Article: Medjugorje viewed from a Romanian perspective as Transylvanians go on pilgrimage

Pilgrims from around the world climb Cross Mountain.  Many of them come from Transylvania

Medjugorje in Bosnia is a place where people believe that thirty years ago in 1981  the Virgin Mary appeared to six young people. Medjugorje is a village situated between the mountains and has became one of the main places of pilgrimage for Christians worldwide.  Catholic  pilgrims  visit  Medjugorje but so also do  Orthodox and  Protestant. Millions of pilgrims annually attend  religious services in several languages and climb  Mount Krizevac.  One thing is certain: their faith has brought prosperity throughout the region.

Medjugorje avoided war
"Medjugorje is a place where you should be ready to go, to feel the faith that directs you  when  you step into this remote place in Bosnia. The Blessed Virgin appears regularly, and Medjugorje has become one of the main attractions of Bosnia, say visitors.  The Medjugorje phenomenon,  brings pilgrims from around the world. The war in  Bosnia did not affect this area, although less than 20 kilometers away  fierce battles were fought.  The Blessed Virgin watched over the village and its surroundings, and  Her messages urge people to  peace and continued faith.   The exhortations of the Virgin Mary-Gospa, as locals call Her- to faith have gone around the world.

Faith without gendarmes

Most pilgrims arrive at the church built in the village-  a simple church, which is often overcrowded. .. At Medjugorje, everything is very well organized:  There are dozens of places where confession is held in several languages..Thousands of pilgrims attend services held outdoors.

.. In September, Medjugorje was taken by storm. Although the temperature was over 35 degrees, the faithful listened  to religious services in several languages. Many Italians, mostly elderly people pray in groups, by reciting the Rosary. A group of young Polish Christians sang songs  with guitar. Hundreds of people are queuing up to confess, but it is extremely well organized, without the need for intervention by the gendarmes or police, who otherwise have no involvement in the church in Medjugorje.

Cross Road, traveled daily by thousands of pilgrims

..The Way of the Cross is made of sharp rocks and some sand for the millions of pilgrims. People of all ages climb Mount Krizevac. Many are barefoot and  say the prayers. Dozens of believers of all nationalities go to the Cross. A Romanian Orthodox family, with preschool children, got quietly, barefoot, on the mountain.

People pray the stations of the Cross.  A  group of dozens of Italians passed  and said out loud "Ave Maria". Children climbed hard, but because they saw their parents go through the route barefoot they take off their shoes and struggle on the rocks. They do not cry but clench their  teeth and go on.  From time to time, the Romanian  father  takes out of a bottle of mineral water . At the same time, another group of pilgrims descends . Two ladies slip but some young people help them not  to fall.  They are Romanian women  probably because they are working in Italy with a group of Italians.  They say thank you in Romanian and encourage the  young people to climb. The road is difficult. A woman  is carrying a baby in her arms. She is crying and....

Elderly, some disabled, others with various  health complaints- everyone wants to go to the Cross though the   temperature  was over 35 degrees. There  was no first aid point, or  water source, only faith and human solidarity.  At one of stops for the Stations of the Cross  three young evangelical, Romanians, sing. They visited Croatia and then  returned from Dubrovnik to Medjugorje.  They came out of curiosity  onto  Cross Road.  A huge group of women sing hymns . They came to  pray  to the  Virgin Mary at  the Cross. Besides, organized groups of Italians pray aloud.

Descending is almost as hard as the ascent, but when it comes to faith, it goes beyond any barriers. Hundreds of pilgrims say the prayers in various languages. Then return to their homes more peaceful and more at peace with themselves.... Medjugorje is the faith that has triumphed.
 (My translation  from a report in the  Romanian newspaper Actualitate)

Miracle of St. Michael: US Marine saved in Korean War

This is the true story of a Marine wounded in Korea in 1950. Writing to his mother, he told her of a fascinating encounter he experienced in the war. Father Walter Muldy, a navy chaplain who spoke to the young Marine and his mother as well as to the outfit commander, always affirmed the veracity of this narrative. We heard it from someone who read the original letter and retell the story here in all its details and in the first person to better convey some of the impact it must have had when first told by the son to his mother.

