By Mat De Sousa
Hundreds packed out St Mary’s Cathedral to pray the Rosary on 22 February with Ivan Dragicevic, one of six people from Medjugorje in Bosnia-Herzegovina who claim Mary has spoken to them hundreds of times since 1981.
Perth Frs Tiziano Bogoni, Tim Deeter, Andrew Nahas, Paul Carey and Doug Harris concelebrated a Mass with NSW priest Fr Andrew Grace, during which the latter gave a homily on his personal experience and conversion in Medjugorje and the importance of Mary to the thousands of Catholics who travel there annually.
These priests also heard Confessions throughout the event.
After the Rosary, it was time for the alleged apparition to occur. There was no grand spectacle; in fact most people did not know who Ivan was until he got up from his seat and started his talk later on in the evening.
Fr Andrew’s homily touched upon the many conversions and stories of life-changing encounters reported by people at Medjugorje.
After Mass, Ivan was introduced to the congregation and he asked the congregation to join him in the Lord’s Prayer and Hail Mary.
This action was a testimony to what was not a talk on the alleged apparitions of Our Lady but a plea to the congregation to listen to the messages that she has given to mankind through him as an “instrument in her hands and in God’s hands”.
His hour long talk was encapsulated in three major themes – the first that Our Lady comes to us not as a bearer of grave news, nor the bearer of an apocalyptic message, but as a mother.
This was one of the most prominent themes as it could be seen in the way Ivan referred to Our Lady and the tone and manner of the messages, as Ivan says that “every time Our Lady appears to us she says ‘Dear children of mine’”.
Ivan talked about how Our Lady comes to him as a mother looking out for her children, a mother who loves us all as Ivan repeats and who wants to take us on the
right path when we are heading towards no good.
In the alleged apparitions, Our Lady radiates the name of “queen of peace” as she thanks “my dear children” for having responded to her call.
He said that though God has given him much, He expects much back and it is the responsibility of this “great gift” that he says he deals with every day.
The second theme of Ivan’s talk was one of peace – how Our Lady reminds him repeatedly of how peace must reign among mankind, how peace is only God and we must open ourselves to that peace.
The third theme focused on prayer. Ivan explained with great emotion how in this world there is a destruction of morals due to the fact that prayer has left the family and is no longer said daily.
The next Medjugorje evening of prayer will be on Friday, 25 March at All Saints Chapel, 77 St George’s Terrace, Perth, from 7-9pm.