Medjugorje: from sinner to servant of God

From sinner to servant of God

In early November 2004, I went to the United States for several prayer meetings and conferences. There I also had the opportunity to hear testimonies from people who converted thanks to Medjugorje, both through a visit and through books. For me this was a further demonstration that God is deeply at work today. I believe it is important that everyone be made aware of it, so that they take courage and strengthen themselves in faith. Below you can read the testimony of a young priest on his extraordinary conversion.

Pater Petar Ljubicic

“My name is Donald Calloway and I was born in West Virginia. Back then my parents lived in complete ignorance. Since they didn't care about the Christian faith, they didn't even baptize me. After a short time my parents separated. I did not learn anything, neither about moral values, nor about the difference between good and evil. I had no principle. The second man my mother married was also not a Christian, but he was only one who exploited my mother. He drank and went after women. She was the one who was supposed to support the family, so she entered the Navy. This circumstance meant that he should temporarily leave me alone with this man. She was moved and our family had to move. My mother and stepfather were constantly fighting and eventually separated.

My mother was now dating a man who, like her, was in the Navy. I did not like it. He was different from his other men. It was also different from all my male relatives. When he came to visit us, he came in uniform and looked very well-groomed. He also brought me gifts. But I turned them down and thought my mother made a mistake. However she loved him and the two married. So something new came into my life. This man was a Christian and belonged to the Episcopal Church. This fact was indifferent to me and I didn't care. He adopted me and his parents thought that now I could be baptized. For this reason I received Baptism. When I was ten years old, a half-brother was born to me and he too was baptized. However, baptism meant nothing to me. Today I love this man very deeply like a father and I also call him that.

Since my parents were being moved, we had to move constantly, and we moved to southern California and Japan, among other things. I had no sense of God. I was leading a life full of sins more and more and I only had my amusements in mind. I lied, drank alcohol, had fun with girls and became a slave to drugs (heroin and LSD).

In Japan I began to steal. My mother suffered incredibly from me and died of pain, but I didn't care. A woman with whom my mother had confided, advised her to talk about all these things with the Catholic priest of the military base. This was the key to his conversion. It was an extraordinary conversion and God truly entered his life.

Because of my loose life, my mother and I had to go back to the United States, but since I had wandered off, she was forced to leave Japan alone. When they finally caught me, I was expelled from the country. I was full of hate and wanted to resume my old life in America. Together with my father, I went to Pennsylvania. My mother greeted us in tears at the airport. He said, “Oh, Donnie! I love you. I am so happy to see you and I had a tremendous fear for you! ". I pushed her away and scolded her by screaming. My mother even had a breakdown, but I was blind to any love.

I had to go into a recovery center.

Here they tried to tell me something about religion, but I ran away. Once again I hadn't learned anything about religion. In the meantime, my parents had definitively converted to the Catholic faith. I wasn't interested and I continued my old life, but inside I was empty. I only came home when I felt like it. I was corrupt. One day I found in my jacket pocket a medal with the Archangel Gabriel, which my mother had secretly stuck. Then I thought, "What a useless thing!" My life was supposed to be a life of free love, and instead I led a life of death.

At sixteen I left home and tried to keep myself afloat with occasional jobs, but since I didn't want to work, I also burned this opportunity. Finally I went back to my mother, who tried to talk to me about the Catholic faith, but of course I didn't want to know anything about it. Fear crept into my life. I was also afraid that the police would arrest me. One night I was sitting in my room and I understood that that life meant death to me.

I went to my parents' bookshop to look at some book illustrations. I had a book in my hand entitled: "The Queen of Peace visits Medjugorje". What was it? I looked at the illustrations and saw six children with folded hands. I was impressed and started reading.

"The six visionaries as they see the Holy Virgin Mary". Who was? I had never heard of her yet. At first I did not understand the words I read. What did the Eucharist, Holy Communion, Blessed Sacrament of the Altar and Rosary mean? I read on. Should Mary be my mother? Maybe my parents forgot to tell me something? Mary spoke of Jesus, said that He is reality, that He is God, and that he died on the cross for all men, to save them. He spoke of the Church, and as he spoke of it, I never ceased to amaze myself. I understood that this was the truth and that until then I had never heard the truth! He spoke to me of the One who could change me, of Jesus! I loved this mother. All night I read the book and the following morning my life was no longer the same. Early in the morning I told my mother that I had to speak to a Catholic priest. She immediately phoned the priest. The priest promised me that after the Holy Mass I could speak to him. While the priest, during the consecration, said the words: "This is my body, offered in sacrifice for you!", I firmly believed in the truth of these words. I believed in the real presence of Jesus and was incredibly happy. My conversion continued to progress. I entered a community and studied theology. Finally, in 2003, I was ordained a priest. In my community there are nine other candidates for the priesthood who have converted and discovered their vocation through Medjugorje ".

Jesus, our Savior and Redeemer, brought this young man out of hell and saved him in a wonderful way. Now travel from one place to another and preach. He wants all men to know that Jesus can make a great sinner a servant of God.

Everything is possible to God! We allow God, through the intercession of the Holy Virgin Mary, to guide us to Him too! And we hope that we too will be able to witness it.

Source: Medjugorje - An invitation to prayer