Dear Mom,

I am writing to you from a hospital bed. Don’t worry, Mom, I am okay. I was wounded, but the doctor says that I will be up in no time.
But that’s not what I have to tell you, Mom. Something happened to me that I don’t dare tell anyone else for fear of their disbelief. But I have to tell you, the one person I can confide in, though even you may find it hard to believe.

You remember the prayer to Saint Michael that you taught me to pray when I was little: “Michael, Michael of the morning,…” Before I left home for Korea, you urged me to remember this prayer before any confrontation with the enemy. But you really didn’t have to remind me, Mom. I have always prayed it, and when I got to Korea, I sometimes said it a couple of times a day while marching or resting.
Continue reading HERE

Medjugorje: Italian Model gives up Chanel for a life of prayer at Medjugorje

Model and TV presenter Ania Golędzinowska tells Paolo Gambi why she left the world of glitzy celebrity for Medjugorje

As Silvio Berlusconi grapples with the greatest crisis the Italian republic has ever seen, a member of his extended family has gone on a long retreat to Medjugorje. Ania Golędzinowska, the Polish girlfriend of Paolo Enrico Beretta, the Italian prime minister’s nephew (he is the son of Silvio Berlusconi’s late sister, Maria Antonietta), has moved to the town in Bosnia and Herzegovina to lead a life of prayer.

How did you end up in Medjugorje?
The first time I was invited by a friend who also paid for the trip. I had a sort of an allergy for priests and the Church. But that first trip changed my life, so much so that for the following two years I was no longer able to live serenely, because I realised that I had never been really happy in my entire life. What I was living was an illusion, not true happiness. I became depressed. I had a privileged life that I no longer liked. Instead, I wanted simple, normal things. One morning I woke up, called a friend and asked him to find me a place to stay in Medjugorje – or I would have jumped out of the window. I left Italy with two bags without telling anyone. And here I am.
Continue reading at CatholicHerald.co.uk

Troy Davis Execution: Time To Abolish the Unchristian Death Penalty

I cannot say whether Troy Davis was innocent or not.  I have no wish to make little of the  murder of police officer, Mark MacPhail.  I know that his family has suffered grievously. My heart goes out to them. However there are grounds to suspect that this conviction was unsafe.  Hundreds of thousands of people have signed petitions on Davis' behalf.
Davis' supporters include former President Jimmy Carter, Pope Benedict XVI, a former FBI director, the NAACP, several conservative figures and many celebrities, including hip-hop star Sean "P. Diddy" Combs.  The support  has bridged the political divide. This is not easily achieved in the US at any time.

It  is also important to consider the fact  that  if Davis is innocent the real murderer is at liberty today and free to kill others. Davis’  plea to the MacPhail family minutes before he died  sends a chill  right through me every time I read it.  “I did not personally kill your son, father, brother. All I can ask is that you look deeper into this case so you really can finally see the truth.”

Capital punishment is legalised barbarism.  It satisfies a blood lust. The Fifth Commandment states that "thou shall not kill". All life is sacred.  It is not for the state to play God. Innocent people mainly from the black community have been executed in the US. Once an innocent person is executed, the wrong cannot be undone. It is much better to err on the safe side and abolish the death penalty. 138 inmates sentenced to death in the USA have been exonerated since 1973 (At end of 2010)

Even if an  individual  commits murder, a death sentence will not bring back the murdered  person. It is much better  to sentence the murderer to life in prison.  Two wrongs will not a right make. For  Christians it cannot be  a case of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.  Christians must forgive if they wish to enter heaven.

Finally it is important to remember that some politicians have used  and continue the death penalty as a vehicle for self- advancement. They are despicable individuals with no conscience.
Their claims to be Christian  ring hollow.

