I met my youngest brother for lunch last week and he gave me a lift home. I asked him if he'd mind if I took out my knitting. His 3yr old and 4yr old daughters asked me what my knitting was going to be. I told them I was knitting a scarf and would they like one. When I asked what colour they both said in unison PINK. I bought some Peter Pan Cupcake yarn and I'm going to knit it while on holidays with them in the Isle of Man. It might encourage them later on to want to learn if they see the process.

I went for a stroll in the Botanical gardens today. The weather was very changeable but sometimes I think the colours of flowers show up much better in the damp weather. The squirrels were out in force. I remember visiting the gardens in my youth and we'd see the odd red squirrel, but the ones we saw today were all grey sqquirells.

Today we went to Vilnius Old Town to the Gates of Dawn (Ostra Brama) for Mass at the Shrine of Our Lady Mother of Divine Mercy. Apparently this image came alive to St Faustina and told that her Divine Mercy mission would be to prepare the world for Christ's Final coming. What a privilege to have Mass there. That’s all I seem to be thinking this week – what a privilege!!

It was a tiny area and most of had to stand. The Altar is tiny but still the Mass was concelebrated by Our Spiritual Director, the Rector of the Seminary and another.

After mass we had the rest of the day to ourselves to shop if we wanted to. The coach was to be in Cathedral Square at 3pm and 6pm. The group leader suggested the married men might like to return at 3pm!! I headed to the wool shop and bought some sock yarn and lace weight yarn. The lace weight yarn is almost identical to yarn I bought two years ago in Poland. I think I must like the colour. I joined up with my parents and we went for a nice leisurely lunch and then we headed to the shops. Neither my mother nor I are big shoppers, but on holiday we like to browse. We went into one shop which was also a workshop. They had loads of carvings. I thought there was a sign asking for two litas (Lithuanian currency) I asked the owner if I needed to pay to take photos. He said “it is no matter; My house is your house”. I did take some photos and left a donation. What a nice man.

We enjoyed browsing in the shops, and we actually bought very little. It’s not often I get a chance to spend that sort of leisurely time with my parents, it was a great ending to our trip away,

Stations

Our written itinery told us that we would have Mass that morning in the Seminary Chapel but we got a lovely surprise when we were told that the coach was collecting us to bring us into Vilnius Old Town. It was a beautiful morning. And we walked from Cathedral Square to the Divine Mercy Shrine. It was lovely to sit there during Mass and see the original Image of Divine Mercy look down at us. The Gospel today told of the lady whose faith saved her after she touched Our Lord’s cloak and was saved of her haemorrhaging and Jairus’s daughter who had died and was brought back. Fr spoke of her and Lazarus and said that although they were wonderful miracles how much more wonderful was the Miracle of someone with a mortal sin going to confession and being absolved. A person with a mortal sin is spiritually dead but being absolved of his sin he is spiritually alive. After all Lazarus had to die again, - food for thought. After Mass we had a little time to relax or go wandering. This was my uncle's fourth time on this Pilgrimage and he is great at remembering places so we opted to go wandering. We visited the Dominican church next to the Divine Mercy Shrine. The Holy spirit church – a beautiful ornate church. It is interesting that the ornate churches have such beauty and so also has the simplicity of the Divine Mercy Shrine.

After lunch in the Seminary we went to the local church. This church is a Dominican church and has a relic of the Holy Cross. The Priest came out and gave us all a blessing with the relic. We then headed into the wood for the Stations of the Cross. The Stations there are known as Verkiai Kalvary. They have 35 Stations; however we were just going to do the 14 Stations we normally do. When we set off the sun was spitting the stones, but we could hear the thunder in the distance slowly started to rain until a thunder storm came. We had to abandon the Stations at the seventh Station, and complete them ourselves in the Seminary. A few people decided to go back out to complete them outside and I was going to join them, but was persuaded not to, as the weather was still bad. It was just as well. I went into the Chapel and completed them there, and it was really my own personal stations. My favourite station is Simon helping carry the cross. I pray for all my Simons – all the people who have helped me in times of distress. Later on after dinner we had Exposition. A great way of unwinding.

Our Lady of Siluva and the Hill of crosses

long day today. We had a lot of travelling today. We went to Siluva – the site of the first known apparition of Our Lady in Europe. The rock she sat on now has an altar on it and a church built around it. It was such a privilege to be able to touch it. When I touched it I prayed to Our Lady and asked her to look after my boys. We then went to the Basilica and saw the Miraculous Icon. Many people have had good health after praying in front of it and in thanksgiving they donated silver medals and other precious metals. This was then used as the gilding decorating the Icon – gifts from ordinary people – not the wealthy. In a little chapel off the main church was a wooded statue which was carved from the tree which was growing next to the apparition rock.

Last year was the 400th Anniversary of Apparition. I was taken with the fact that the area is still so rural, a few houses, the Basilica, the Apparition chapel, John Paul pastoral centre and a small shop, - a real rural shop, supermarket and hardware etc. all rolled into one. I’d love to be able to spend more time here.

