In 1961, in the remote mountain village of Garabandal, Spain, Mary, the Mother of God, appeared to 4 little girls. She kissed medals and holy objects and said: "Through this kiss, My Son Jesus will perform miracles." After this event, several medals were made available for the world to use. They were blessed in the church and touched to the original medals that the Blessed Virgin Mary kissed.
With such holy medals, in September,
2002, Michael and Helen Rozeluk visited Ukraine. This husband and wife
team was blessed for this journey by the then - Bishop of the Ukrainian
Catholic Eparchy of Toronto, Bishop Cornelius Pasichnyj. Later, in Ukraine,
the Rozeluks were blessed by Bishop Sofronius Mudry, Bishop of the Eparchy
of Ivano-Frankivsk.
Even though they are Canadians,
the Rozeluks inherited from their parents a great love for their fatherland,
Ukraine, and this great love brought them on a special mission to Ukraine.
During this 13-day mission, they took part in healing services in many
churches and prayed over many ill people and children. I had the good fortune
to be an eyewitness of many miraculous healings. When I expressed my amazement
and awe, Helen Rozeluk humbly remarked: "Bohdan, we only hold the medals.
It is Jesus Christ Himself who performs the miracles and healings."
It is these events that I wish
to describe in this documentary video, which was filmed on the last day
of the Rozeluks' mission in the city of Ivano-Frankivsk. Unfortunately
this is but a very small droplet in the sea of countless miracles which
I witnessed with my own eyes.
Videotaped in the church bell tower
in the village of Radcha, just outside Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine towards
the end of their mission. These are but a few of the many people who came
to give witness to their healing during this mission. (Fr. Kasko, the village
pastor, is seen praying over people in this room using a medal from Garabandal
with Mother Mary's kiss that he received from the Rozeluks.The rosary is
being recited by those present.)
BACKGROUND MUSIC: the cathedral choir of Ivano-Frankivsk,
singing a hymn to the Mother of God, composed by Bohdan Shyptur.)
Fr. Zenovy Kasko: "That which has happened
in these few days here, in this village, in this chapel of ours, is very
hard to explain. It cannot be submitted to logic. All I can say is to repeat
the words of Elizabeth, who said to the Blessed Virgin Mary: 'And whence
is this to me that the Mother of my Lord has come to me?' Strange and wonderful
things are being revealed to us by the Blessed Virgin and wonderful things
are happening here through Her intercession. I hold in my hand this medal
from Garabandal: the kiss of the Blessed Virgin Mary for sinful people.
A kiss that with great and immense power performs miracles! These children,
these people gathered here have felt this kiss upon them and were healed."
(People praying with Helen and Michael over a little boy.)
FIRST TESTIMONY: My name is Lesia Boryn.
I am 30 years old. Since childhood I have suffered from epilepsy. The doctors
have told me that this is an incurable illness. I was at the healing service
and the Mother of God helped me and I feel wonderful now. I suffered 2
to 3 epileptic attacks per week and that has all disappeared. I will always
turn to the Mother of God for help. (Full testimony on web site: http://www.ourlady.ca).
NEXT TESTIMONY: Olexandra Bortnyk: "A
few years ago, the doctors gave me a very hard diagnosis (cancer). The
disease is progressing and it is incurable. Lately, I have found it very
difficult to walk without help from others. After the first healing service,
in the village of Radcha, after Dr. Michael prayed for me, and placed the
medal on me, I fell to the floor so gently, as though I were on clouds.
I felt his prayer in my soul. To the healing service, I walked up the stairs
of the bell tower with the help of Luba Shyptur. Coming back from there,
I was able to walk down the stairs by myself, without anyone's help. Believe
me, on the third day of Michael and Helen's prayers over me, I felt such
a spiritual uplifting and physical healing that I was even able to go to
the food market by myself. I came with great faith that all will be well
in my future. I understand that one must arrive at this through penance
and prayer."