 All life is sacred.  It is Gods gift.   It is time for all Christians to stand up for life in all circumstances

Italy: Apparition to Medjugorje Visionary Marija at Desenzano

Desenzano Cathedral was packed and there was  sweltering heat. Maria was visibly tired  after a tour de force at Tregnago on September 16th where she also had an apparition. There was great participation by the congregation.
After the apparition at Tregnago Marja Pavlovic, who speaks Italian well as her husband is in Monza, turned to the  many sick, crippled and suffering. She invited them to have faith and hope in a miracle: "Not later than two weeks ago, in Medjugorje, a man in a wheelchair for 15 years has stood up and started to walk. In a few days I will be in Latin America, where I  will meet a man who had a serious tumor  that he had  entrusted to  Our Lady at the time of the apparition. The tumour is now  healed. " The idea of ​​bringing  Marija to Tregnago came from Mario Zampedri, city councilor in the town of Val d'Illasi .  He said "We want to pass a message, especially to young people: the true God is not the money. There are many people who are sick and desperate, but they are not alone. "

Among the crowd was Mimma, a 36 year old  from Catania. She said  "As soon as I heard about this meeting, I asked my boyfriend to accompany me, even if he does not believe -  She says - I went over to the faith after some serious problems.  I discovered Medjugorje from television, then I bought several books. There has never been [anybody who went to Medjugorje], but who does not come back changed. "When you go you feel involved in something greater and find comfort," confirms Isabella, a lady from  Soave. (based on a report in  Corriere Del Veneto )

Rugby Union World Cup 2011: Australian Sour grapes from Tim Horan on Irish victory

 According to former Australian Rugby Union great Tim Horan the clever Irish faked their way to victory over Australia last  Saturday. Sadly Tim  is a bad loser unlike most Aussies who graciously accepted defeat. The reality is that Ireland was superior to  Australia on the day and deseved to win..

Clever Irish faked way to victory by Tim Horan

IRELAND had a deliberate plan to fake injuries each time there was a breakdown in play last Saturday, so they could slow the game down and frustrate the Wallabies.

How can I be sure? By talking to Irish assistant coach Alan Gaffney in the dressing rooms afterwards.

If James Horwill was more experienced as a captain, he would have blown up about it to referee Bryce Lawrence and really created a scene - there is no way Richie McCaw would have stayed silent if a team used the same tactics against the All Blacks.
Australia's future opponents will have taken notice of the strategy...Read Tim Horan's article at thetelegraph.com.au

Video and Article: Miracles in Medjugorje

Tucked in the mountains in Bosnia-Herzegovina there's a little village called Medjugorje. And for millions around the world the most important event of our time is happening there.

Believers say the blessed mother revealed herself to six children on a hillside in 1981. She told them that she will appear every day until she shares ten secrets with each of them. They say the secrets are events that will happen on earth in the near future and when she has revealed all the secrets she will stop appearing daily.

Jackie Janson has 14 children, 40 grandchildren and lives in Burlington. She's traveled to Medjugorje three times.

"When the blessed mother appeared to the kids in the church the whole outside lit up too," said Jackie. Read full article at Kypost

Presidential Election Leaflet from Gay Mitchell – Fine Gael -2011 Presidential Election

Video: Could the US and China go to war

Stephen Glain, author of State vs. Defense, believes the U.S. and China are, indeed, on a collision course. "Absent a good faith attempt to negotiate this thicket of disputes between China and Taiwan and the Philippines and Brunei and others, I think it's inevitable," he says. "The Chinese are not going to back down.".. (Yahoo)

2011 Rugby World Cup: Donal Lenihan on Ireland's prospects against Australia tomorrow

Rocky Elsom speaks about the Ireland Australia World Cup game tomorrow

Newfoundland:15 Incredible Iceberg Photographs

Downhome has  chosen what it considers to be the top fifteen photographs of icebergs from a total of eight hundred submitted by readers. The photographs come from the following locations in Newfoundland:

