Janice T. Connell - Queen of the Cosmos

Queen of the Cosmos

Jan Connell, an attorney, financial consultant, and founder of several non-profit corporations, is the best-selling author of nine books and a frequent guest on nationally syndicated radio and television programs.

The Visions of the Children
Triumph of the Immaculate Heart
Angel Power
Meetings with Mary
Praying with Mary
Prayer Power
Queen of Angels
Faith of Our Founding Father:
The Spiritual Journey of George Washington

Interviews with the Visionaries of Medjugorje

REVISED EDITION

with a New Afterword by the Author

Jan Connell

The decree of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, A.A.S. 58, 1186 (approved by Pope Paul VI on October 14, 1966) states that the Nihil Obstat and Imprimater are no longer required on publications that deal with private revelations, provided that they contain nothing contrary to faith and morals. The author wishes to manifest her unconditional submission to the final and official judgement of the Magisterium of the Church, regarding the events presently under investigation at Medjugorje.

2012 Seventh Printing

2011 Sixth Printing

2010 Fifth Printing

2008 Fourth Printing

2006 Third Printing

2005 Second Printing

2004 First Printing Revised Edition

Copyright 1990; Revised Edition 2004 by Jan Connell

ISBN 978-1-55725-407-8

Library of Congress Card Number: 90-61665

15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in an electronic retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Published by Paraclete Press
Brewster, Massachusetts
www.paracletepress.com
Printed in the United States of America

In the name of
the Lord Jesus Christ,
this work is dedicated to
the Holy Trinity
and consecrated to
the Eternal Father,
through the inspiration of
the Holy Spirit.

When I first went to Medjugorje, I was filled with skepticism. Why Mary? Why Medjugorje? Was it real? Or the ultimate deception of the Angel of Light at the end of the age? Jesus words to His disciples were much in my mind: A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can an evil tree bring forth good fruit. (Matthew 7:18)

What I found in Medjugorje was a profound, ongoing spiritual awakening, not just in the village but throughout the countryside. And it was spreading all over the world, as pilgrims returned home, determined to live out what they had experienced. In many of the people there, was a sweet humility and a selfless charity. They did not say much; their lives spoke for them.

Recently I heard ecumenism explained: walk in my steps awhile. Suffer a little of what I suffer for what I treasure, and perhaps you will see why I treasure it. I was privileged to spend some time with a few of the Visionaries. I found them to be normal and healthy, handling an extremely stressful assignment with much grace. It is not an assignment that anyone would envy. I also found them to be without guile. The fruit is good.

God is doing an extraordinary thing in Medjugorje. He has sent Mary to these humblest of circumstances, to re-introduce His Son to the world. She is calling usnot just Catholics, all of usto return to Him. Indeed, words like Catholic and Protestant have little meaning, as we kneel at the foot of the Cross. There, we are one.

David Manuel

1
Mirjana

2
Ivanka

3
Vicka

4
Ivan

5
Jacov

6
Marija

7
Father Philip

8
Father Slavko

St. James Church, Medjugorje

Father Faricy is professor of spiritual theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, Italy. An American Jesuit, he is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and a native of Minnesota.

On June 24th, 1981, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to two young girls, Mirjana Dragicevic and Ivanka Ivankovic, as they were walking along the outskirts of the village of Medjugorje near the Adriatic Coast in the mountainous region of Bosnia. Ivanka, noticing first, said to Mirjana, Look whats up there on the hill! They saw a brilliant light and in it a shining figure. Ivanka said, Mirjana could it be the Blessed Mother?

Mirjana waved her hand and said, Come on! You think she would appear to us? And frightened, they ran away.

The next day the two girls returned with several of their friends. Again the shining figure appeared, and began speaking. This time, in addition to the two girls, three other teenagers and a little boy saw her and heard her. She identified herself as the Blessed Mother, and returned to them the following day. To three of the six Visionaries, as they came to be called, she has continued to appear every day.

Since Bosnia, located in then Yugoslavia, was under oppressive Communist rule and officially atheistic in 1981, the Government was furious. People were put in prison, including the first pastor, Fr. Jozo Zovko, O.F.M., because of their loyalty to the apparitions of the Blessed Mother. The six young people were threatened, verbally and physically, by the local police, and the Government did many terrible things. Nevertheless, right from the beginning, those who go to the Medjugorje apparitions experience the power of Gods love coming through the Blessed Virgin Mary.

What is the attitude of the Church toward Medjugorje? The attitude of the pastor of the parish and of the priests there, as well as that of the sisters, has always been positive. All of the theologians whom I know who have any expertise in this area believe in the authenticity of these apparitions. We believe Mary is actually appearing and speaking.

In Rome and elsewhere, it is general knowledge that the Pope is favorable toward the apparitions at Medjugorje. In 1988, he told Bishop Murilo Krieger of Santa Caterina, Brazil: Medjugorje is a great center of spirituality, and he encourages people to go there. When they return home, he urges all, including bishops, to practice whatever they have learned at Medjugorje. He has personally convened a commission of Yugoslavian bishops to investigate the authenticity of the apparitions of Medjugorjethe first time a Pontiff has ever done so. The Bishops Commission has weighed the evidence, and Medjugorje is approved as a shrine, a place of pilgrimage while the apparitions are occurring. That, too, is a first.

Numerous phenomena associated with the apparitions at Medjugorje have been reported. The sick are being healed. People are seeing extraordinary effects in the sun. The metal parts of rosaries are turning gold. We theologians have a certain amount of trouble with such phenomena. Yet I have seen rosaries which have changed color, and I have looked directly at the sun in Medjugorje and have seen it seem to spin and turn different colors. It would be easier to report that it is just hysteria except that I would then have to accuse myself of being hysterical, which I was not and am not. As for the healings, they are numerous, medically documented, and currently under investigation.