Through The Cross To Light

     This weekend I was asked by a few parishioners if they should attend an upcoming meeting with Mr. Ivan Dragicevic in St. Charles on March 18th, where he claims an apparition of the Blessed Mother will take place. While I have my own personal views on Medjugorje, I am certainly not a mariologist and I am not an expert in the claimed Medjugorje apparitions, but I feel the need to fraternally remind all of us that in October of 2013, the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States wrote a letter to the USCCB on behalf of the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith informing the Bishops that “clerics and the faithful are not permitted to participate in meetings, conferences, or public celebrations during which the credibility of such “apparitions” would be taken for granted.”[1] To the best of my knowledge and research, no additional instructions have come from the CDF, the Nuncio, the USCCB, or from Archbishop Carlson on this matter so I encouraged you not to attend. As faithful Catholics we must witness obedience to Holy Mother Church by our actions. I encourage you to use prudence, regardless of your personal views of Medjugorje, to ensure your actions respect the request of Holy Mother Church. If I have missed an official statement to the contrary of the statement referenced above, I would be grateful if someone would kindly pass that statement on to me. [1] Letter PN 3980 from the Apostolic Nunciature, United States of America.)

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Update: On March 3rd, 2015 the following email was sent to the Priests and Deacons of the Archdiocese of St. Louis from the Archbishop of St. Louis

I have received a request from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to remind everyone that they are not to participate in events that promote the so-called visionaries of Medjugorje and in particular Mr. Ivan Dragičević. Please make this information available to the Lay Faithful.There was an event scheduled for March 18th which has now been cancelled. No other such events should be scheduled. If you have any questions, please contact the Office of the Archbishop. Thank you for your assistance.”