• Twillingate
• Near Exploits Island
• Broad Cove, Conception Bay
• Crow Head, Twillingate, N.L
• Clarke’s Beach
• Tors Cove
• Port Union
• Near  Quidi Vidi
• St. John’s
• Twillingate
• Back Harbour, Twillingate
• Cotrell’s Cove
• Goose Cove near St. Anthony
• Grates Cove
• Cape Charles, Labrador

The photographs may be accessed HERE

A Medjugorje Visit by Mario brings peace

I could not believe my eyes when I arrived in Medjugorje-the prayers of thousands of pilgrims on the street, in every place, the confessions in churches and courtyards in front of the parish of St. James in Medjugorje, an unconditional faith of pilgrims and residents, the association with God. All are  weapons against  evil.


I felt an instant sense of peace that cannot be described. The mind is "free." Anxieties vanished such as fears for temporary employment, health,  universities, the family . I began to look at the future differently.

It was Mary, Queen of Peace, it was the Holy Spirit coming down on all pilgrims, including me, the actual testimony of love after 30 years of apparitions and messages.  This pilgrimage which I  greatly desired was the culmination of a call which came to me about a year before. I met  Marija, one of the six visionaries, after an apparition on 11 / 08/2011.  I felt very emotional  on the most beautiful day of my life.

The  6th to the 13th of  August 2011, was a testimony of true conversion and faith. I finally put my life at the heart of God, His life projects and work. I got rid of the negativity, which I had been breathing for too long. It had distressed me and left me without peace, and made me moody and insecure.

Medjugorje is a place of rebirth, of steadfast faith and prayer, "the hope of humanity", as stated by the "Blessed," Pope John Paul II, a place plagued by Tito's communism and war announced by the tears of Mary, ten years before. It did not succumb to evil, blackmail, threats  and torture perpetrated against religious Christians and ordinary people. About 50 million pilgrims from all over the world have visited it since the Virgin with two beads appeared on the hill of the apparitions of Mount Podbrdo, for the first time on June 24, 1981.

Humanity will change when as Mary says, people "Pray, pray, pray."

Until a few days ago I was also anxious for a role that did not come.  My life plans were slow to be realized. I was 40 years old and had no guarantee of employment in Italy. I could not understand why I had so much bad luck.

Well in Medjugorje you change. There the Virgin embraces us. The thrills of the sultry days of August testify to Her presence. One feels "untouchable”. In Medjugorje, all the pain, anxieties and fears disappear and we become serene.

We are "all equal" the Madonna, says in her messages to the visionaries, and through them the world and this is felt in that holy place where faith shines through in all living beings, where the Madonna is dedicating Herself to humanity.

Medjugorje visit by Alex Giorgetti the best water polo player in the world

The famous Italian water polo player, 24 years old Alex Giorgetti came to Medjugorje. He comes from Savona in Italy, and he is offense player of Pro Recco, as well as the member of men’s Italy National Water Polo Team. They were the champions at the World Championship this year.


Young Alex had meeting first with Fr. Miljenko Šteko, the Head of the Information Office in Medjugorje and gave him the water polo ball signed by all of the players of Italian team. He later shared his life experience with journalist of Radio Station “Mir” Medjugorje. He told us about his conversion that he experienced a year ago when he met Jesus in Mary and is very happy after having completely changed his life.

