10/3/13

The Miracle Healing of My Son


Fr. Svet

 
    The Miracle Healing of My Son
By Loretta Broughal
 
   My son, Peter, was born on June 25, 1985. When he was about five months old, I noticed a growth under his tongue. I took him to the pediatrician and was promptly sent to a pediatric mouth surgeon. The doctor said he would need surgery if it continued to grow. His tongue would be raised to the roof of his mouth with­out surgery. The doctor also said if the growth happened to break, he was to go to the emergency room immediately, as it contained poison.
   At this time a friend of mine, Kay, asked me to attend our parish's Sodality of Our Lady meeting. That night the guest speaker was Joan O'Neil (a friend of Penny Abbruzzese, Editor of Mary’s Mantle). Joan began to tell us a story about her daughter. Kim had met a priest while traveling to Europe after her college graduation during the summer of 1982. Kim did not know, when they started talking, that he was a priest. He was going back to his homeland from his assignment at Saints Cyril and Methodius Church in New York City. The priest was Father Svetozar Kralejevic [Fr. Svet].
  Father Svet and Kim talked throughout the whole plane ride and toward the end of their flight, she mentioned her mom was very religious. He gave her a rosary from his pocket for her mom. Father spoke to Kim about the happenings in Medjugorje and gave her his address.
   Joan spoke of how she wrote to Father Svet and thanked him for the rosary, and continued her witness. Within nine months of Kim's journey, in April, 1983, Kim was diagnosed with Stage Four Hodgkin's disease. Joan wrote to Father Svet, asking for prayers through the intercession of Our Lady in Medjugorje. At this time, Kim, being 21 years old, and an adult, was cutting out of her chemotherapy treatments which were supposed to be for a year to eighteen months. Joan and her husband were desperate.
   Around Thanksgiving of that same year, 1983, Joan said she received a small package in the mail wrapped in brown paper. It turned out to be a simple light blue turtleneck shirt that Father Svet had the Sisters in Medjugorje purchase for Kim. Father asked Joan, in the letter within the package, to have Kim put the shirt on in blessing. He wrote that Our Lady had touched the shirt during the time of Her apparition. Initially Kim rejected the idea, but gave into her mother's heartfelt plea to at least wear the shirt for the next CAT scan. She did, and Kim was, and still is to this day, totally free of any cancer.
   As Joan was telling her story, you could hear a pin drop in the cafe­teria which was filled to capacity. Joan was very gracious and hum­ble and passed the blessed shirt around the cafeteria for all of us to see and touch. When the shirt came to me, my friend Kay said, "Touch it, and when you go home, put your finger in Peter's mouth." When I arrived home, I picked up the baby, put my fin­ger in his mouth, and said a Hail Mary.
   Several days later, I came home from work and noticed the growth was gone in the baby's mouth. I asked my mom, who was watch­ing Peter, if it had broken and she said, ”No.” I was totally confused and couldn't understand how it just disappeared. That evening I called Kay to share the wonderful news with her. Kay said to me, "Did you put your finger in his mouth as I suggested during the Sodality meeting?" At that, I realized what had truly happened!
    My mother had a great devotion and love for Mary. She taught my brothers and me so much about the Blessed Mother and to always turn to Her in a time of need. I knew in my heart of hearts that it was a miracle for my son. There was no doubt! The next day I called the doctor. He said that medically, he had no expla­nation why the growth was gone.
   I had read that the Blessed Mother in Medjugorje said She wanted Her feast day to be celebrated on June 25th, and She was to be called the Queen of Peace. June 25th is my son's birthday!
   Over the years, many friends have gone to Medjugorje, and I just yearned to go. They brought me back pictures, rosaries, and rocks from Apparition Hill. I always knew in my heart one day I would get there. Penny used to say to me, ”When it is your time, you will go!”
 I didn't think it would take me 28 years to get there; but then again, I didn't know if I would ever get there!
In our April church bulletin, I saw that Penny advertised trips to Medjugorje in July and September of this year [2013]. I felt this jolt in me that said, ”This is my time.” I couldn't get it out of my mind. My daughter is having her first baby in October, so I felt September may not be good for me, but July was perfect.
   On July 14, 2013, my friend Kathy and I set off for our pilgrim­age. We both had no idea what to expect, and it didn't matter. All we knew was that we were going to a village where the Blessed Mother has been appearing for 32 years.
   During my week in Medjugorje I experienced many feelings of joy within, and more love than you can imagine for Mary and Her Son. There were so many experiences that happened during our pil­grimage that I'm still thinking, remembering, and reflecting on them. One blessed experience, in particular, I have to share.
   On July 17th our little group was invited to attend an apparition in the visionary Ivan's house. We were all very excited and felt very privileged to be asked to attend. I couldn't stop thinking: I will be in a room where the Blessed Mother will be appearing. Is that pos­sible? That was the furthest thing from my mind when I set out on the trip. I was so grateful and happy that I was bursting with joy! When we arrived at Ivan's house, he told us what pew to sit in. I was in the third pew along with Penny on the right side. We began to say the Rosary at 6:00 p.m. sharp and at 6:40 Ivan knelt down, and looked straight up as if he was looking toward Heaven. Where I was sitting, I could see the side of his face, and his mouth was moving although no sound came out. I could also see that he was smiling. Mary's presence was felt in the entire room.
   At some point during the apparition, I was getting a distinct scent of roses although there were no roses visible in the room. After the apparition I asked Penny and the other people in our group if they smelled the roses. No one else did! Fr. Justin, who traveled with us and was our spiritual advisor, told me I was given a gift. Another gift from Mary!
                                                                                               Mary’s Mantle, Summer
Source of this article   http://www.spiritofmedjugorje.org/
              

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