Medjugorje: My Lifelong Journey with Our Lady, Queen of Peace

by Penny Abbruzzese

Medjugorje Message to visionary Marija Pavlovic from the Blessed Mother

March 25, 2021

 

Dear children! Also today I am with you to tell you: Little children, who prays, does not fear the future and does not lose hope. You are chosen to carry joy and peace because you are mine. I have come here with the name ‘Queen of Peace’ because the devil wants peacelessness and war, he wants to fill your heart with fear of the future – but the future is God’s. That is why, be humble and pray, and surrender everything into the hands of the Most High Who created you. Thank you for having responded to my call.

TESTIMONIALS

“My friend Penny Abbruzzese has written an engrossing book about what it means to dedicate our lives to the unfolding private revelations at the Medjugorje healing shrine. While many of us believe that Mary is the prophet of our times, few are more dedicated to spreading Mary’s messages than Penny. Her book is truly inspirational, not just for the spiritual information it conveys, but also as a testimony to what one dedicated person can do in their efforts to move mountains.” – Peter Breen, author of Prodigal Pilgrim: Letters to Pope Francis from Lourdes, Fatima, Garabandal and Medjugorje

“In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus said… ‘You are the light of the world!’ In this beautiful memoir, the reader will see how that happens; how Jesus illuminates, elevates, and sanctifies a docile soul open to his transforming love… and how that soul then goes forth as light into the darkness of this world. Penny’s wonderful story gives a powerful witness to our Mother’s fundamental role in this mysterious process in which our Father draws his children into his presence and makes them one with him… as he is one with them.” – Fr. Lawrence Edward Tucker, SOLT Author of The Prayer of Jesus Crucified; Adventures In The Father’s Joy!; To Whom The Heart Decided To Love; The Redemption of San Isidro

“Penny Abbruzzese’s book Medjugorje: My Lifelong Journey with Our Lady, Queen of Peace is a heartfelt tribute to the power of Our Lady’s Love working within a life and heart truly open to Her grace. Penny takes the reader by the hand and travels with them through the joys and heartaches of her own life, all the while showing the ever growing influence of Our Lady’s Love and Teachings, especially as shared with her through Medjugorje. This book will inspire faith and hope in the reader that the power of God and Our Lady’s Motherly care is truly alive and active in each person’s ordinary life.” — Mary Kloska, author of A Heart Frozen in the Wilderness: The Reflections of a Siberian Missionary

“In the 40 years of unprecedented reported daily apparitions of Mary in Medjugorje, Our Lady’s messages, which Penny strives to emulate, has led her to new life in the Holy Spirit as I have witnessed her spiritual growth during the 30 years since we met. Our Lady’s School of Love in Medjugorje takes Penny’s pain and suffering from her brother’s tragic death to peace and confidence in God’s Providence as she shares her journey of faith which I find truly inspiring.” –– Fr. John McFadden, Retired Priest of the Diocese of Scranton, PA

“This is an excellent book of a life transformed by a simple message from Our Lady.  I was inspired by Penny’s courage to travel to an unknown country; the adventure captivated me, but what kept me reading was how that one trip kept bearing fruit in so many unexpected ways!” — Marie Baker- Harrogate, N. Yorkshire, UK

“Penny Abruzzese demonstrates through this book that she is a light shining in the darkness in the shared glow of the light who is Our Lady of Medjugorje!” – Dr. Sebastian Mahfood, OP, author of The Narrative Spirituality of Dante’s Divine Comedy

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Penny Abbruzzese has a strong devotion to Our Blessed Mother and is a religious pilgrims’ coordinator, who made her first pilgrimage to Medjugorje in Bosnia-Herzegovina in March 1984.  Since then, Penny has been to Medjugorje more than 100 times with groups from near and far. In the 37 years since her first pilgrimage, Penny has led tours to holy places such as Fatima, Lourdes, Garabandal and Santiago de Compostela. She has visited shrines in France, Italy, Bavaria, Mexico, Turkey, Greece, Poland, Prague, Vienna and Israel’s Christian holy places.