THIRD TESTIMONY: "I am 57 years old. My name
is Marta Tsutsiak. For years I have suffered with leg pains. My
legs hurt so much that I couldn't walk. Even when I was carrying a bucket
of water, I could barely take one tiny step at a time. And after my healing,
I didn't even notice when I could walk with no trouble at all."
(Video footage of praying over girl).
HELEN ROZELUK: All of this began
in 1961, when the Mother of God, began appearing to four little girls in
Garabandal, Spain. These apparitions lasted four years. During these apparitions,
the Mother of God delivered two main Messages for the world, which I will
read because this is the basis of all Her apparitions. The first Message
was given on October 18, 1961: (see back of Holy card for Messages - type
out onto screen). And the second Message was given four years later, June
18, 1965: (GARABANDAL MESSAGES on SCREEN.)
This is the basis of all that happened
in Garabandal and later with us. During these apparitions, the Blessed
Mother stressed very emphatically the importance ofpraying for priests,
daily rosary, frequent confessions, daily Holy Communion, wearing the scapular,
but, most importantly, to lead a good Christian life. Only in this way
can we avoid God's punishment upon the world. When Our Lady appeared with
the baby Jesus, the girls played with the child by giving Him pebbles.
Mother Mary took these pebbles and kissed them, but said that She would
rather kiss blessed objects. The people responded by bringing their rosaries,
medals, icons, prayer books. Mother Mary kissed them and then they were
returned to their rightful owners. And She promised that through Her kiss,
Her Son would perform miracles. And this has come true and continues to
happen to this day. It is through such a medal kissed by Her, that my husband
Michael was healed in a miraculous way on Easter Sunday,1994.
(Video footage of artist painting icon).
DR. MICHAEL ROZELUK: My name is Michael
Rozeluk. I was healed by God through the intercession of the Mother of
God, in 1994. Unexpectedly, because I did not go to Garabandal so that
God would heal me, I went there to pray for my deceased mother. That was
the first pilgrimage of my life. I will never forget it. There things happened
which I can never forget. There I learned to pray the rosary, to go to
church every day, to go to confession - a true confession - every month,
just as the Mother of God had asked. And, in time, we have come here to
Ukraine, and we have met with people who did not know about God, did not
believe, and something has happened to them. We see that Ukraine, which
from the earliest of times was consecrated to the Mother of God, and there
were tough times, but the Mother of God did not forget Ukraine. She is
everywhere. And She is here now. Sometimes we need an additional fire.
Maybe we are those small instruments that are to fan that fire even more.
And this fire has started in the village of Radcha. This is not coincidental.
This is all God's will. Why did the children come first and were healed
first?
GIRL HEALED IN EYE: I could not see in one
eye from my childhood. Now I can see and I want to thank the Mother of
God for healing me.
BOY: I could not lift my arm (the arm was paralyzed
in one position). And now I can!
FATHER WITH CHILD (Mr. Romanovich): "I was
overjoyed when I heard that a son was born to me. But when I saw that he
was crippled and an invalid, I understood that this is a trial from God."
MOTHER SPEAKS: (Mrs. Romanovich): "Our son
is named Serhiy. He is one year and four months old. He has a class III
leg deformity. Until now, he could only crawl. When we came here, when
our turn came, we came up to Dr. Michael who was near the door, Dr. Michael
took him in his arms, prayed for him and told us that our son would walk
within a week by himself. The next day, the child started to walk 2 or
3 steps by himself. And then yesterday he started to walk, completely fearlessly,
as you see him here. We thank them very much, Dr. Michael and Helen for
coming here to Ukraine, that the Will of God led us to them, for the fact
that through their prayers our son was healed by this medal kissed by Our
Lady."
OLD WOMAN RUN OVER BY WAGON: "I was in a major
catastrophe. My spine was broken in two places and my neck was broken in
two places. I was run over by a hay wagon 12 years ago. I lay in a hospital
for a long time. I prayed to God and to the Mother of God. And God helped
me but, even so, when the weather changed or if it was cold, I would have
terrible back pain and neck pain. It would bend me over and it felt as
if some great load was on my back, pushing me down. When these people came,
I really wanted to come up to them. But this was not meant to be. I waited
in line. I prayed the rosary, but never got to see them. I only kissed
the medal that Father Zenovy had in his hand. I went home and was devastated.