He lived without prayer and sacraments before his conversion and he said: “Since Italy has not won the World Championship in the last twenty years, I made decision that if we achieve a good result, I would come to Medjugorje and thank Jesus for that. Not that we became the World Championship Winners, but I was awarded as the best player of the Championship. That is why I decided to come and thank Jesus and Our Lady for all of the graces they bestowed upon me. I climbed Apparition Hill and Cross Mountain in my bare feet, and that was such a beautiful experience for me. I feel content and fulfilled and cannot wait to return to Italy so I could witness about the beauty of this place. I arrived here with my twin brother. Before, I never spoke with him; I never told him that I loved him. He never went to church, never prayed and this was the first time here that he went to confession and Holy Mass. I see all of that as fruits of my conversion and I am so happy to see him as joyful as he is, that was never the case in the past. He was not as lucky as I was in my life, because he was born with physical disability and all of that influenced him. Our parents always separated us in everything we were to do. Mother showed more affection to me and I was the one with better clothes, toys, the one who received more candies and sweets throughout the time of our childhood. She could see that I loved sports and that I was talented for water polo and she was always taking me for training practice to swimming pools.

I had perfect life; I was young, pretty looking and successful while my brother was lonely and sad. I was even too selfish to see that. I did not have need to talk to my family because I had everything else in my life: money, girlfriends and successful career. But all of that did not last too long. I ended long relationship that I had with my girlfriend. I loved here sincerely, but she was interested only in money and glory. I rejected invitation from our National Team Coach and I was completely desperate, broke, without family, friends, without girlfriend and career.

I was nearly in the condition of depression. Shortly afterwards, I got to meet pair of twin brothers who shared their story of conversion with me. Their story touched me deeply and I decided to share with them my own problems, my loneliness and my restlessness. I wanted Jesus to heel me, to change my life and give me peace that I was longing for so deeply. That is when changes started to take place in my life. I confessed, started going to Holy Mass, reading Holy Bible and helping to the poor. My life was changed completely. Relations with my family and other people became different, full of meaning, my career was advancing again and I became a new person. It was simply because God turns everything to good.

My family and my friends read about my conversion in newspapers, after I decided to share that with other people and they were truly surprised. The most beautiful thing is when you are able to live the truth and to be what you really are. My new life has just begun and my desire is to meet Jesus more and more with each day. I hope my story will be example to other young people to change their lives and to understand that nothing in their lives makes sense without Jesus.”
Source: © Information Centre "Mir" Medjugorje ( http://www.medjugorje.hr/)

US: Newly Released 9/11 Photographs (Slideshow)

Medjugorje: Documents show how communist government repressed visionaries

New documents have been revealed showing how the communist regime of Yugoslavia tried to suppress the movement behind the apparitions of Medjugorje.


In the book “The Mystery of Medjugorje,” the Croatian journalist Žarko Ivković explains how the government would spy, blackmail, and even threaten Church officials, particularly the Franciscan friar Jozo Zovko, who was the spiritual director of the visionaries.

The journalist Ivković uncovered these documents by researching through the archives of the powerful secret state security service called the SDB.

State authorities considered the apparitions an instrument to be used against the government of Yugoslavia. Evidence shows how the State used wiretapping, blackmail, and created false dossiers against members of the Church and to stop followers of the apparitions.

During this time period, Bishop Zanic was a leading critic of the apparitions and according to the book was influenced by these false documents created by the government.

The documents will now be studied by the Vatican commission assigned to investigate the apparitions of Medjugorje, which was created by Benedict XVI in 2010. Romereports

The Miracle girl, Fr Emil Kapaun and the Rosary

Miracle girl stuns medical experts

In early October 2006 Avery Gerleman, aged 12, scored a goal during a soccer match in Wichita, Kansas. Then she walked to the sideline and vomited blood on the grass.
Rushed to hospital, her condition worsened as an auto-immune disorder ravaged her internal organs, leading eventually to the collapse of her kidneys. In the coming weeks her body got ever smaller and lighter; bells and buzzers on her support machines kept sounding, each alarm perhaps announcing her imminent death.

At one point nurses desperately tried to get the oxygen line to Avery to work as the girl gasped for air. It was her father who spotted that in their haste they had forgotten to plug in the machine.
Meanwhile, her parents and parish were praying for her to Fr Emil Kapaun, a Kansas priest who died in 1951 and is being considered for sainthood. From their emails the Gerlemans knew that people and prayer chains in Italy, England and all over the world were also praying for Avery.

