Day 5: Mariology 101, Cenacolo, Blue Crosses, and More

Day five started early and quietly. I woke up early and prayed the Office nearby Fr. Slavko's grave. The morning air was cool, the birds just beginning their song. I keep thinking of all the prayers that have been whispered here by pilgrims and priests over the years. It was beautiful to pray the psalms with Fr. Slavko.

After breakfast, we went to Mass at St. James Church, and, as always, it was overflowing—people standing in the aisles, filling every corner, a sea of pilgrims gathered around the altar of peace. The priest’s homily was remarkable, a true jewel of Mariology built around four words that sum up Mary’s entire life: Fiat, Magnificat, Conservabat, and Stabat. HERE is the homily

The priest’s homily was built around four Latin words that capture the whole life of the Blessed Virgin Mary—her faith, her love, and her steadfast discipleship. Each word comes straight from Scripture and reveals a stage of her journey with God:

• Fiat – “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38):  Mary’s “yes” to God — What You want, I want. This is where holiness begins: in surrender.

• Magnificat – “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” (Luke 1:46–47):  The joyful song that flows from her surrender. True faith always breaks into praise.

• Conservabat – “Mary treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart.” (Luke 2:19): She didn’t just react to God’s mysteries—she received them deeply, quietly, reflectively.

• Stabat – “Standing by the cross of Jesus was his mother.” (John 19:25): When others fled, she stood firm—faithful in love even in suffering.

The priest said that if we live these four words—Fiat, Magnificat, Conservabat, Stabat—we will live the very life of Mary.

After Mass, our group gathered for a photo by the statue of Our Lady outside the church. The square buzzed with joy—pilgrims from all over the world snapping pictures, exchanging stories, asking for blessings. So many people came up for a prayer or a blessing; it felt as if grace itself was passing hand to hand through the crowd. Click for a nicer version:

After lunch, we made our way to the Blue Crosses, the two blue-painted metal crosses at the foot of Apparition Hill. They mark sacred ground—places of prayer where the early apparitions often took place secretly during the communist years. When soldiers forbade gatherings on the hill, villagers would come here under cover of night, candles flickering, praying the rosary as the visionaries knelt before Our Lady. Even today, it’s a place of quiet miracles, a threshold between heaven and earth. We prayed there, each of us leaving unspoken petitions in Our Lady’s care.

From there, we visited the Cenacolo Community, founded by Mother Elvira Petrozzi in 1983. She began with nothing but faith, opening a house for young men addicted, broken, or lost, and trusting God to supply the rest. Her words still ring: “Where there is life, there is hope,” and, “If you are breathing, God still has a plan for you.”

In this Cenaccolo, there are 45 men from over 20 countries, made new with peace and strength. Two shared their testimonies. One from Lebanon said, “I knew in my head that I needed to change, but not in my heart—until I came here.” He spoke of his story and how grace broke in. He noted that the guys here carry the sick up Cross Mountain! Amazing. The other, from Colombia, spoke about their life together: how they pray 2,000 Hail Marys a day, kneel side by side before Jesus, and how everything flows from prayer here. “When we have a problem,” he said, “we go face to face. We speak truth, we forgive, we start again.” Their discipline, their brotherhood, their joy—these are fruits of authentic conversion. Watching them, you realize they have found what the world can’t give: peace, new life, and a breaking of a bad cycle that can only be born of prayer.  Cenacolo has become a living monastery for modern times, a testimony that God still transforms hearts through simplicity, work, and love.

After this, we went to the home of Vicka Ivanković, one of the original visionaries. The house is small and ordinary, but inside the room of the apparitions, the air feels charged with grace. On the wall hangs a photograph of the rosary that Our Lady gave her. She said, "It is my gift to you because you pray a lot!"

Draga shared again her insights into the mysteries of Medjugorje. She explained that when the visionaries experience an apparition, they are surrounded by light—earthly things vanish—and when the vision ends, they see a cross, a sun, and a heart. These are the signs of Christ’s victory: sacrifice, glory, and love. Then Draga smiled and told us a story: once Vicka asked Our Lady, “How are you so beautiful?” And Our Lady replied, “Because I love.” Draga added, “We can be beautiful too—if we love.” 

One of the sweetest moments of the day came when we had the chance to visit Vicka’s mother. What a gracious, gentle woman—her eyes full of light, her smile radiating the same warmth her daughter is known for. She welcomed us as if we were family and gave Fr. Jack and me rosaries! As we were leaving, one of the women in our group stumbled on the uneven ground and began to fall hard. I saw it happen in an instant, helpless to stop it—but suddenly, from the opposite direction, Fr. Cassian appeared, almost out of nowhere. He knew both her and me from years ago, and by God’s providence, he reached her just in time, steadying her before she hit the ground. She would have been badly hurt. It was one of those unmistakable “Medjugorje moments”—a quiet miracle of timing, grace, and protection. These are the kinds of things that happen here, where heaven always seems one step ahead of us.

That evening, the church filled again for rosary, Mass, confessions, Adoration. Fr. Jack and I took our places, and once again the lines were long. People came with tears, burdens, and gratitude, and one by one, grace restored them. Hearing confessions here feels like standing under a waterfall of mercy.

Afterward, we gathered for dinner, sharing laughter and stories.  As I walked back under the stars, I thought again of the morning: Fiat, Magnificat, Conservabat, Stabat. Mary’s whole life in four words. They are also the path for us pilgrims—the yes, the praise, the pondering, the standing firm at the Cross. And as Mother Elvira said, “If you are breathing, God still has a plan for you.” Here in Medjugorje, you can almost hear that plan unfolding—like the heartbeat of the Mother who loves us all.