Daniella from Ohio

I’m going to be a senior in college at Walsh University. Our president and his wife are leading a pilgrimage for us, along with one of our priests [Father Denk]. They’ve done this a couple years. He’s retiring so this will be their last one. They have been here multiple times. They planned the trip. We went to Rome before this and now we’re here and then we’re going to Lourdes.

I love it. We got in Saturday and it was late and we were like, “I don’t know what we’re gonna do tonight.” But then we ran into [Thelma Kidonakis] and she’s like, “Let’s go to the Blue Cross.” 

There was a group praying before us in either Spanish or Italian. We listened to them and then we went and did a prayer with [Thelma] and we sang the ‘Ave Ave.’ Being there all together at nighttime, it kicked off the time here perfectly.

Celebrating Mass every day has been such a blessing.

It’s so peaceful and everyone here is so pleasant. I’m half Croatian too so for me it’s very special because it feels like home. I walked in the pansion [hotel] here and it just felt like my grandparent’s house. You can feel the Spirit present, and everyone is just so loving. 

I’m a biology major, and I’m going to be starting physical therapy school. So I have 3 more years. Most of [my classmates], we’ve been friends or at least know each other, but I’ve gotten to know people better and in different ways. And we have fun.

I wish everybody could experience Medjugorje. It’s a different, unique, humble, beautiful place.