Naju, Korea, Najumary! Our Lady of Naju Pray for us

A PERSONAL TESTIMONY BY LUCIA SUN-HEE HWANG

My name is Lucia Sun-Hee Hwang from Chung-joo City in Korea.

In my high-school years of many dreams, I attended services at a Protestant church thinking that I believed in God. After I got married, my life changed drastically. My mother-in-law was a Buddhist and also was into many superstitious practices like most other mothers in my country. She frequently visited fortune-tellers and asked shamans to come and perform rituals to exorcise evil spirits.

At first, I hated intensely what my mother-in-law was doing, but gradually became like her. During the twenty-year period of my marriage, my husband had business failures twice. The housekeeping crumbled and discords continued ceaselessly. My life was so painful and tiring. Because of disagreements with my husband, troubles with my in-laws, and the continuing financial difficulties, I lived a painful and tiring life like a nightmare day after day. Meanwhile, I unexpectedly began going to a Catholic church and was baptized. Soon, however, I discontinued going to the church and remained a non-practicing Catholic for the next ten years.

Then, last year, on May 5, I was diagnosed with a breast cancer. I was not seriously worried about it, thinking that modern medicine is so advanced and a surgery will take care of it. However, additional tests and X-rays showed that the cancer had spread even to the breastbone. Actually, the breastbone was filled with the cancer cells and, because of this, surgery was not possible. Hearing this, I was shocked as if I was struck by a lightening. I knew I just received a death sentence.

I thought that my life was coming to an end at a young age of 48. I remembered that I had committed grave sins like practicing superstitions and hating others. Until then, I had not known how serious these sins were. As my faith in the modern medicine was shattered, I had to give up all hopes about my life. As surgery was not possible, the doctors only continued giving me the drug and radiation treatments. On May 16, after receiving an injection but without eating any food, I dragged my sick body to the prayer meeting in Naju.

Because I had not known about the Blessed Mother of Naju and had stayed away from the Church for a long time, I still had many doubts during the prayer meeting. I could not believe that the Blessed Mother had shed tears of blood. My elder sister was shedding tears like a waterfall, praying to the Blessed Mother, but I was only lying down on the floor like a corpse.

On June 30, I came to Naju again. I was wearing a hat, because I was becoming bald because of the injections. This time, unlike the previous visit, I was filled with emotion and felt hot in my heart. While Julia was praying over me for my healing and conversion, I suddenly began feeling deeply guilty about my life of 48 years. I repeatedly asked the Blessed Mother for forgiveness. I kept praying loudly until my throat was hurting that my sins be forgiven. I kept on crying and screaming. After I returned home, I asked for forgiveness from all my family whom I had hated. In the love of the Blessed Mother of Naju, I reconciled with everyone in the family.

After we forgave each other and reconciled with each other, true peace was restored. I had never experienced such peace and love in the previous 48 years. The forgiveness, peace and love that we received through the Blessed Mother of Naju was changing my family into a heaven.

On July 4, I went back to the hospital to see the recent test rests. It was a miracle! The two large tumors in the breast and the countless cancer cells in the breastbone were gone completely! I realized that the Blessed Mother loved me despite my enormous sinfulness. Feeling overwhelmed with gratitude to the Blessed Mother of Naju for giving me such love and healing, I went back to Naju to present my cleanly-healed body. In Naju, I saw Julia suffering pains in reparation for the sins of abortions in the world. I had been baptized, but had not really known the Lord and the Blessed Mother. I had not known about sins at all, either. In Naju, I learned what a terrible sin abortion was and received the precious grace of deeply repenting this sin.

The Blessed Mother of Naju gave me more graces when I went to her to give thanks for rescuing me from death. If it were not for the Blessed Mother's help, how could I have been saved from death, as even the modern medicine could not do anything about my cancer? And how could I have begun a life of resurrection, deeply repenting my past sins, forgiving everyone, and loving everyone?

I will ever love the Blessed Mother of Naju who has always loved me and healed both my soul and body. I will tell many people that they can also receive spiritual and physical healing and be saved, if they trust the Blessed Mother of Naju and pray. Thank you, Blessed Mother, for giving me a new life despite my unworthiness. I also thank Julia who suffered pains for me.

My name is Juliana Yang-Nim Lee,

a humble housewife with three children living in Kwangju, Korea.

About ten years ago, I was in despair and depression because of my husband's business failure and huge debts totaling about 300 million won (about $300,000). My husband left all the responsibility for the children and the debt to me and ran away.