Working alongside the New York City Croatian Church which is a sister parish to St. James in Medjugorje, Penny sponsored several visionaries and well-known priests from Medjugorje to speak in New York.   As one of the founding officers of a non-profit organization, Our Lady Queen of Peace Prayer Group, Penny published a newsletter, Mary’s Mantle, for 25 years with a readership of over 5,000 subscribers. Mary’s Mantle expounded on Our Lady’s messages, featuring prominent articles about healing – both physical and spiritual – and beautiful testimonies of conversion through Our Lady’s reported apparitions.

Several prayer groups were started by Penny and (always) a priest, along with a small group of friends who had experienced Medjugorje together. Four prayer groups met monthly, meeting from 1986 until 2013 praying for vocations, families, world peace and for an end to abortion of First Friday until March 2020, when the risk of COVID19 discontinued this devotion.

Penny was a guest of Monsignor Tom Hartman’s Rockville Centre Diocese’s Network, Telecare, back in 1987 and the 1990’s sharing about her experience in bringing internationally known close friend and prayer partner, Detective Steven McDonald, to Medjugorje.  Steven became a quadriplegic after being shot in NY’s Central Park back in 1986.

In 2014, Penny co-produced a documentary about the reported apparitions of Medjugorje entitled “God Exists…The Queen of Peace Speaks from Medjugorje.”  Penny’s film was written and produced by Peter Powell, a researcher and cinematographer who had worked on more than 150 media campaigns in the USA and overseas.  Penny’s narrator was Rita Gam, a veteran actress, who was under contract with MGM studios.  Over 3,000 copies of Penny’s documentary have been distributed and are available on Amazon.

Penny’s life took a drastic turn when she was very far away from her faith.  The pain of her younger brother’s suicide brought Penny to her knees.  Her conversion story, Medjugorje…My Lifelong Journey with Our Lady, was inspired by Fr. Svetazor Kraljevic, OFM, in Medjugorje.   In her book, Penny takes the reader from her darkest days of losing her closest friend, through stages of surrender, and finally drawing closer to Jesus by way of Our Lady’s messages from Medjugorje.

Penny has been married to Michael for 50 years.  She is the mother of three children and grandmother of six and currently lives in Lynbrook, NY.

​MARY, OUR BLESSED MOTHER

La Santidad de la Mujer

por Mary Kloska, traducido por Alicia Izaguirre

Hace clic (presiona) para mirar la tienda de regalos de Mary!

Compra una almohada y envía una foto tuya sosteniendola, al correo electrónico mahfood@wcatradio.com, y la publicaré en esta página con tu mensage para Mary.

Entrevistas

Retiro sobre La Santidad de la Mujer

El Corazón del amor crucificado Fiat

TESTIMONIOS

“Agarré este libro, y no lo pude soltar, hasta darle vuelta a la última página… y soy un hombre! Si me cautivo a mí, hasta tal punto, solo puedo maravillarme del extraordinario efecto que tendrá en las mujeres! Este libro es tan singularmente hermoso, que no sería una sorpresa, si con el tiempo, es reconocido como un clásico en la literatura de las mujeres Católicas.  Yo animaría a cada mujer a leer este tratado, y aferrarse a él, para toda su vida… seguir recurriendo a él; y finalmente… dejarlo como una reliquia especial, para alguien a quien ama mucho.” – Lawrence Edward Tucker, SOLT, Autor de La Redención de San Isidro; A Quien el Corazón Decidió Amar; Aventuras en la Alegría del Padre; La Oración de Jesús Crucificado; y el nuevo Álbum/CD de música católica, So Shine by brothersister