Other parents in the intensive care unit, struggling to help keep their own children alive, were praying. Protestant players on her soccer team were joining with their Catholic teammates to say rosaries for her. Then it was discovered that five weeks after they shut down, Avery’s kidneys had begun to function once again. “This can’t be happening,” her doctor thought. “There is no case like this anywhere in the medical literature.” Finally, getting over her shock, she said to the girl’s parents, “If someone does not know God, introduce them to Avery Gerleman.” On a get-well card she wrote: “You inspire me, Avery.” For 87 days the life and death battle continued. But the doctors began to see small surprise happenings.

On 4 December, after painful physical therapy, Avery stood up, amazing the staff. When doctors scanned her lungs and kidneys, they saw what seemed impossible: no scarring and little tissue damage. And six months after walking out of hospital, Avery was playing competitive soccer again.

Three years later a Vatican official, Andrea Ambrosi, arrived in Wichita to investigate “alleged miracles” attributed to Fr Kapaun. A lawyer by training, Ambrosi had come to see if he could poke holes in the stories.  But the doctors, none of them Catholic, told him they were stunned by Avery’s survival, by her lack of tissue damage, by her apparently complete recovery. They could see no scientific explanation for what happened. Avery herself thinks it was a miracle, but “it seems weird,” she says. “Why would God choose me?” Her parents have told her that perhaps her story is meant to show sceptics about God’s presence and his glory.

Now 17, with one year to go in high school, she says she wants to turn the meaning of her survival into something more tangible. She wants to become a doctor or a nurse, and spend her life helping the sick.

As Sr Breege McKenna says: miracles do happen, and to all of  us. (Source: Anne Nolan-Alive

Medjugorje: Apparition to Mirjana on September 2, 2011

Latest Special Medjugorje Message, September 2, 2011

“Dear children; With all my heart and soul full of faith and love in the Heavenly Father, I gave my Son to you and am giving Him to you anew. My Son has brought you, the people of the entire world, to know the only true God and His love. He has led you on the way of truth and made you brothers and sisters. Therefore, my children, do not wander, do not close your heart before that truth, hope and love. Everything around you is passing and everything is falling apart, only the glory of God remains. Therefore, renounce everything that distances you from the Lord. Adore Him alone, because He is the only true God. I am with you and I will remain with you. I am especially praying for the shepherds that they may be worthy representatives of my Son and may lead you with love on the way of truth. Thank you. ”

Ireland: GAA All-Ireland Senior Hurling Final September 4, 2011-Match Report

Kilkenny 2-17 Tipperary 1-16
Match Report via GAA News
Kilkenny regained the Liam MacCarthy Cup with a performance borne of pure desire, clearly motivated by the pain of having it snatched from their possession by Tipperary 12 months ago.
The coveted trophy returns to Noreside for the fifth time in six years and the 33rd in total, but few of their victories will have felt as sweet as this.

They hurled like their lives depended on it and delivered the perfect answer to the critics who had predicted their demise as the premier hurling force in the country after their five-in-a-row dreams were shattered by Tipperary last year.

Fifteen minutes in, they led by five points to no score and at no point in the game did they really look like losing – not even when Tipperary came thundering back in the final quarter. They sucked the life out of Tipperary in the first half and the champions never really seemed to recover from that early onslaught. Tipperary had scored 15 goals en route to today’s final, but their forwards were denied the oxygen of space and any sort of decent ball for most of the game. The Kilkenny defence was awesome. Tommy Walsh had one of his finest days in a black and amber shirt, dominating Patrick Maher and inspiring those around him with some majestic catches and ferocious tackles.

