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okDear Michael,
My name is Gwen Burguieres and I was in Medjugorje for the 20th Anniversary. I can personally attest to seeing the oil/water droplets on the bronze statue of the Resurrected Christ the evening of Monday, June 25 after the 7p.m. International Mass. We learned of the oil from another member of our group, Barbara Rozas. It seems she had been praying at the site around noon that day when an Irish couple approached her and asked if she had gotten her oil. She asked confusedly, "Which oil?" "The oil coming from the statue, love!" Whereupon they helped her up on the base of the statue and guided her to the spot to touch. Surely enough, it was an oil mixture. Barbara began to bless herself with the oil when the Irish lady asked if she would bless her, too, especially her lungs as she had problems with breathing. This brought tears to Barbara's eyes because she works with the sick--she's a respiratory therapist. The couple then left and Barbara never saw them again.
Upon hearing her story my two friends and I immediately headed for the statue. It was 9 p.m. We were somewhat confused as to why no one, not even our guide had mentioned this to us when we visited the corpus several days before. Sure enough, stepping onto the base and reaching up, I felt the oil. I was overjoyed. I began to say a prayer and to rub the oil on my ankles and calves which were very swollen and red and purple blotched from what two nurses in our group said was "cellulitis." There were knots under the worst of the blotches. My two friends began to bless themselves with the oil also. At about 9:15 we remembered about trying to make it to Podbrdo for the 10 p.m. apparition, but we did not know our way in the dark from that site. We caught sight of an Italian group being led somewhere by a monk, so we decided to follow them hoping they would lead us where we wanted to go. This monk must have known an extremely quick shortcut because by 9:45 p.m. we found ourselves at the top of Apparition Hill not far from the metal crucifix. Nothing short of a miracle considering the number of pilgrims there for the 20th anniversary! After sitting down to await the Blessed Mother's visit, I became aware that my legs were no longer hurting, though the knots, swelling and blotches were still there.
I had been told to be sure to see a doctor when I arrived back home, but upon waking the day after my return I discovered that not only were the knots gone, so were the blotches or any hint of their having been there. Thank you, Lord!
P.S. I learned this morning after our Lay Carmelite mass, that another member of our group and her aunt had seen and touched the oil the morning of June 25.
Wishing you peace and sending you prayers,
Gwen Burguieres
Lake Charles, Louisiana
Michael,
I thought I'd share this with you...
I was on pilgrimage June 23-29 in Medjugorje and was one of the witness of
the fluid flowing from the risen Jesus' sculpture wound. From my first night
there, during adoration, I was drawn to the sculpture. That night, as the
tour buses idled in the parking lot nearby, I told Jesus I was sorry he (his
sculpture) was ignored by so many and the air around him fouled by diesel
fumes. I went there several times a day and from June 25 (or perhaps the
26th) noticed an occasional person reaching up to touch Jesus' wound. On the
morning of the 27th, Wednesday, I hiked Mt. Krizevac and after the sun rose,
I came down the mountain and found my way to the sculpture via the cemetery.
I was ecstatic to be alone with Jesus. It was about 7a.m. and I finally
looked closely at the wound and saw the droplets. I realized then that that
was what other pilgrims had been touching (at least as early as the 26th). I
spread them over my face..... and thanked God for what was or maybe was not
a little miracle. I wasn't bowled over with certainty....since there may be
another explanation than supernatural. Later that day I tasted the droplets.
I found no taste....(I had expected them to be salty!)
I, too, wondered about condensation. I was not particularly humid that week.
Nor was there any rain.....
I found it interesting that the crowds soon were flocking to the sculpture.
When I told people about it on the 27th, none had even noticed the
out-of-the-way sculpture. When I made my 5:30 a.m. rounds of the parish
grounds, sculpture, etc. before leaving on the 29th, I again had the Jesus
sculpture to myself. It sounds like that soon changed.....
(By the way, Michael, I interviewed you several years ago for a story I did
while at the Associated Press. I now work for The Salt Lake Tribune. I'm
working on a story about Medj for the religion section.)
Kristen Moulton-Cilwick
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OK
Dear Michael,
It is with great interest that I read about the liquid oozing from the
statue of the Risen Christ in Medjugorje. I wish to state that the statue
was oozing a fluid down the right leg on March 10, 2001. I was there in
Medjugorje this past March. Before I went, a young man here in Illinois
asked me to bring him back a stone from the ground there by the Risen Christ
statue. I promised him I would. On Saturday, March 10, 2001, the first
full day of my pilgrimage, I went to the statue in the late evening. I
knelt down at the right side of the statue and prayed. After awhile I
looked up at the statue, and as I did so I noticed a liquid slowly coming
down the side of the calf of Our Lord's leg. I was immediately in awe. I
touched the liquid and I believe I blessed myself on the forehead with it.
I tried to discern what it was and where it was coming from. It was clear
and did not appear to be oily, but more of a water substance. I looked up
the statue and noticed a spot from which it appeared to be slowly dripping
from. As I knelt there in awe and thought, I was not able to discern why
this fluid was there. So, to be level headed, I ended up dismissing what I
was witnessing as something of natural occurrence from moisture somewhere on
the statue, and this is how I left it until I have read of this occurrence
being observed now by others.
So I just wished to inform you that the statue was oozing a clear liquid
substance on the right leg on March 10, 2001.
In the peace of Christ,
Mary Ann,
Burr Ridge, Ilinois