“Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed” (Jn 20, 29)
Christianne Claessens – the first witness of healing of woman from Switzerland Joelle Beuret – Devanthery in Medjugorje, in October 2010, as she describes the pilgrimage and all of the events.
On Saturday, October 16, 2010, forty six people, mostly from the parish of St. Frances de Sales and St. Therese, began their private pilgrimage to Medjugorje. It was our twentieth private pilgrimage that was taking place at the time when we remembered twentieth anniversary of forming the prayer group of Queen of Peace. For our group, that was a wonderful opportunity to thank the Lord, since Mary took each one of us by our hand, and guided us despite all of the difficulties that we had throughout these last twenty years. Indeed, Satan cannot stand Virgin Mary and he therefore hates all of the prayer groups that she desires to be founded in every single parish. Through God’s grace, we remained faithful and we used to gather every Monday for prayer, meditation of Christ’s life, all accompanied with the messages that Mary gave and is still giving every month in Medjugorje.
We spent two days in the bus praying and introducing ourselves to the events that were taking place in Medjugorje since 1981 up to today. It was Sunday evening, around 8 p.m. when we arrived to Medjugorje. On Monday, October 18, even though it was raining, with great joy in our hearts, we climbed the slippery pathway that leads to the Hill of Apparitions. We were all helping one another. Joelle, completely blind 50 years old woman was amongst pilgrims, together with her daughter Vinciane, as well as their modest and cheerful friend Claudia, who followed Joelle everywhere with such love and gentleness. Joelle was so happy, she seemed as she was floating over rocky pathways.
As she arrived to the site of Apparitions, right under the Statue of Our Lady, she said beautiful prayer full of love and trust to Heavenly Mother. The whole group stayed for around twenty minutes in silence on the Hill, and descended together so they would meet again in the church around 5 p.m. for the evening prayer programme. That is where Joelle felt something strange, she felt as there was a hand choking her, and it was exactly once she had received Holy Communion, she heard some criticising voice telling her: “You wanted to have a child, you got your daughter. You asked for a job, you got one. It is enough now, are you finally going to shut up? When it is cold, you have nice, warm apartment, when you are hungry, you always have something to eat, when it is snows, you always have warm clothes, are you finally going to stop now and forever, it is really enough!” Joelle seemed to be very disturbed and she spoke to Fr. Fabian in that same evening. He told her that it is only God in the host and He wants us only good, and that could not be coming from God. He told her to pray to God, to pray to Him that she is able to fulfil His will. That seemed to calm her down.
On the following day, October 19, we decided to pray the Way of the Cross, all the way to the top of the Cross Mountain. Elderly people and Joelle prayed the Way of the Cross with Fr. Olivier down in the valley, while the rest of the group in light rain, and in steeper and more difficult pathway than the previous day, climbed their way to the top of the mountain. We stopped and prayed before every station, we prayed long and for all of our intentions. Luc suggested to us that we unite ourselves in the prayer with that smaller group of our pilgrims who could not come and climb with us. In a special way that we present this Way of the Cross for Joelle, to pray special graces for her, why not even to pray for healing, for nothing is impossible to our God. It was very intensive Way of the Cross; it was a profound prayer in which we meditated upon Christ’s suffering that he presented for all of our sins. Prayer lasted from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Again, we all met in the church at 5 for evening prayer programme.
That is where the great miracle took place. In the moment when Joelle received Holy Eucharist, she was able to see priest with his white alb. She was all surprised, she looked up and saw lamps, high ceiling of the church, stained glass windows… As if she was thrown out of her black covering, she was not feeling good at all, and she said to Claudia who stood next to her: “Please take me out of here, I am not feeling good.” As they walked out of the church, she said: “I can see the light!” They continued their way to the Sacristy and Fr. Olivier was on his way out, asking them: “What are two of you doing here?” Joelle only replied, saying: “I can see!” He was deeply touched with what happened and suggested to two of them to go back to the church, the third part of the Rosary was just finishing in the church. As people were coming out of the church, we all surrounded Joelle.
Our priest, as a true and genuine sheppard suggested to her to thank the Lord, so they went together towards the steps in front of the main Alter, they knelt down and thanked God for that great gift he had just given to her. That gesture reminded us of the Gospel extract where Jesus healed ten lepers and only one came back to thank Him. Afterwards, we went towards the Statue of Our Lady so we would thank Her as well for Her intercession. At the end, we came back to our pension. Couple of women from Italy and some pilgrims from Plymouth told us that they were behind Joelle as she was receiving Holy Communion and they could all strongly smell the scent of roses radiating from her. Joelle told us how that scent followed her for days and she can still smell it. Vinciane, who was at the Mass, came back to pension in the mean time and did not know anything about the grace her mother had received. We also need to emphasise that Joelle had never seen her daughter since she had been blind for the last forty-two years.
Fr. Olivier, full of joy, ran back to pension and invited all of the people to come down to the lobby because he wants to share good news with them. When Joelle came in, all of the pilgrims were already gathered. Joelle walked in, saw her daughter and told her: “You washed your hair?” Vinciane, without noticing anything different, just said: “I did”, and asked “Why is that that we all had to come down here?” Joelle said: “Can’t you see any change on me?” Vinciane looked again, and said: “No” “Look better”, her mom told her, and Vinciane shouted with joy: “You can see!”
It was really a breathtaking moment. They ran to one another and remained in each other’s arms for about five minutes. Vinciane told us afterwards that she constantly prayed that her mom receives her sight back and she even said to Mary that she is not planning to leave until her mom is able to see again!
What a wonderful faith! Mary hears weeps and cries of her children. The whole group was so happy and praised the Lord and His Mother with their prayer and song. Although it was already around 10 p.m., we all went towards the Blue Cross, together with Joelle, to the place where Our Lady appears regularly to Ivan and Mirjana.
I cannot hide the profound joy we all feel, joy for having received such a precious sign that Mary gave to us for our twentieth anniversary of our prayer group. That is indeed a sign that she gives to us, Our Mother, sign that helps to us to persevere in the future.
Mary is leading us, she is strengthening us, holding us by our hands, she loves us and she wants her messages to be spread through the prayer groups that we are to form. Whenever we go on pilgrimage to Medjugorje, we are going to Mary’s school and through that school she is going to lead us to Her Son Jesus.
“With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Mt 19,26)
