Fruits of Medjugorje
Testimonies of Priests and Religious
Fr. Daniel Reehil
A Wall Street Banker who became a Catholic Priest
Enjoying the lifestyle of a successful banker on Wall Street, Daniel was renting a house in Amalfi, Italy for the summer. When a friend expressed a desire to visit Medjugorje, a place of Our Lady’s apparitions just across the Adriatic Sea, Daniel decided to accompany her. Despite the privileges and luxuries of his job, Daniel had, over the years, become very unhappy. He had started having nightmares which ultimately lead to months long insomnia. After a full nights sleep in Medjugorje Daniel woke up with a tremendous sense of goodness. He says the word peace is not enough to describe the feeling he had. That day he sought out a preist who would hear his confession after 20 years way from the Catholic Church. In this Fruits of Medjugorje video, Fr Daniel gives his testimony of conversion and his journey to priesthood.
Msgr Robert Panke
My vocation is a fruit of Medjugorje
Robert’s parents came to Medjugorje in the late 80s. Because of the many graces they received here they decided to, over time, bring each of their seven children to Medjugorje. After college Robert moved to Chicago and slowly began drifting away from his Catholic upbringing. Realising this, Robert’s parents invited him to a hiking trip in Switzerland. However first they were going to spend a few days in Medjugorje. While on Apparition hill, Robert had a strong experience of grace. Listen to his testimony for the Fruits of Medjugorje series to learn how that pilgrimage changed his life and lead him to priesthood.
Fr Leon Pereira
I date my conversion to the day I first heard about Medjugorje
In his testimony for the Fruits of Medjugorje series, Fr Leon Pereira said that he dates his conversion to the 19th of November 1988, when he first heard about Medjugorje. During his first pilgrimage to Medjugorje a seed of a vocation was sown in his heart, however it wasn’t until he finished medical school that he decided to join the Dominican order. Fr Leon has been a chaplain for the English speaking pilgrims in Medjugorje since 2015. Listen to his testimony to find out how the messages of the Queen of Peace have changed his life.
Fr Shaun Doherty
My vocation is a fruit of Medjugorje
Fr. Shaun worked on Highland radio in Donegal, Ireland for nearly thirty years. However a moment came in his life when he felt like he needed a change. He decided to make his first pilgrimage to Medjugorje. During that first pilgrimage, Fr Shaun says that he believed Our Lady planted a seed in his life. Fr Shaun was ordained in 2023. Listen to his testimony for the Fruits of Medjugorje series to learn more about his journey to priesthood.
Fr Ruairi O Domhnaill
We have to be a praying church, that is the message of Medjugorje
Fr Ruairi first came to Medjugorje when he was 16. That trip turned his life upside down or, as he likes to say, right side up. In Medjugorje he experience a real, tangible, living God. In the latest Fruits of Medjugorje video, fr Ruairi shares the story of his vocation to priesthood which he received in Medjugorje.
Fr. Andrew Grace
How a rebellious young man became a priest
Coming from a big Catholic family, Andrew earned a nickname Bible amongst his friends. Not wanting to be known as goody two shoes, in his youth he began to rebel against his Catholic upbringing. Alcohol, drugs and parties took over his life. During this time, thirteen of his friends passed away from drug related causes. His parents, who had made a trip Medjugorje began to live Our Ladies messages and started to pray that their children may return to the church some day. In his testimony for the Fruits of Medjugorje series, fr Andrew tells the story of how Medjugorje changed his life and how a rebellious young man became a priest.
Sr. Benedikta Nina Krapić
A testimony of conversion and a call to religious life
Nina had a very promising career in journalism and theater. A few years ago, her colleagues from the radio station invited her to join their weekend pilgrimage to Medjugorje. Not really knowing what pilgrimages are, she accepted their invitation reluctantly. Since her career was already on the fast track, in Medjugorje she decided to pray for the gift of motherhood. In her testimony S. Benedikta Nina speaks of the restlessness which descended upon her during that first pilgrimage to Medjugorje and did not subside until she entered the chapel of the Sisters of Charity.
Fr. Francis Ching
Our Lady is Here! I felt it right away!
After attending a talk by Wayne Weible in the 1990s, Fr Fancis began devouring literature and any materials on Medjugorje that he could get his hands on. Our Lady’s messages entered his life at a time when he was struggling with perfectionism and a debilitating desire to earn God’s mercy. Though reading the messages from Medjugorje, Fr Francis experienced what he calls his second conversion. In his testimony for the Fruits of Medjugorje series, Fr Francis tells the story of how his first pilgrimage to Medjugorje changed his life and guided him in his discernment of a vocation to priesthood.
Fr. Mark Beard
A life well lived
Fr. Mark Beard passed away in a car accident on August 2, 2023. In his testimony for the Fruits of Medjugorje series, Fr. Mark shared the story of his life and his journey to priesthood. After university, Fr. Mark started working for the family business Beard Engineering and United Industries which deals with manufacturing and engineering wastewater equipment. While their business grew rapidly, Fr. Mark’s parents, both devout Catholics, saw that their son was going astray. At the insistence of his father, Fr. Mark came to Medjugorje, a village in the southwest of Bosnia and Herzegovina, where Our Lady has been appearing since 1981. Fr. Beard shared with us how that pilgrimage and his first encounters with visionaries Vicka and Ivanka changed his life.
To learn more about Fr. Beards legacy go to www.ourladyofhopems.com
Fr. Cristophe Brunet
A sudden certainty of a call to priesthood
Fr Christophe was raised in a Catholic family however, when he started 6th grade, he told his father that due to many school obligations he could no longer attend mass. Surrounded with parties, drugs and alcohol he began to wonder about the meaning of life. Feeling like his life had no purpose he became depressed. At that time his parents made a pilgrimage to Medjugorje where they prayed for their son. While his parents were still on a pilgrimage, Fr Christophe felt a sudden desire to go to mass. In his testimony for the Fruits of Medjugorje series, Fr Christophe says that Our Lady’s messages began changing his life before he ever visited Medjugorje. Eventually, in 2005, he made his first pilgrimage to the small village in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a place of Our Lady’s apparitions. Listen to his testimony to find out how that pilgrimage changed his life and how Our Lady’s intercession lead him to Jesus and his vocation to priesthood.
Check out his YouTube Chanel: @mundelendoki-poetryslam
Rev Michael Grzesik
Story of Conversion and a Vocation to Priesthood
Though he grew up in a Catholic family, Michael fell away from the church as soon as he moved out of his parents home. He dropped out of college and started travelling across the USA in search of something. Eventually he ended up living in a tent in Hawaii. Michael’s mother, who always kept track of his whereabouts, one spring gave him a book by Wayne Weible about Medjugorje. Upon reading that book, Michael slowly started coming back to the church and in 1993, when he visiting his girlfriend in Paris, he decided to visit Medjugorje as well. Rev Michael tells the story of his conversion and a journey to priesthood which began in Medjugorje.