After lunch we headed to the Hill of crosses. After uprisings in 1831 and 1863 rebels were secretly buried there and crosses were erected there. In early 20th century there were about a hundred crosses there. During the Soviet era the authorities tried to destroy them but each time more crosses were erected. Apparently at one stage they bulldozed the area to flatten it but still the people came back at night and replaced the crosses. There were restrictions and no cars could come near the place so the people walked. We walked up the steps to the top of the hill. It was amazing to see the amount of different crosses. Big crosses, small crosses, plain crosses, elaborate crosses, crosses on crosses. Rosaries on crosses. I had planned to bring a cross from home but I forgot, so I was going to buy some but my Mother had a number of crosses she had brought back from my late Aunt’s home after she died last Holy Thursday. Very appropriate Aunty Mairéad prayed so much for us all. I took five of the crosses and left them on the hill and prayed especially for my four sons and their Dad. I also prayed for many others but as always they are the main focus of my prayers.
I was really taken with a statue of Our Lady covered in Rosaries. It’s like a shawl around her. From the Hill of crosses we walked to the Franciscan Monastery for Mass. Behind the altar is a window overlooking the Hill of Crosses.
It was a three hour journey back to the seminary. I tried my best to follow the journey by the map until I fell asleep, between praying, knitting, and map reading I was exhausted!!

Brothers of Merciful Jesus

Today we visit the brothers of Merciful Jesus. This order was founded only a few years ago. A young man from Argentina was visiting Medjugorje on Pilgrimage and felt called by Our Lady to become a priest. He approached an Italian Priest, Fr Igor. And a while later in Italy he felt Our Lord wanted him to Join the Community of Merciful Jesus but it hadn’t been founded yet. He spoke to Fr Igor about it, He was very resistant to it at first, but he eventually agreed that this was what Our Lord wanted. This young man is now a priest in the order and they will have another priest next year. They have a few brothers and there are approximately 40 young men interested in joining.
After we arrived the brothers led us in Procession to St Stephens’s church which was an old very badly ruined church. During the Soviet era it was used as a cement factory. Fr. Igor told us that is was a symbol of evil. Hatred of God and materialism has desecrated the church. But good is overcoming evil and very very slowly the church is being restored.
We had a reconciliation service. Young Fr Julian gave a very good talk. One thing he said was that whether it was a good priest or a bad priest it is through Jesus we are forgiven.
We were all given a piece of paper to write down our sins. We then put them in a special fire as a sign of God’s love for us. When we confess and receive forgiveness our sin is gone. We went to a priest to confess. It was the best confession I ever made. Fr asked me questions that made me realise some things that might have kept me on the Rocky road. I thank the Holy Spirit for leading me to that priest for confession. The brothers sang hymns while the service was on.
When everyone had got confession we went with the brothers to the community house for Holy Mass. It was a tiny chapel and the crowd had to be accommodated in two rooms. In his homily Fr Igor spoke of how in Our Lord’s time there were lepers and despite the fact that they outcasts they were loved by God. In today’s world some people are like lepers on the inside although they may be beautiful on the outside, but God loves them and looks forward to their transforming. He is a Just merciful God.

After Mass we had lunch outside. It was raining a little so Fr Igor suggested we say five Hail Mary’s in order that the rain would ease. Thank God our prayers were answered. After lunch we were brought by the coach to the house which was the convent St Faustina lived in while she was in Vilnius. This is where Our Lord came to her and gave her the Chaplet. I bought her Diary and will make an attempt to read it. We recited the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. What a privilege to be able to recite it next to the room where Jesus gave it to the world.

Rehabilitaion Project in Panara

We went to the new Divine Mercy Project in Panara – two hours south of Vilnius, near the border to Belarus. When we visited it last year I wondered where we were so I brought a map with me this time and one of the brothers in the community marked it on my map for me. Thank you! It is run by Fr Valarius and Pilnu Nama Bendruomene (Full House Community) which celebrated its tenth anniversary this year. The brothers of Full House look after alcoholics and Drug addicts. They couldn’t find a place they were welcome in until they found this abandoned land in the middle of the forest. They can only grow herbs so with great difficulty they try to make a living. We were brought on a tour of the camp. We saw some women working in the fields. The brother told us that they were picking berries for us; sure enough we later got the most delicious strawberries to eat.
The people here live in the most simple of conditions. The rooms they live in are so dark and basic, but they area outside is beautiful. There are some wonderful sculptures to be seen. The brother told me that one of the men there had bad legs, but he has “golden hands” – and he does all these sculptures, a bee on a hive, a rose, a snail, roses, a face and many more. He also paints icons, which the brother told me I could see later in the chapel.
The chapel is also very basic and we sat under an awning outside the chapel for Holy Mass. Before Mass I went in to the chapel to have a look rat the icons. They were truly beautiful.
Fr Valarius was the chief celebrant. I think the mass was said in Lithuanian and Latin with a smidgeon of English. One of the young nuns form Vilnius had travelled with us and she translated whenever necessary. For his homily Fr. Valerius asked for any of us that experienced miracles to proclaim them. The one that touched me most was a man who told us that for the first thirty year of his life did not believe in God and hated people who did. When he was thirty he had to undergo a heart operation and before the op he suddenly thought “What if there is a God” his operation was a success. That was nineteen years ago and for seventeen of those years he has been getting to know Jesus day by day.
After Mass we had a healing ceremony. Fr. Valerius told us that anyone who recognised Jesus at the time of death would be saved, no matter what sort of life went before. Even addicts who have been cured and return to addiction will be saved if they turn to God in their despair. The Mercy of God is so wonderful.
Fr. Valerius laid his hands on us all, individually. When he finished praying over me he lifted my face and looked into my eyes with a most wonderful smile. Love and serenity radiates from his face. The brothers in the community also have a serenity and happiness and seem content in their work.
Fr. Valerius told us that a few months ago he was told he only had a few months to live as a result of cancer, but he has been given the all clear. Praise the Lord!!