“Mary Kloska se encarga de una importante, aunque muy descuidada cuestión: las diferencias reales entre las mujeres y los hombres, con un enfoque sobre el impacto de esas diferencias, en la espiritualidad de las mujeres. La alegría de leer esto, es que en lugar del enojo que a veces acompaña estos problemas, Mary, gentil y calmadamente observa las diferencias y celebra a ambas, aun cuando pone su atención en los dones espirituales de las mujeres. Yo, un hombre, he dirigido a mujeres, y conozco un número de mujeres que dan dirección espiritual a los hombres, sin embargo, los puntos de vista de Mary, en la vida espiritual de las mujeres, ofrece muchas más ideas, de las que yo puedo ofrecer. Sumado a esto, su experiencia viene de lo que ha vivido en cuatro continentes, entre gente muy diversa – Norte América, Europa, África y Asia, lo que le da amplitud a sus ideas. Su propia vida espiritual, es la fuente obvia de su profundidad. Su libro es una ayuda profunda en el desarrollo espiritual de la mujer.”– Fr. Mitch Pacwa, SJ, presidente y fundador de Ignatius Productions,  y compañero mayor del Centro San Pablo,  de Teología Bíblica

“¡Qué hermoso retiro para mujeres! Me encanta. Está lleno de ideas profundas. Te puedo asegurar, al leer este libro… que está lleno de alegría y de paz, que realmente me ayudó,  a mi edad de 82 (a pesar de que escribí un libro completo sobre mujeres, y muchos libros que uso, yo misma, en retiros). Aun así, encontré nuevas ideas en este libro. Así que, aunque hayas estado en retiros para mujeres, esto te podría dar algo Nuevo y muy importante.” – Dr. Ronda Chervin, líder de docenas de retiros para mujeres, y autora de Feminine (Femenina), Free (Libre), y Faithful (Fiel)

“La Santidad de la Mujer contiene mucha Sabiduría y Verdad, para cualquier mujer que quiere realmente convertirse en lo que Dios quiere que sea. Habiendo vivido, a través del levantamiento de la liberación de la mujer en los sesentas y los setentas, lo que dio comienzo a la salida de toneladas de literatura sobre las mujeres, lo que únicamente contaminó la mente, encuentro este libro refrescante. Da una vuelta divina a la femineidad, y tiene muchas riquezas para cualquier mujer que quiera ser una mujer de Dios.”   – Clare R. Ten Eyck, Ed.D., Terapista Católico y Director de Retiros

“El retiro para mujeres, de Mary Kloska, especialmente al principio de sus veinte, establece los principios para motivar la verdadera identidad de una joven que se está formando. Más aun, una madre de familia puede encontrar en este libro, fácil de leer y de reflexionar, ideas prácticas para ayudar a sus hijas a madurar, hacia un sentido profundo de maternidad potencial. Entonces ella puede reconocer, realmente, un esposo auténtico, que la ame y ame a sus hijos, en un matrimonio con amor sacrificial.”– Padre Basil Cole, Profesor de Teología Moral, espiritual y dogmática, de la Casa de Estudios Dominicana

“Este libro provee una muy necesaria visión de la auténtica feminidad, y debe ser leído por mujeres jóvenes y adultas, que desean  profundizar más en sus vocaciones individuales, y en su significado y propósito, como hija del Rey..” – Theresa A. Thomas, Madre de seis hijas, 15-años de columnista familiar en “Today’s Catholic News” (Noticias Católicas de hoy), Contribuyente para el website Vida Católica Integrada, Intercambio Católico, escritora independiente y autora de Big Hearted: Inspirando Historias de las familias de todos los días (Scepter, 2013)

Sobre el Autor 

Mary Kloska es de Elkhart, Indiana, y ha vivido una vida única. Al graduarse de Notre Dame en l999, dedicó 20 años en la misiones sirviendo a los pobres (incluyendo huérfanos) como también orando como una ermitaña consagrada alrededor del mundo—Siberia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Sur África, Las Filipinas, México, Tierra Santa, como también por toda Europa. Ella disfruta tocar guitarra, pintar íconos, hornear, la jardinería, leer, escribir, y simplemente ayudar donde haya una necesidad más grande en la iglesia. Su programa de Radio WCAT: “El Corazón del Amor Crucificado Fiat”, puede ser encontrado en wcatradio.com/heartoffiatcrucifiedlove/

MARÍA, NUESTRA BENDITA MADRE

Świętość Kobiecości

Mary Kloska (tłumaczenie: Agata Wesołowska)

Kliknij, aby zobaczyć Mary’s Swag Shop!

