This has been shared with Ursula, our diocesan representative for spirituality. Brenda has given permission for this to be published.
Dear Ursula,
During my 91 years I have become aware that I have a “guardian angel’ or The Holy Spirit who can put helpful thoughts into my head ! At school I got called “oracle” as I was sometimes able to solve friends' problems! While just 17 I felt was ‘told’ that among the large group of my friends it was Patrick I would marry though it was 4 months before we first “dated”. 4 years later I suddenly knew I needed to become a Roman Catholic. Both these inspirations I can still totally recall and three years ago I was able to actually pin point the place I was standing in 1955 when I knew I needed to become RC - from a photo I found in October 1983 on Google of the Ealing Basilica - I was C of E educated by anti catholic teachers friends and parents - Patrick was educated at “St. Edmund’s Ware”. Ancient Catholic boarding school.
In 1983 I found myself knowing I “needed” to go to Medjugorje. I had read a Sunday Times magazine article about it being a place of prayer. my nephew was very unwell with cystic fibrosis - my widowed mother and I would go for tours of churches to pray for him
Three times during school holidays my husband and I tried to get to Medjugorje but as it was a very strict Communist regime it was scary and difficult to access but we succeeded in April 1986 for just 2/3 days. We lodged where I was led to go. That evening we saw Krisvac mountain Cross brightly illuminated. Next morning we went to St James’ church and saw the room where the 6 visionaries had visits from Our Lady. There was a large wooden cross in that room and I wept by that cross as in my imagination MY son was being crucified!
We had seen Krisvac mountain top cross highly illuminated over the “poverty stricken “ village so we climbed the rugged path to find there was no method of illumination! I had a note on which I’d set out Peter’s problems and prayed at the cross. I popped the note into a crack in the cross.
I found a smooth pathway down the mountain which Patrick couldn’t follow - this smooth easy pathway took me to a field where a shepherdess was tending her sheep and spinning their wool. We were able to converse in sign language. Locals say there is not a smooth pathway down the mountain! I walked it with ease but Patrick could not find it!
We went to confession and the priest was able to read my soul!
That was our two-day visit where I had prayed for Peter my nephew and which then became almost forgotten until 2006. 20 years later my 7 year old great niece had been diagnosed with leukaemia and she needed my prayers so we joined a pilgrimage group from a neighbouring parish. On the first morning Mirianna, a visionary, was due an apparition at 9 am so we attended and I sat under the shelter of a leafy tree on a wall outside as the building was crowded. I was praying for Katrina at 9am and suddenly a wind hit the leaves of the tree above me and dew fell onto my head and at that moment I suddenly BELIEVED. I had retained my childhood attitude of (frankly) disbelief in the virginity of Mary! I had made that clear to a group of nuns in our pilgrimage party on the previous evening - at 9 am on that June morning I suddenly was converted!
I felt so ashamed of myself and spent much of the week in tears and from that day I started to learn to pray the rosary. From that day when I had never said a rosary, I have said or tried to say a rosary and attend a daily mass,. now it is daily a YouTube Mass.
The following year Patrick and I went back to Medjugorje with the same pilgrimage group. On Friday 7th September at 655pm while saying the rosary outside St James church on that very cloudy evening Our Lady suddenly appeared through the cloud standing in the sun! I checked that others were seeing her also and all described exactly what I had seen. She stood looking down at the crowded church which the sudden appearance of the sun which had suddenly gleamed thought the high windows onto the congregation which friends told me at just after 7pm when they came out. Rosary is said daily in St James’ during our Lady’s daily apparitions to her visionaries. (7.40- 700pm)
On the morning of 8th September, I said my Rosary on a balcony after breakfast and became aware a special mass was arranged for me?/us? I told Patrick but he insisted on going to St James’ for Our Lady’s birthday Mass. I was concerned I was wrong, but as I walked out of the hotel a group of a separate pilgrimage from Leeds appeared round a corner and a lady with whom I’d been chatting the previous day rushed up to me saying “oh Brenda one of our pilgrimage group, Muriel, died earlier this year and her husband has arranged a special Mass for her please do join us - here is our taxi!” So I was hustled into the taxi and driven to a nearby chapel where a priest I did not know but assume from Leeds said the Mass.
At the elevation of the host at “This is my body which will be given up for you” had a bright white clad figure with extended arms clearly shining on it! I looked for a window through which this could have been sunlight through glass - no window - asking after Mass - no other person in the congregation had seen this figure to me so very clear. The on the following day 8th September Sunday Mass the host was wholemeal so brown and at the elevation a shining egg shape on it as also was the on the earthen wear chalice. I later realised they were finger prints showing the Holy Spirit in the priest’s hands by which the Body of Christ changed the host.
I realised our lady had taught me something I “Thomas like” in my CofE way I had never believed before in “TRANSUBSTANTIATION”.
Those are just some of my Medjugorje miracles.
We went once again in 2009 for the same September week during which no further miracle occurred but, as always when in Medjugorje you feel as if you are in HEAVEN.
There you have a short resume of some of the times the Holy Spirit has entered my life, Ursula. I’ve had other periods of my life - for example Pentecost 1995 when I was given messages to pass to people I had never before met - was taken to heaven - asked God for the return my hearing as I had, at that date been totally without hearing for a full 7 years! I now hear with a cochlear implant from October 1995!
I hope you will agree these are ‘spiritual experiences” so hopefully you are the right person to tell. Fr. Moses our parish priest knows some of these stories!
I became a widow three months ago. Yesterday was our 69th wedding anniversary!
With love,
Brenda.