2024 Weible Columns Pilgrimage to Medjugorje!
October 16 - 24: from $2,749
With Fr. Mark Harris
Our Lady invites each and everyone of us to a closer relationship with her Son, Jesus. A pilgrimage to Medjugorje gives us an incredible opportunity to meet Mary and Her Son is a very special and holy way. Many graces are poured out upon us while Medjugorje, deepening our faith and prayer life. Join us for a wonderful time of love, laughter and sharing and come home renewed in your faith. Pilgrims have often described Medjugorje as “a taste of Heaven on Earth”. In Medjugorje, when one takes time to pray and be still, it allows God to work in our hearts in an indescribable way. I hope you can join us for what will be an incredible week!
Your Medjugorje Pilgrimage Includes:
- Round-trip airfare from New York (or your local airport)
- Airport Taxes & Fuel Surcharges
- 7 nights in a modern Pansion/Hotel with private baths
- Transfers as per itinerary
- Breakfast and Dinner daily
- Wine with dinners
- Transportation by air-conditioned motor coach
- Assistance of a professional local guide throughout
- Catholic priest with group
- Sightseeing and admissions fees as per itinerary
- Mass daily & Spiritual activities
- Visit to Community Cenacolo
- Meeting with visionaries (Pending availability)
- Luggage handling (1 piece per person)
- Flight bag & portfolio of all travel documents
Not included: Lunches, Tips to your guide & driver and Items of a personal nature.
Itinerary
Day 1: Mon, Oct. 16: Depart for Medjugorje
Make your way to your local airport, where you will board your overnight flight. Your meals will be served on board.
Day 2: Tue, Oct. 17: Arrive Medjugorje
Upon arrival in Europe, change gates to board your short con-nection flight to either: Dubrovnik, Split, or Sarajevo airport. Up-on arrival, collect your luggage in the baggage claim area, and continue to the arrival's hall, where you will be greeted by a tour guide and/or driver, who will take you on the 2.5 hour drive to the village of Medjugorje. Enjoy dinner before retiring for the evening.
Days 3 - 8: Wed - Mon, Oct. 18 - 23: Experiencing Medjugorje
The most beautiful features of Medjugorje are its simplicity and peace. While in Medjugorje, you will have the opportunity to deepen your faith and share in the spiritual journey of pilgrims from all over the world. A local guide will accompany your group throughout your stay in the village.
Some activities that will accompany you in your spiritual journey:
Attend Daily Mass: Each morning at 10:00 AM, your group will assemble at St. James Church for Holy Mass (English-Speaking). At the end of each Mass, regardless of language, there is a blessing of religious articles for pilgrims.
Climb Apparition Hill:This mountainous hill is where the visionaries first encountered Our Lady. At the base of this hill is a Blue Cross where Our Lady appeared to the children while they hid from the communist police in the early days of the apparitions. Mirjana also had public apparitions at this holy site on the second of every month. While climbing to the top of Apparition Hill, pilgrims are invited to recite the Rosary, pausing five times to pray each decade of the Rosary in front of huge bronze reliefs depicting each mystery. At the top of the hill, there is a statue of Our Lady in the exact location of her first apparition. Enjoy private time for prayer in this holy place.
Climb Mt. Krizevac (Cross Mountain):In 1933, the Medjugorje villagers built a 30-foot high cross atop the mountain to commemorate Jesus' passion and death on the cross. You will have the opportunity to climb this mountain and venerate that very cross. While climbing, pilgrims pray the Stations of the Cross to meditate on Jesus' suffering, pausing fourteen times for each station at the huge bronze reliefs. Take private time at the top of the mountain in front of the cross, for prayer in this holy place.
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament:Our Lady has always called us to be close to her Son. In response to her call, pilgrims will have the opportunity to adore the Blessed Sacrament at the altar outside of St. James Church. Adoration is on Tuesdays and Saturdays; Veneration of the Cross is on Fridays inside the church. Additionally, there is an Adoration Chapel on the grounds of St. James Church, where Adoration is held in the afternoon hours. Eucharistic Adoration is one of the most mem-orable experiences in Medjugorje. God's grace is so tangible, one feels as though they can reach out and touch the Holy Spirit. During the service, the outside altar is surrounded by sev-eral thousand pilgrims and locals, as everyone rests in deep prayer.
Meetings with the Visionaries:Pending their availability, your guide will arrange meetings with the visionaries at their homes.
Visit the Community of Cenacolo:Pilgrims will have the oppor-tunity to visit the Community of Cenacolo, founded by Sr. Elvira Petrozzi, for young men and women who have taken the wrong path and are on the road to recovery. You will be able to listen to their inspirational testimonies about their journeys back to Jesus Christ.
