From Denis Nolan, President of "Children of Medjugorje":

In order to enrich our Web Page on Medjugorje, and thus better serve Our Lady, besides Sr. Emmanuel's reports we will include some news from our members (C.O.M.) returning from Medjugorje, as they sometimes have incredible testimonies to share.

Today, as we enter the novena of prayer before the Anniversary on June 25th (16 years of apparitions!), I wish to encourage everyone to be active in supporting Our Lady's intentions. Many prayer meetings are being held that Wednesday. May each of us bring our own offering to the Queen of Peace on that day, according to how we are moved in our heart!

Returning from Medjugorje recently, some pilgrims have asked us why Mirjana's apparition on the 2nd day of the month are no more at the Blue Cross, open to all, but in her house, which limits the number of guests to between 30 and 80 people? Actually, we don't know why. When asked if there is a hope for the pilgrims to join again in the future, Mirjana answered, "I don't know." There is nothing to add to this, let's just hope and pray. On March 2nd and April 2nd many pilgrims gathered with Mirjana for her apparition. But for the past 2 months Mirjana had not gone on the mountain for her apparition.

Mirjana stopped having daily apparitions on December 25, 1982. In 1987 she started hearing Our Lady's voice on the 2nd of every month (this was not an inner locution, but Mirjana would hear Our Lady speaking in a normal voice). At other times she would have an apparition, as happened in Portland on February 2, 1990. On that 2nd day Our Lady would pray with Mirjana for unbelievers in a special way.

With very few exceptions, these encounters were private. However, five months ago we all received a great grace. On January 2, 1997 Our Lady told Mirjana that her apparitions from then on would be open to all. Everyone could join. They would be apparitions just as the other visionaries of Medjugorje were experiencing.

There is a great grace that came with this unity in prayer on the 2nd of the month. For example, on January 3rd, the day after we were all invited to join in prayer for our brothers and sisters who don't know the love of the Father yet, Dr. Ron Fitzsimmons, the executive director for the National Abortion Rights League in America, stated publicly that he had lied when giving testimony to the US Congress on partial birth abortion. As a result, several days later, New York outlawed the procedure - and the whole country is moving to follow suit. This represents the very first time in 24 years that legislation is being passed in America that curtails abortion!

Later, when Mary MacDonell, the President of our local chapter of Right to Life (who works with us here at the office of "Children of Medjugorje") read about it in the news, she told me that the first thing that came into her mind was that this was an absolute miracle - and it was due purely to the prayers being said for unbelievers!

The graces being extended to us today through Medjugorje are more than have been offered to any people on the face of the earth before - or ever will be offered again! As we enter into the 17th year of this incredible grace, lets commit ourselves to pray for Medjugorje. Medjugorje represents the heal of Our Lady crushing Satan's head. On August 25, 1991 she told us that Medjugorje is the realization of Fatima: "In the end my Immaculate Heart will triumph!"