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Wywiady

Rekolekcje “Świętość kobiecości” – materiały dodatkowe

Serce Fiat Ukrzyżowanej Miłości

Świadectwa

„Książka jest tak wyjątkowa, że nie zdziwiłbym się wcale, gdyby z czasem została uznana za klasyk katolickiej literatury kobiecej. Zachęcałbym każdą kobietę, by przeczytała ten „traktat”, a potem realizowała go w całym swoim życiu… Powracaj do tej książki, aż wreszcie… zostawisz ją – jako szczególną pamiątkę – komuś, kogo bardzo kochasz.”

–Lawrence Edward Tucker, SOLT, autor książek: The Redemption of San Isidro; To Whom The Heart Decided To Love; Adventures In The Father’s Joy; The Prayer of Jesus Crucified (La Oracion de Jesus Crucificado); twórca nowego albumu/CD z muzyką katolicką So Shine (wytwórnia: brothersister)

„Mary Kloska podejmuje ważny, a jednocześnie nieco zaniedbany temat, dotyczący rzeczywistych różnic między kobietą a mężczyzną, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem wpływu tych różnic na kobiecą duchowość. Podczas czytania tej książki, rosnące uczucie radości zastępuje powoli wszelkie negatywne emocje, które często towarzyszą tym kwestiom; Mary bowiem – łagodnie i spokojnie – wskazuje różnice między jedną a drugą płcią oraz podkreśla z szacunkiem wartość obydwu; skupia jednak swą uwagę głównie na kobiecych darach duchowych. Jako mężczyzna, jestem duchowym kierownikiem kobiet; znam też wiele z nich, które udzielają duchowego wsparcia mężczyznom; jednak spojrzenie Mary co do kobiecego życia duchowego jest daleko bardziej wnikliwe niż moje własne spostrzeżenia na ten temat. Ponadto, jej doświadczenie pochodzi z życia spędzonego na czterech kontynentach, wśród bardzo różnych kultur (w Ameryce Północnej, Europie, Afryce i Azji), co dodatkowo poszerzyło jej ogląd w tej sprawie. Naturalnie, osobiste życie duchowe Mary jest niezaprzeczalnym źródłem tej głębi. Jej książka może stanowić wielką pomoc w duchowym rozwoju kobiet.”

–Mitch Pacwa, SJ, dyrektor i założyciel „Ignatius Productions” oraz zasłużony pracownik naukowy w „St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology”

„Cóż za piękne rekolekcje dla kobiet! Podobają mi się ogromnie. Są pełne głębokich refleksji.”

–Dr. Ronda Chervin, organizatorka licznych rekolekcji dla kobiet, autorka Feminine, Free, and Faithful

O Autorce  

Mary Kloska pochodzi z Elkhart, w stanie Indiana, i prowadzi bardzo wyjątkowe życie. Po ukończeniu studiów w Notre Dame w 1999 r., spędziła prawie 20 lat na misjach w wielu miejscach na świecie (na Syberii, Filipinach, w Ziemi Świętej, Nigerii, Tanzanii, Republice Południowej Afryki, Meksyku i w licznych krajach europejskich), służąc potrzebującym (m.in. w sierocińcach), jak również spędzając czas na modlitwie jako pustelnica konsekrowana. Mary lubi grać na gitarze, malować ikony, piec, zajmować się ogrodnictwem, czytać, pisać i po prostu służyć wszędzie tam, gdzie jest największa potrzeba w Kościele. Jej program radiowy WCAT – „The Heart of Fiat Crucified Love” [„Serce Fiat Ukrzyżowanej Miłości”] można znaleźć na stronie wcatradio.com/heartoffiatcrucifiedlove/