All of Kilkenny’s big players shone. Henry Shefflin had a barnstorming first half, working himself into the ground and forcing Tipperary manager Declan Ryan to bring on Brendan Maher for the ailing John O’Keeffe after 25 minutes. Michael Fennelly, too, capped a fine season with a typically powerful run and superb finish that helped the Cats to a 1-8 to 0-6 lead at half-time.
Lar Corbett, with 7-9 to his name this season, was held scoreless, Jackie Tyrrell shadowing the Hurler of the Year brilliantly, while Eoin Kelly failed to register a single point from play.

Kilkenny did it without resorting to any major tactical rethink. They simply went man for man and won the individual battles. With Brian Hogan back anchoring the defence from centre-back Kilkenny were far more solid and none of the cracks that appeared in last year’s final resurfaced.

And yet after Kilkenny appeared to have killed the game off with their second goal after 49 minutes, Tipperary reshaped their team and came back to make a game of it in the final quarter. Pa Bourke drove a shot through David Herity’s legs in the 55th minute and it looked like the drama that had been absent to that point was about to unfold in the final quarter. However, three points was as close as Tipperary came to them in the closing stages and Eoin Larkin’s point in added time gave the Cats a four-point cushion in the end.


Kilkenny made the perfect start, Shefflin opening their account in the second minute. However, it could have been so much better had Larkin made the most of a brilliant chance. The Kilkenny full-forward was through on goal, but Michael Cahill saved the day for the champions, robbing him of the ball with a last-ditch tackle. Undeterred, Larkin got out in front of his marker, Paul Curran, and slotted over his first of the day and the second in a sequence of five unanswered Kilkenny points. In the middle of that spree, Kilkenny were denied a second time, as Curran clawed the ball off the line after Larkin and Tipperary goalkeeper Brendan Cummins had clashed under a high ball.

Kilkenny were playing with the greater intensity, winning ball in defence and denying Tipperary space. Richie Hogan, Richie Power and Shefflin all scored points from play as the Cats built a 0-5 to 0-0 lead by the 15th minute. Noel McGrath finally got Tipperary off the mark two minutes later, while two Eoin Kelly frees reduced the gap. However, Tipperary were struggling and manager Ryan decided to make a change in the 25th minute, bringing in Brendan Maher for O’Keeffe in the half-back line.

Tipperary, though, were in even bigger trouble just before half-time when Kilkenny worked a brilliant team goal. Shefflin beat his man to the ball, found Richie Hogan who laid it off quickly to the Michael Fennelly and the Ballyhale man slammed the ball home expertly to help Kilkenny to a 1-8 to 0-6 half-time lead. Nothing had worked for Tipperary in the first half and they made two more changes at the break, as Pa Bourke and Benny Dunne were brought in to see if they could make some difference. Dunne scored immediately after the restart, but Kilkenny answered with three points in a row in a three-minute spell.

Colin Fennelly finished with three points from play in his first All-Ireland final, while Brennan justified his selection with a point and the pass that set up Kilkenny’s second goal. It came on 49 minutes, and it was a sweet move, started - as so much of Kilkenny’s good work did – when they won ball in the half back line. Michael Rice’s clearance found Brennan and the veteran appeared to have taken too much out of the ball, but Richie Hogan controlled his pass expertly and planted his shot in the top corner. Kilkenny were eight points up and seemingly cruising. But it was around the three-quarter marker that their intensity levels inevitably dropped. Shefflin and Brennan were tiring after putting in Trojan shifts and the Cats started turning over ball for the first time.

Tipp’s goal arrived one of the few times Corbett managed to get his hands on the ball. He beat Tyrrell for pace and offloaded to Pa Bourke, who looked to have shot from too far out but the ball went through Herity’s legs. With 15 minutes left, the champions were just four points down and they were finally starting to play. Noel McGrath finished a fine move and Eoin Kelly sent over his sixth placed ball of the day to cut the arrears to just three with six minutes left.

