My name is Robert Boyd and I come from a family of four. I was born on January 26, 1946, in Grand´Mère, Province of Quebec, Canada. Raised Christian in both the French & English language. Remember way back use to serve Mass in Latin and assist the priest with the Paten for Holy Communion. Remember there were Vespers I´d attend and once a year a big procession with the Blessed Sacrament in the streets of our city.
My father was Irish descended & very Church going & religious people. He had great faith in Our Blessed Virgin Mother. Remember in my early teens both parents would say the beads from a Radio Broadcast directly from the Shrine Notre-Dame-of the Cap, in Three Rivers, Province of Quebec.
I´ve been 21 years married to my French Canadian wife Nicole. We have no children. I'm the only child who´s learning to walk with our Lady Queen of Peace day in and day out with what she asks of me. I´ve been retired 4 years officially, due to my conversion and decided to give my life to sharing the messages of Our Lady and to prayer. Most mornings are spent in Church where I assist Mass everyday & put the 5 weapons in action which are Lady has given us to live by.
My first pilgrimage to Medjugorje was in March 1985 where I spent 13 days. In those days I must say we were on bear ground around the Church. The apparitions were in a small room to the right facing the main altar. And to the left where the Organ is today was a homemade statue and the Grandmother's of the village would turn around on their bare knees in prayer just about all day long. There was an inner feeling of warmth & love as soon as one step into the Church, that I never felt elsewhere.
In those day we would assist to the apparitions with the visionaries if we were able to squeeze into the small room in the Church or stand outside the church holding the bars of the window on the tip of our feet looking inside the apparition room.
I must say just before going to Medjugorje, I had started going to a small Charismatic prayer group which I like a lot. Upon returning to Quebec City I joined the group and I was 4 years with them. They were anti-Medjugorje. And later after 2-3 years folks on the outside would say : you belong to a Sect but I didn´t want to have anything to do with what others were saying. After 2-3 years time which with them the guy who had started the group move the priest to the side and he began doing all the ministry and the priest abided to all this. My wife belong to this group as well, but she stayed only 3 months and got out as one of the brothers told her in was a Sect , but at the time I was so involved and convicted that I was on the right track, she never told me, and a year later I got out. She´s been really hurt inside and still is today, needs a lot of healing, do pray for her. She is a church goer but does not want to be of any part of any prayer group . She believes Medjugorje but doesn´t want to go. I constantly offer her to the Lord, his Son and Our Lady and I'm willing to wait as long as I live for her healing and one day down deep I have the deepest feeling we´ll head off for Medjugorje together on a pilgrimage.
Must say we were away from the Church for 11 and 12 years . It has been now 4 years that I have returned to the Church on January 5th, 2000. In those 11 years I hit the bottom of the barrel in many aspects of my life. In 1993/1994 I started going into an Adoration Chapel and would just sit there in front of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and talk to him. One day I felt deep within me as if someone (Our Lady) was whispering in my ear come back to see me in Medjugorje. I certainly had no such money to go there. In all those 11 years away I had become a fishing addict, and my wife was going to give me the coins to buy a second hand 4 X 4 very shortly. Well must say upon returning home at dinner that day my plans had change. I told her instead of giving me the money for the truck, I´d rather you give me money to return to Medjugorje. Her first reaction… my wife and fishing buddies told me, Robert your out of your head and the usual comments when one turns himself to the Lord after many years. Well to my surprise few days later she had the money for me. This confirmed deep in my heart it was Our Lady the Gospa who had whispered in my ; and once one turns his life and his will over to God, it doesn´t take long than like in my case that Jesus answers through the © of Our Lady.
Well in Sept , 1997 I returned to Medjugorje for a month with to other French praying friends, which by than I had return to church. My wife returned to Church a year after me. This time when I came back from Medjugorje. I came back and down the Mountain of the School of Love with confidence and Love and I started to share and spread the messages and since than it has never stopped. I try to live the messages day in and day out as she teaches me everyday in all walks of my life. I joined a group called Albatross and I assist the dying. In1983 in a detox center I was given the privilege to shake hands with Mother Theresa where I had assisted a priest in saying Mass. Her visit inspired me deeply to assist the dying here in different hospitals of the City and in the slums of the city. One must be connected to Jesus and his mother in other to do this kind of charity work. But following the example of Mother Theresa placing myself one hour before the Blessed Sacrament Rosary in the hands of God , God for seeks the tools required to abid to this kind of charity work. Like the Gospa suggested many a time , I take at least 3 hours a day concentrated to prayer I love being awaken during the night to pray and adore her Son. My greatest prayer times are during the night. The first time I used to be waken up my wife would say, how will you past the day getting up at those hours of the night. I told her don´t ask me but I said when we take care to pray her son and herself she gives us the strength to go about are daily duties each day.
In 1997 I met a fellow Canadian Patrick Latta and his lovely Croatian wife Nancy who was living at the Oasis of Peace in Medjugorje at the time. Seeing that I was spending 1 month in Medjugorje I went to see them as I had planned to give time to work for the community while I was there. So I ended up working for Pat & Nancy in the construction of their new home and chapel for priest behind the Oasis of Peace . We prayed together, we shared, we laugh, and we worked together and handed out Rosaries on Siroki Brijeg, we ate and fasted together and handed out candies to the orphans and kids out in Citluk, It was a wonderful time we spent together. Met a lot of wonderful people from all over the world. Today I still correspond and share our experience, strength, and hope with one another in living day by day by what the Gospa asks of us.