Prayer at the Statue of the Risen Christ:The bronze statue of the Risen Christ, located on the grounds of St. James Church. This statue miraculously seeps droplets of water out of Christ's right knee. Many pilgrims sit and pray on the benches surround-ing this statue.
Visit to Tihaljina:Just 20 miles from Medjugorje, you will visit the Immaculate Conception Parish Church, which contains the Our Lady of Grace statue so many pilgrims associate with Me-djugorje. Here you will have a private mass for your group and time for prayer.
Visit to Siroki Brijeg:Only 18 miles from Medjugorje, you will go to Siroki Brijeg after visiting Tihajlina. Here you will visit the Fran-ciscan friary of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is where on the February 7th, 1945, thirty Franciscan friars were executed for refusing to renounce their faith. Fr Jozo Zovko, the parish priest who was in Medjugorje when the apparitions be-gan, was stationed here as guardian for many years and received thousands of pilgrims at this church.
Day 9: Tue, Oct. 24: Medjugorje - USA
After an early breakfast and heartfelt farewells, you will leave by motor coach for Dubrovnik, Split or Sarajevo Airport for your return flight(s) home.
Contact Weible Columns office with questions:
Toll free: 1-877-896-6061
Email: info@weiblecolumns.org
Contact 206 Tours to book or for more details:
Telephone: 1-800-206-8687
Email: sandra@206tours.com
(Be specific - YOU WANT TO BOOK "WEIBLE PILGRIMAGE TO MEDJUGORJE")
CLICK HERE to register for the "Weible Pilgrimage to Medjugorje"
Medjugorje visionary, Vicka!
Medjugorje visionary, Mirjana!
Contact Information
Contact our office for details:
Toll free: 1-877-896-6061
Email: info@weiblecolumns.org
Contact 206 Tours to book or for more details:
Telephone: 1-800-206-8687
Email sandra@206tours.com
(BE SPECIFIC - YOU WANT TO BOOK "WEIBLE PILGRIMAGE TO MEDJUGORJE")
CLICK HERE to register for the "Weible Pilgrimage to Medjugorje"
Virtual Pilgrimage to Medjugorje by 206 Tours!
Click here to order and view!
REFLECTION ON OUR 2022 PILGRIMAGE
WHAT A BLESSED WEEK IN MEDJUGORJE!
Our pilgrimage to Medjugorje was, without a doubt, one of the most grace-filled weeks we have had on pilgrimage. It all began in Atlanta Airport! Fr. Dan Reehil, pastor of St. Catherine of Sienna Catholic Church, Columbia, Tennessee, who had his own conversion in Medjugorje, was joining the pilgrimage as spiritual director. He, Julie Link - one of our pilgrims and I traveled together, one day earlier than the group, transiting through Atlanta and Amsterdam and onto Split.
Fr. Dan mentioned that since we were traveling on a Saturday night, we would have to have Holy Mass en-route to Medjugorje. Well from Fr. Dan’s lips to my ears… I immediately telephoned Atlanta Airport and arranged for Fr. Dan to celebrate Mass in the interfaith chapel in Atlanta Airport, International Terminal F.
We arrived at the chapel at 8:00pm on a Saturday night and met with Fr. Kevin Peek, Catholic pastor of the chapel. Fr. Kevin described to us how he had built a tabernacle for the chapel and was preparing for its arrival. It would be placed behind a large glass window in the side room of the chapel, with a kneeler in front of the glass. We were thrilled to hear that Jesus would be present in the BlessMd Sacrament 24-hours a day, right there in the airport. After our chat with Fr. Kevin, we had a beautiful Mass with a few additional passengers joining us, and then it was on to Medjugorje.
Our first morning with the pilgrims started on November 1st with an orientation meeting on the grounds of St. James Church. It was All Saints Day, which is a public holiday both in Croatia and in Bosnia Herzegovina, where Croats are the majority. The following day, All Soul’s Day, is traditionally celebrated by visiting the graveyards of loved ones, laying flowers and lighting candles. Holy Mass is celebrated in every catholic graveyard either on All Saint’s Day or All Soul’s Day. It was a treat to witness such love and respect for the dead.
The next morning, we climbed Apparition Hill as a group, praying the rosary together at each station. In the evening, we went to St. James Church in the center of town for Eucharistic Adoration. As we walked towards the church we could see people from all directions heading towards the church. By the time we arrived behind St. James there were thousands of people sitting in silence waiting for the service to begin. Once it started, you could almost touch the grace that filled the air. The Holy Spirit was so powerful, the presence of God so apparent; it was like a cloud hovering over the altar and the huge congregation. This is always one of the highlights of the pilgrimage. All the pilgrims had a similar experience and when we returned to our hotel, spirits were high. I went to bed, thinking, “this pilgrimage can’t get any better!” but the graces kept coming...