In March of 1999, however, I had a serious doubt about the Protestant church and became a Catholic. Soon afterwards, my eldest daughter was wounded in a traffic accident. In early May, my second daughter also had an accident in a restaurant. A china bowl containing hot food fell on one of her legs. She received a first-aid treatment at a nearby clinic. It was about 9 p.m. The next day, she was taken to a hospital. The doctor said that she had to be hospitalized because of her serious inflammation. Her leg became very swollen. The doctor said that she needed to get injections of antibiotics. Since my mother was looking after my daughter in the hospital room, I went home to bring my daughters clothes and other personal things. When I arrived at home, there were some parishioners who came to visit us. While praying with them, I became more unsettled and decided to bring my daughter home. With my husbands consent, I brought my daughter home. The next day, the parishioners came back with some water from Naju and suggested that my daughters swollen leg be placed in the water. I had doubts, but I needed to grab even a straw. After my daughters leg was submerged in the water, the swelling on her leg seemed to be reduced. It was a miracle! She was being healed!

Later, I took my daughter to my mothers, because it was my mothers birthday. Everyone said that I was crazy, because I did not keep my daughter in the hospital. I continued treating my daughter at home with the water from Naju. About three weeks later, my daughters leg was completely healed. When my mother came and saw it, I began telling her about Jesus, the Blessed Mother and the miraculous water. I did not think it would be easy for my mother to convert, because she had been a fervent follower of a Buddhist sect from Japan for 29 years. I was surprised, when she said, I want to drink some of that water, too. She also said, I want to keep that nun and that man in my home, too! She was referring to the statues of Jesus and the Blessed Mother.

When she arrived at her home, she burned the Buddhist idols and converted to Catholicism. I wept for joy. The Blessed Mother was giving us such a grace!

In the past, I thought that Catholics were idol-worshippers. Now, I go to Mass on Sundays and on weekdays. Going to Mass is such a joy. I had such an attachment to luxuries, but I dont care about them any more. Who can understand my joy when I am in the Catholic church together with my mother, my father and my husband?

― Hae Kyung Chung, Joongang Heights Bldg. 8, #1408, Sanjung 3-dong, Mokpo, Jeonnam Province, South Korea, August 1999 Tel. (061) 273-2380

Misjudgment and misunderstanding have dissipated in the presence of the fragrance of roses

My name is Joon Soo Park in Taegu, Korea. I am preparing to be baptized on coming Easter Sunday. The Blessed Mother has called me from the Protestant church.

I would like to give testimony to some people who have been bearing beautiful fruits of love and evangelization thanks to the fragrance which represents the presence of the Lord and the Blessed Mother. I want to emphasize that so much prayer and acts of charity are necessary to help save one soul and that the missionary work is never a work of a single individual. I want to give special thanks to Virgitta and Serena, who, despite the indifference and criticisms by those around them, succeeded in bearing fruits of love with Jesus and Mary, who will triumph eventually. I have realized the truth that we are all brethren in the Lord and the Blessed Mother and that, when we are united with each other with love, Gods presence and help stay with us without fail.

The first testimony is about Mr. Koo who eventually came back to the Lord and the Blessed Mother after smelling the fragrance of roses. I noticed that he was changing not only spiritually but also in his outer appearance. When he was at work (making dresses), he played the Marian hymns from Naju and was singing along. He looked like an innocent boy. I was filled with joy.

Mr. Koo's wife was baptized a long time ago, but has been away from the Church for the past 22 years. After noticing changes in her husbands life, she came to Naju with her husband. People teased them, saying that they were like newly-weds. He is taking instructions by correspondence with much zeal. He is so anxious not to be late for Mass. Mr. Koo, his wife, and myself are all catechumen, but are so happy as we sing together praising the Lord and the Blessed Mother.

The second testimony is about a woman who had been severely prejudiced again the Blessed Mother of Naju, but corrected her erroneous views. The owner of a flower shop had been taking instructions, but gave up and became a Buddhist. So, I visited him several times and told him about my experiences. He said that he would believe in God, if he could experience even one like what I had experienced. While I was again telling him about the Blessed Mother of Naju in his flower shop, a young lady came in and was listening to us. She said that she was a Catholic and that, even though she had never been to Naju, she heard about Naju from her pastor. Her pastor told her that the fragrance in Naju was from perfume and that the tears of blood on the Blessed Mother's statue were actually animal blood that people in Naju used to deceive people. He definitely told her that the miracles in Naju were false. I was shocked, but told her what I had experienced in Naju. At that moment, a sweet fragrance was smelled by all three of us and was becoming stronger as we continued talking. The young lady began shedding tears. She said that she would surely visit Naju. I was amazed by the love and power of God, who repelled the misjudgment and the misunderstanding in a few seconds by means of the fragrance. The owner of the flower shop also became interested in the Catholic Faith again.

The third testimony is about a woman who owns a bookstore specializing in professional books. She grew up under her grandmother who was a devout Catholic, but she stopped going to church when she got married seven years ago. Her husband, who was one year younger than herself, was a car dealer in a foreign country. He visited home very infrequently. When he came and left, he left huge credit-card debts to his wife. She was leading a difficult life, raising two children. She was even pressed by her mother-in-law to convert to Buddhism. I felt sorry for her, and visited her home several times. In her home, I met a man who was about 30 years old. I thought that he was a Buddhist and began telling him about the Life of Jesus and his miracles. As I was talking, he kept his eyes closed. I thought that he was moved by my talk.

