017 Wed 31st July – 7th August 2017 - flying from Gatwick Jonathan Baylis Aglow Pilgrimage, is organizing a small group (10 to 15 people) to join The Youth Festival. After a generous response from Readers we are now able to offer 2 free places. We are looking to offer 2 young people aged 18 – 30 from the North East of England places to join in the celebrations. The Youth Festival is a vision of Fr. Slavko which has gradually developed and now more than 50,000 youth and 400 Priests from across the world gather together. Fr Martin Morris North East shares in this vision to give youth in our region an opportunity to experience a renewal of faith in the beautiful country of Bosnia Herzegovinia and to meet young people from across the world in a vibrant atmosphere of Love and Hope for future generations, in the presence of Our Lady Queen of Peace. Fr. Martin Morris plans to accompany the group (to be confirmed) If you are aged 18 -30 have never been to Medjugorje and would like to be considered please email Medjugorje North East: [email protected] **************** Sponsorship is still open if you want to help sponsor a young person to experience The Medjugorje Youth Festival All contributions gratefully accepted. Please make cheques payable to: ‘Medjugorje Centre North East’ And write on the back of the cheque ‘Sponsor Youth ‘ send to :- The Treasurer, Miss Fiona Johnston, address back page. 14 Medjugorje Centre North East www.medjugorjene.co.uk MIDDLESBROUGH CENTRE FOR PEACE MIDDLESBROUGH CENTRE FOR PEACE MEDJUGORJE EVENING MEDJUGORJE PILGRIMAGES 2017 21st May— 28th May 10th Sept—17th Sept Friday 13th January 2017 Friday 10th February 2017 7.30pm to 9.30pm Rosary : Holy Mass : Talk : Witness FLYING from NEWCASTLE For further details please contact: JOHN PAUL CENTRE 55 GRANGE ROAD, MIDDLESBROUGH, TS1 5AU For further details please contact: Mrs Marie Bedingfield Tel: 01642 530739 Mrs Marie Bedingfield Tel: 01642 530739 Blessings For The New Year Medjugorje Centre N.E Like the Magi, let us set out, clothe ourselves in the light following the star of Jesus, and love the Lord with all our might. (Pope Francis) The Centre recognizes and accepts that the final authority regarding the apparitions at Medjugorje rests with the Holy See of Rome. We willingly submit to that judgement.