Kilkenny dug deep and called on all their reserves of strength. Walsh, their inspirational wing-back, and JJ Delaney stood out like pillars. Shefflin, too, scored his seventh of the day to help erase the memories of last year. They weren’t about to let it slip. Not now. Kelly and Gearóid Ryan made it a three-point game in added time, but it was Eoin Larkin who secured the Cats’ 33rd title two minutes into added time.

Kilkenny Scorers: H Shefflin 0-7 (0-5f), R Hogan 1-1, M Fennelly 1-0, C Fennelly 0-3, E Larkin 0-2, R Power 0-2, E Brennan 0-1, M Rice 0-1.

Tipperary Scorers: E Kelly 0-8 (0-7f), P Bourke 1-0, N McGrath 0-3 (0-1sl), G Ryan 0-2, C O’Mahony 0-1, B Dunne 0-1, J O’Brien 0-1.
Kilkenny: D Herity, P Murphy, N Hickey, J Tyrrell, T Walsh, B Hogan, JJ Delaney, M Fennelly, M Rice, E Brennan, R Power, H Shefflin, C Fennelly, E Larkin, R Hogan. Subs: TJ Reid for C Fennelly (38-HT), TJ Reid for E Brennan (60), J Mulhall for R Hogan (65).

Tipperary: B Cummins; P Stapleton, P Curran, M Cahill; J O’Keeffe, C O’Mahony, P Maher; G Ryan, S McGrath; S Callanan, N McGrath, P Maher; E Kelly, J O’Brien, L Corbett. Subs: B Maher for J O’Keeffe (25), P Bourke for Callanan (HT), B Dunne for S McGrath (HT), D Young for C O’Mahony (58), J O’Neill for J O’Brien (66).

Referee: Brian Gavin (Offaly)
Attendance: 81, 214
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Purgatory, Hell and Heaven: discussed by Susan Conroy and Johnnette S Benkovic

Sacred Scripture and the teachings of the Church tell us definitively - it is appointed for man to die once, and then the judgment. Indeed, death is not the end, it is but a beginning, a new beginning from anything we have known before. What happens upon death? And where will we go?  In an EWTN programme  accessible here  Susan Conroy and  Johnnette S Benkovic talk about two possibilities  both painful, but one holding the promise of hope.

Heaven is the destiny God has ordained for those who remain faithful to Him unto natural death. What do we know about heaven? What are its characteristics? And how will the souls in heaven spend their eternity?  In another  programme  heaven is discussed here

MARY TV to stream live Ivan's apparition in Vienna’s St. Stephen’s Cathedral on November 17, 2011

November 17, 2011: Medjugorje Visionary Ivan in Vienna’s St. Stephen’s Cathedral

On November 17, 2011 MARY TV will stream live Ivan's apparition and Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn's homily in Vienna’s St. Stephen’s Cathedral during an evening of prayer celebrating thirty years of the Medjugorje apparitions. Nearly half  a million people were present for Ivan and Marija's apparitions through MARY TV's streaming from the Cathedral last September. Milona von Habsburg has again offered to be the translator for MARY TV..

Medjugorje: Priests Dream of Virgin Mary leads to new religious community

In 2004, Father Michael Sevigny [a Capuchin Franciscan for over 40 years]  had just finished leading a group of pilgrims in Medjugorje when he had a dream in which he saw Mary holding a blue scapular -- a long outer garment worn by religious. She said no words, but drew close to the priest and placed the scapular over his head.

"When I got up in the morning, I knew that something distinct had happened internally," he said.
The priest said he returned to America reflecting on the dream and seeking spiritual direction. Later he returned to Medjugorje and shared the dream with Vicka Ivankovic-Mijatovic, one of the six visionaries who have reported receiving regular apparitions of the Virgin Mary at Medjugorje. Ivankovic-Mijatovic agreed to ask Mary about the dream in her next apparition.

Afterward, Ivankovic-Mijatovic gave Father Sevigny the message she said was from Mary, that the dream was significant and that he was to start a new religious institute in the United States focused on adoration and peace.. Read the full story at  PilotCatholicNews.com