Several days later, I found out what had really happened to him while I was talking to him. He was smelling a sweet fragrance! His mother was a shaman, and he himself was somewhat into it also. I became more anxious and went back to the bookstore to learn his address or phone number. While I was talking to the owner of the bookstore, she said that she was smelling a fragrance. She said that her bookstore always had an unpleasant smell from old books and could not understand where this fresh, sweet fragrance was coming. She said that she could not describe how she was feeling and that she felt like crying. She said that she wanted to rush to a church, kneel before the Lord and pray. I was so surprised at the sudden change in her. The fragrance lasted for about one hour. The Lord was soaking our souls in His graces like sweet rain.

I called her next day and was told by her that she had resumed praying the rosary in a long time, that she would let her two children be baptized, that she would pray for her mother-in-law, and that she would understand and love her husband more. She promised that she would never waver in her trust in the Lord and would lead a good life. I was amazed again by the Blessed Mothers leading many children on the road to salvation by revealing her presence to them. I pray and pray again that the owner of the bookstore and her family will become a holy family in the blessing and graces by the Lord and the Blessed Mother.

I think we should do our best in spreading the Blessed Mother's words from Naju so that more souls may go to Heaven. Every time we work to make Naju known in little ways, the Lord and the Blessed Mother help and, sometimes, even give us the fragrance, which represents their presence. This confirms that the signs that they give us Naju for this age are genuine. Thank you, Lord and the Blessed Mother!

― Joon Soo Park, 256-1 joyung-Dong, Kyungsan City, Kyongbuk, Korea, January 10, 2000, Tel. 011-529-3783

Our baby girl, 14 months old, had convulsions for unknown reasons and was admitted to Sunchon-Hyang Hospital in Seoul on April 19, 1995. There she received treatment for two months. The doctor did his best, but there was no improvement. We moved her to a different hospital, which was an oriental herbal clinic belonging to the medical school at Kyung-Hee University, and then to the pediatrics clinic in the same university, but her condition continued worsening. The diagnosis for the baby was Wolf Syndrome, which is a very rare disease, occurring only to one baby among fifty thousand. We were so depressed after hearing from the doctor that there was no more hope. We moved the baby back to Sunchon-Hyang Hospital, because we could not take her home and just watch her die. Then, we called a Catholic woman by the name of Clara Lee, who was a friend of a relative of ours. We asked her to recommend to us a Catholic prayer house, because we could not take the baby home and watch her die. Clara Lee said there was no prayer house in the Catholic Church and suggested that we take the baby to the Blessed Mother's House in Naju in South Cholla Province. So, we thought that we would let the baby die after we ask God for the last time rather than just letting her die at home. We took the baby out of the hospital on June 28, 1995 and directly went to the Blessed Mother's House (=the Chapel) in Naju. We entrusted the baby to the Will of God and began praying. While in Naju, we witnessed truly amazing events on June 30. At about 4:30 p.m I stepped out of the Chapel, because people were saying that there was a miracle of the sun. I looked at the sun and saw an image of the Eucharist which was rotating inside the sun. It was truly amazing. During the prayer meeting that night, some people said that they saw Sacred Hosts descending to the altar before the Blessed Mother's statue. At the end of the prayer meeting, I went to the front of the Chapel and clearly saw the seven Sacred Hosts.

At about 10:30 p.m on July 2, we were surrounding the seven people who were consuming the seven Sacred Hosts that had descended on the previous night. We were with our sick baby and were praying. The last person who received Communion was Julia. We saw that, a few seconds after she received the Eucharist, the Sacred Host was changing into visible Flesh and Blood on her tongue. At that moment, I was sure that God exists and, with a deep confidence in Him, asked Him to heal the baby, holding her in my arms. God, please let the baby live! I begged Him.

A priest dipped one of his fingers in the Blood on Julia's tongue and, with that finger, made the Sign of the Cross on our baby's forehead. At that moment, I was sure that our baby was going to live. With an overwhelming joy, we cried a lot and offered up a prayer of thanksgiving.

On the same night, I could not sleep and was standing outside the Chapel and praying before the Blessed Mother's large statue in the yard. There also were two priests from abroad, two other foreign pilgrims and Sebastian Kwon from Buchon (in Korea). One of the two priests, who was from Guam, stepped on the rocks to get closer to the Blessed Mother's statue, because he saw something unusual. What he saw was the Blessed Mother's tears on her statue outside the Chapel. I was very amazed and looked closely at the Blessed Mother's face. She indeed was shedding tears from her eyes, mucous from her nostrils, and sweat from her face. The front yard where the statue was became filled with the fragrance of roses. It was truly a miracle. A miracle, which I had only been hearing about, occurred before my eyes.

I swear that my testimony is true. We are still overwhelmed with what happened and continue thanking God.

(Translator's Note in July 1999: The scenes described in this testimony can be seen in the video: Mary Draws Us To The Eucharist #1. The baby girl, who was healed, is growing as a healthy, happy child.)