I must say here in Quebec City, for a bit of history in regards to Medjugorje, I ran into a priest who has been in Medjugorje many a time and is severely persecuted of his beliefs but each day he continues his ministry. His name is Father Pierre Rancourt I share and pray for him each day. Like Father Slavko and Sister Emmanuel says often instead of criticizing priests , pray for them daily. Father Jozo, in regards to praying for priest mentions often in his talks about a Canadian women who started a movement to pray for priests, it´s called, « The Margarites for Priest. ». The priest is at the center of the flower and each flower contains 7 petals which represent people who each day of the week pray for that priest. Some priests have even two Margarites who pray for them. For this Jubilee Year she intends to double the amount of Margarites. Last year I attended as I belong to this Movement and all priests and Margarites assisted in a special celebration at Ste.Anne-de-Beaupré Shrine ½ hours drive east of Quebec City, Canada. It was out of this world to hear all the different testimonies from the priest and the petals.
Father Rancourt whom I was telling you about above & another priest who past away in the last year Father Emiliano Tardif and a Doctor by the name of Philippe Madre were arrested in Medjugorje. On Thursday August 25, 1983 and thrown in jail by the Communist authorities and Our Lady said to the visionaries in a message that day something like this, I´ll try and translate « Don´t worry for them. This is all in the plan of God ».
Also in another message on Tuesday August 23, 1983 are Lady had said to them : « I have invited each of you to this place, because I need you to spread my messages to the whole world »
I must say that also as well that before the apparitions started Father Jozo was in Rome for a meeting for priests, he asked all the fellow priest who were there with him to pray for his parish and the people of this poor village. Father Emiliano Tardif had whispered in Father Jozo ear this prophetic message, that went something like this I believe. « Don´t worry you will have more very shortly, Our Lady will visit you Village. Like I said, I can´t recall the exact words, but it went like I just finish telling you. Shortly enough the apparitions started in 1981. Must say Father Jozo right there in his heart had the confirmation it was form the Lord these apparitions from day 1.
In 1998 I returned to Medjugorje for a 3rd time on my own and stayed a month and return to my Croatian friends where I had stayed in Sivric. I also gave my time in prayer and in work to Patrick´s and Nancy home and chapel that had progress in building and attend the Youth Prayer Festival for the first time. What heat !! we experience that summer, no comparison to all the Love we all received from such a terrific experience of sharing and caring for one another. I´ve made many new spiritual friends in both languages I speak. I shared with the brothers and sisters of the Communities of the Beatitudes and the Communion Mary Queen of Peace.
On my return my wife was very anxious to see me, she found the time of my stay rather long this time. I shared with her and my family and friends my experience, strength and hope like we say in AA. She said I hope next time you go it will be only for 10 days and this I promised her as in a married couple we have to level off so harmony and Love continues. A lot of the fruits of Medjugorje. Have established their way in Our Home. In each room of Our Home we have a little corner to pray and today we pray the Rosary together, my wife is still not convicted to go to Medjugorje. And go to prayer groups but as the saying goes, « leave her time. »
Shortly upon my return I offered my services in working to a French Community called the « Family of Myriam Beth‘lehem where they have one of their houses here in Quebec City. How wonderful it is to work and pray. Many of the brothers & sisters have been to Medjugorje. One time or another but don´t share the messages as they have their own spirituality, but one attempts himself to his way of praying & living the messages. I give the sister who is responsible for the Community the messages of Our Lady every month and all I receive from Medjugorje. Their community is one amongst many fruits from the breath of Vatican II. They are based on the spirituality of the Family of Nazareth. They pray for new vocations for priest and live their Baptismal heritage. They have homes throughout the province of Quebec, 2 homes in Haiti, one in Russia, Switzerland, the next will be a home in another province of Canada, Sachachwen and a home in Belgium for this year 2000.
As for the coming year to come I was not thinking to return to Medjugorje. But 2-3 months ago I gave by name to return for this Jubilee Year. I´ve joined a group with Daria Klanac a Croatian lady who belongs to the Croatian Community and Prayer Group in Montreal.
We will be going there for the 19th anniversary of the apparitions between June 20th and July 6th . It will be my first time that I assist for the anniversary. I believe as well during that period of time it will be the Fifth International Meeting of Priests. Should be interesting. One of the speakers is Father Don Cosimo Cavaluzzo amongst many who spoke in 1998 at the 10th International Youth Prayer Festival. He spoke of children, he hit home for many amongst the crowd of parents gather to hear him. Unfortunately my dates don´t fall with the anniversary of the IIPG, but my the heart I´ll be united to you. Don´t forget to tell me where Ante Muzic lives in the Village as I will certainly go and see him.
Being in the year of the Blessed Trinity I´d like to share with your this little Morning Prayer :
« Most holy & divine Trinity, one God in three persons, I praise you and give you thanks for all the favors you have bestowed on me. Your goodness has preserved me until now. I offer you my whole being & in particular all my thoughts, works, & deeds, together with all the trails I may undergo today. Give them your blessing. May your divine Love animate them & may they serve your greater glory. I make this morning offering in union with the divine intentions of Jesus Christ who offers himself daily in the sacrifice of the Mass & in union with Mary, his Virgin Mother & our Mother, who was always the faithful handmaid of the Lord. »
Well dearest friends of Our Lady Queen of Peace, « Peace, peace and only Peace ! Peace must reign between God and man and also between men ! »
Eucharistically yours,
Robert Boyd - dobra555@hotmail.com