I cried, asking myself why I could not kiss their medal. But Fr. Zenovy
later told me that the Mother of God is good and She will help you. I believed
those words that truly She could help. The first day I did not feel any
improvement. Only after six days, on Saturday, I woke up and felt no pain,
head, neck and back all fine, as if someone had lifted all this pain from
me. I prayed. I worked all day. The weather changed and it rained and I
had no pain. On Sunday morning I went to church, I stood for the whole
Holy Mass, I went to Holy Communion and had no pain whatsoever. I felt
healthy spiritually and physically. First of all, I thank Our Lord God,
the Mother of God, and the Rozeluks, and you also, Bohdan Shyptur for bringing
these people to Ukraine."
NEXT HEALING: FROM BLINDNESS: "My eyesight
began to deteriorate at about 30 years of age. But in the last 2 months
it became much worse so that I literally could not see a person half a
meter in front of me. After the healing service, I felt a hot wave come
over me. I was covered with perspiration. I saw people. I saw eyes. I can
see people now to a distance of one meter. I see you very well. I also
suffered with a bad heart. After the healing service my heart is very good
for I was able to be present at the entire Holy Liturgy without using my
medication while beforehand I could not stand it, I used to have to walk
out for some fresh air. I am very grateful to the Mother of God, to Our
Lord and to these people who came here."
Fr ZENOVY KASKO (pastor): "But, of all
these healings, what affected me the most was the embrace of a little boy.
A little boy from a small village near here, for we did not have time to
ask people where they are from or who they are. They came, they longed
for that kiss and we gave them the opportunity to kiss the medal. That
child, after Helen Rozeluk prayed for him and said that his paralyzed arm
was now fully good and functional, I went up to him, lifted him up and
he wrapped that arm around my neck, a total stranger to him. He held me
very tightly with that arm, a very strong grip for a child. All that was
left for me to do was to kneel with him in front of the tabernacle and,
together with him, thank Jesus."
YOUNG WOMAN: After my baby was born, something
happened to my spine. For four months I have been had severe pain in my
spine. I knew nothing about these people, I had not heard about them and
then my sister called me and said that such-and-such people have come.
Why don't you go, maybe it will help you. After I came up to Michael Rozeluk,
he placed the medal on my forehead and asked me my name. Then he touched
the medal to my spine and I felt tremendous heat all over my back. Then
he began to pray. I have never heard a prayer like that before. I saw no
one around me; I only heard his voice. And then after five minutes, he
asked, "Are you still in pain?" I stood there and realized that nothing
was hurting at all. The people surrounded us and also began to pray. I
began to sob, because all my pain was gone. I began thanking him and kissing
his hands and he stopped me, saying, "Don't thank me, thank God. You believed
that you would be healed and it has happened. I could not believe it until
I came home and I sat there and prayed, thanking God for the fact that
I was now free of pain. I tell my relatives but they don't believe that
such a thing can happen.
HELEN ROZELUK: May God Bless you and
Mother Mary guide you all. She will never leave you because you are Hers
from time immemorial, ever since Prince Yaroslav the Wise consecrated his
kingdom to Her care after his victory over the Pechenegs, when, in thanksgiving,
he built the Cathedral of St. Sophia and consecrated his entire kingdom
to the Mother of God, from that time on She is here and does not forget
you. And although all the forces of evil have attempted to annihilate,
to destroy this country, Ukraine has remained faithful to the Mother of
God. She will carry you through. You will become an example to the entire
world of the great graces that God can bring about if we simply entrust
ourselves to His Mother. Never forget this.
(Cathedral choir choir sings. Service and prayers
for healing in village church in Radcha.) Video ends.
see also: Stories: What a Gift Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3
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