MARYJA, NASZA BŁOGOSŁAWIONA MATKA

A Love Letter to Mary

By Keith Berubé

TESTIMONIALS

“For Aquinas, ‘the Beauty of God is the cause of the being of all that is.’ And this magnificent beauty generationally overflows from Our Lady’s abundant heart to each of us, furnishing the great message of life, as well as being the very balm which prepares us for death and union in her arms. A Love Letter to Mary is one of the great books needed in all stages of life, from the joys of new beginnings, to the dark business of suffering, and at death when our final words should sing with beauty and praise. — Dr. Caitlin Gilson, Associate Professor of Philosophy at University of Holy Cross and author of Subordinated Ethics: Natural Law and Moral Miscellany in Aquinas and Dostoevsky

“With his gift of poetic prose – a style that is, at once, academically adroit yet profoundly personal – and on the heels his breakout sensation Mary: The Rosary, the Relationship, and Dragons, Keith Berubé has established himself not only as a most gifted theologian, but also as a missionary of the Marian maxim, ‘De Maria Numquam Satis.’ In this present work, Berubé has assembled some of the world’s finest tributes – or, as he calls them, “Love Letters” – to the Queen of Heaven and Earth. He draws these from the typology of the Blessed Virgin contained in such Old Testament figures as Rebecca, Rachel, Judith, Esther, and Created Wisdom. He also draws these from the odes and prayers of the great Saints throughout the history of Christendom and from the myriad of beautiful women throughout the history of Western Art and Literature, who, whether knowingly or unknowingly, represent the Blessed Virgin. — Jayson M. Brunelle, M.Ed., CAGS, author of The Blessed Mother’s Plan to Save Humanity: Marian Revelations and Necessity of Total Consecration

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

MARY, OUR BLESSED MOTHER

Dear Momma: “Views” from a Wayward Child, Convert, Ex-Jarhead, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt to a Son of Mary

Alex Gotay

TESTIMONIALS

“Could there ever be a hip-hop theologian? Could there ever be a writer who could talk about Mary, the Mother of God, with humor? Get this book and see! Me, an old professor and writer of some 75 books, never expected to read anything like this!  I love it. You will, too.” – Ronda Chervin, Ph.D., professor emerita of philosophy at Holy Apostles College & Seminary, Catholic writer and media speaker.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alex Gotay, “Dr. G,” is a husband, father, convert, and has been in professional Youth Ministry many years. He is a national teen and young adult speaker. He holds a D.Min. from the Graduate Theological Foundation, MA’s in both Theology, from the University of St. Thomas, and Philosophy, from Holy Apostles College & Seminary, graduate hours in Counseling and OT Biblical Theology, and a BA in Criminal Justice from the University of Houston (Downtown).

MARY, OUR BLESSED MOTHER

The Holiness of Womanhood

by Mary Kloska

Click to See Mary’s Swag Shop!

Buy a pillow and email mahfood@wcatradio.com a photo of you holding it, and I’ll post your photo on this page with your message to Mary.

Interviews

The Holiness of Womanhood Retreat

The Heart of Fiat Crucified Love

TESTIMONIALS

“The Holiness of Womanhood by Mary Kloska is profound and remarkably readable, a great treasure for our times. I would recommend this book to anyone for their spiritual benefit.” — Fr. Ayub Francis Nasar

“Translating this book is really helping me to respect my wife, mother, sisters and all women more and more. I am very sure that I am going to get more depth and reverence for women as I continue to work on it. And really thanks for writing such a masterpiece. There is no doubt that our society here needs this book very much. I believe this book is not only going to change women, but also men. Praise the Lord for using you to be the sign of hope. This book is going to be hope for our women who really are struggling with their true identity.” — Aqif Shahzad- translator into Urdu

“I picked this book up and could not put it down until I turned the final page… and I’m a man! If it captivated me to such a degree, I can only marvel at the wondrous effect it will have on women! This book is so uniquely beautiful that I would not be at all surprised if in time it is recognized as a classic in Catholic women’s literature. I would encourage every woman to read this treatise and to hold on to it for her entire life… keep returning to it; and finally… leave it as a special heirloom to someone you love dearly.” — Fr. Lawrence Edward Tucker, SOLT, author of The Redemption of San Isidro; To Whom The Heart Decided To Love; Adventures In The Father’s Joy; The Prayer of Jesus Crucified (La Oracion de Jesus Crucificado); and the new Catholic music album/CD, So Shine by brothersister