We climbed Cross Mountain in the morning. It was a deeply spiritual time for each person to carry their own cross up the mountain along with Jesus, and then leave it behind at the top.
Our group had several special blessings during the week. Not only did Fr. Dan have the privilege of celebrating Holy Mass twice at St. James Church during our week, with our group doing the readings but we also had two remarkable singers in our group. Camille and Gretchen from the Annie Moses Band, Columbia, Tennessee led the music twice at St. James Church and for all our private masses. Both girls are incredible singers and I have to say, I felt very lucky to have them in our choir back here in Tennessee as well! God is good.
Our week was also filled with a visit to Community Cenacolo, the drug rehab community and a visit to Tihaljina to see the statue of Our Lady of Grace. We had daily mass, two additional evenings of Eucharistic Adoration and an evening of Veneration of the Cross. On this particular pilgrimage we fitted in a visit to Mostar, celebrating Holy Mass in the main sanctuary of the Church of St. Peter and Paul. This is perhaps the most amazing church I had been inside. The church has a huge dome-like ceiling… in the picture; you can see the size of Fr. Dan behind the altar. He is just a speck in comparison to the height of the church. After Mass, we had a walking tour of Mostar old town and the bridge.
Slavenka, our guide, worked diligently all-day, everyday and long into the evenings to make this pilgrimage an incredible experience for each pilgrim. I cannot imagine a pilgrimage without her, thank you, Slavenka.
No pilgrimage to Medjugorje would be complete without mentioning Viktors restaurant! With its new location overlooking St. James Church, it is a great place to take a break and some nourishment between activities. Great sharing, bonding, love and laughter took place at Viktors during this pilgrimage.
Lastly I have to mention our pilgrims. They were wonderful! Each pilgrim had a story of what had brought him or her on this journey to this miraculous village on the other side of the world. Each pilgrim added something special to the group. Thank you for being such amazing grace-filled people.
God bless you all and hope to see you on next year’s pilgrimage!
Judith Weible
Pilgrim Reflections:
I learned recently that the Hebrew word for “true prophesy” is “naba” which means “to bubble up.” Immediately I was reminded of Medjugorje, of the continuous “bubbling up” I felt while I was there, and even now when I remember it. Peace and happiness overflowing in a desire to sing and run and laugh. I felt that the sky and the earth, the rocks and the trees were shimmering with joy too.
The village itself is charmingly simple, there is no pomp or grandeur to overwhelm the imagination. It is the internal peace that overwhelms you. The Queen of Peace looks upon you from the heavens, the bells ring as she touches earth to speak to us every day. You feel that you are a feather on the breath of God, imbued with the Holy Spirit and seeped in the Divine Will, whether you are in a “chance” conversation or a good Confession, walking through the woods or sitting before Jesus in the Tabernacle. The prayers that I brought there were answered, the crosses I carried lightened. God met me.
I am reminded of one of my very favorite psalms: “Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other. Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky.” - Psalm 85:10-12 Medjugorje seems to be, to me, our Holy and Loving Mother’s foreshadowing of Heaven.
-- Camille
Hello! I wanted to take a moment to thank you both for adding me so late for the trip to Medjugorje. I feel very blessed to have gotten to have the experience with the tour group and obtain the many graces bestowed on our group! I’m learning that by dropping things and trusting truly opens opportunities that otherwise would not have occurred.
Experiencing Medjugorje is spiritual, it has renewed and deepened my faith. To experience an entire village and pilgrims on a faith journey is incredible. My heart has been opened and I could feel old wounds healed. I’m emotional when I think about it. When we rushed to witness the apparition, even though we missed it, as we approached I felt chills and sensed Her presence. After reflecting, I realize how healing wounds of our past opens our hearts to allow God to work in our lives.
When I returned home and went to Mass I almost ran to receive communion it was such a joyful experience. Then I realized what we were told it would be difficult returning. I felt that very strongly. I combated that feeling by listening to Fr Dan on the radio, and by praying the prayers as requested, fasting and reflecting. Doing this brought me out of that negative vibe and I started to feel the peace we felt in Medjugorje.
I just read the article from “Agnostic to Believer” which touched my heart - that’s what Medjugorje is all about. In Our Lady’s message, she says, “do not lose hope in a change of the human heart”. I will keep this message close to me as I try to speak to my family.
I am spreading the word and hope to return next year God willing. God Bless you! Thank you!
Take care, Sharon