“Mary Kloska takes on an important, though much neglected issue: the real differences between women and men, with a focus on the impact of those differences on women’s spirituality. The joy of reading this is that in place of the anger that sometimes accompanies such issues, Mary gently and calmly observes the differences and celebrates both, even as she focuses her attention on the spiritual gifts of women. I, a man, have directed women, and I know a number of women who give spiritual direction to men, yet Mary’s insights into the spiritual life of women offer far more insight than I can. In addition, her experience comes from her having lived on four continents, among very diverse people — North America, Europe, Africa and Asia, which gives her insights breadth. Her own spiritual life is the obvious source of her depth. Her book is a profound aid in a woman’s spiritual development.” – Fr. Mitch Pacwa, SJ, president and founder of Ignatius Productions and senior fellow of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology

“What a beautiful retreat for women! I love it. Full of deep insights. I can assure you from reading the book …that it is full of joy and peace and that it actually helped me at age 82 (even though I wrote a whole book about women and several books that I use on retreats myself). I still found new insights in this book. So even if you have been to women’s retreats, this could give you something new and very important.” – Dr. Ronda Chervin, leader of dozens of women’s retreats, and author of Feminine, Free, and Faithful

“The Holiness of Womanhood contains much wisdom and Truth for any woman who really wants to become what God created her to be. Having lived through the rise of women’s liberation in the sixties and seventies, which began the release of tons of literature about women that only polluted the mind, I find this book refreshing. It gives a Godly spin to femininity and has many riches for any woman who wants to be a woman of God.” – Clare R. Ten Eyck, Ed.D., Catholic Therapist and Retreat Director

“Mary Kloska’s retreat for women, especially in their early twenties, lays out the principles for motivating a young person’s true identity in the making. Even more, a mother of a family can find in this book, easy to read and think about, practical insights to help her daughters mature toward a deep sense of potential motherhood. Then she can more truly discern an authentic spouse to love her and her children in marriage with sacrificial love.” – Fr. Basil Cole, Professor of moral, spiritual, and dogmatic theology at the Dominican House of Studies

“This book provides a much needed insight into authentic femininity, and is a must read for young and old women alike, who wish to delve deeper into their individual vocations and their meaning and purpose as a daughter of the King.” – Theresa A Thomas, Mother of six daughters, 15-year family columnist at “Today’s Catholic News,” contributor to Integrated Catholic Life website, Catholic Exchange, freelance writer and author of Big Hearted: Inspiring Stories from Every Day Families (Scepter, 2013)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Mary Kloska is from Elkhart, Indiana. She was raised in a huge Polish family (12 brothers and sisters) along with a lot of foster babies and other needy people in and out of the house. She presently has 70+ nieces and nephews.  She has lived a very unique life. Upon graduating from Notre Dame in 1999 she spent almost 20 years in the missions serving the poor (including orphanages) as well as praying as a consecrated hermit all over the world –Siberia, Nigeria, Tanzania, South Africa, Philippines, Mexico, the Holy Land and all over Europe as well. Although she spent a lot of time away in silence praying, ironically she loves children and is very fun and outgoing when it comes to serving young adults, as well as the little ones. She also spent her time in the missions giving retreats, doing simple catechesis, leading prayer groups, giving spiritual direction, helping in deliverance, changing diapers, feeding babies and cleaning floors. After spending intense time serving in a mission she would withdraw for periods of ‘retreat’ as a hermit (including three years as an official diocesan hermit with vows under a Bishop.) The last few years she has spent as a fulltime nanny to infant triplets, twins and several large families. She speaks many languages (poorly) and enjoys playing guitar, painting icons, baking, gardening, reading, writing and simply filling in where there is the greatest need in the Church. Her WCAT Radio program, “The Heart of Fiat Crucified Love,” may be found here.

Mary, Our Blessed Mother