V I D E O S

There were no unusual signs on that day.

Father Joseph Besnier from France and Father Elias Zahlaoui celebrated Mass at 11:00 that morning.

Following Mass, prayers and rosaries were done in many languages: Arabic, French, English, Flemish, German and Danish. Prayers were said all day and went on until late in the evening.

Visitors continued to come right up to midnight. There were no doctors present on that day and the atmosphere was prayerful, calm and spiritual.

There were many visitors from Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, France, Belgium, Germany, Canada, United States of America, Denmark, Ghana, Brazil and Russia.

Ambassadors from Canada (along with his spouse), Chile and Argentina were also present. Many people working as representatives of the United Nations in Syria were also present.

For media representation, Russian representatives (NTV) coordinated their meeting and their documentary with Mr. Gabriel Berberian from Canada, the Lebanese (LBC), a Brazilian from a TV station and the Syrian satellite TV chain were present.

The Russians interviewed the key people for their documentary, but they were waiting for the occurrence of extraordinary signs (the apparition of the stigmata on Myrna’s body).

Guy Fourmann from France documented the day with photos and videotapes and he will be sending copies of these to Canada for archival and Internet purposes.

The City of Damascus continues its efforts to embellish the garden facing the Virgin Mary’s house, and they plan to finish the work on Sunday.

As in the past (Easter 2004), a lunch is planned for Easter Sunday with the Governor of Damascus in attendance.

2007-04-06 - Good Friday

At 10:30, ceremonial prayers were said as Christ was taken down from the Cross. Fathers Elias Zahlaoui and Boulos Fadel said the prayers. Visitors from different parts of the world were present and they participated in their own language.

The prayers, the ceremony, the simple and dignified décor, the spontaneous participation of the people present created a moving and touching atmosphere and we noticed tears on the faces of a few of the people present.

At 15:00, we prayed the Divine Mercy rosary (as dictated by Christ in 1935 to Sister Mary Faustyna, proclaimed a Saint on April 30th, 2000 by Pope John-Paul II) because today marks the beginning of an important novena that ends on the Sunday following Easter Sunday. Prayers of the Rosary accompanied by religious chants lasted ninety minutes.

Right after, Mr. Dmitry Khafizov, the assistant of the Mayor of Kazan (in charge of Religious Affairs) came for a visit. Kazan is the capital of Tatarstan, member of the Russian Federation. Mr. Khafizov, an imposing stature, yet a generous man, gave the history of the Icon of Kazan (of which a simple reproduction gave Holy Oil in 1982 at Soufanieh), and he spoke for one hour on the origins of this Icon and the events that were related to it for many centuries. He explained that the Icon was famous because of the miraculous recoveries associated to it, but more importantly because it stands as a symbol for Unity – between Muslims and Christians as well as between Christians from other denominations. He further stated that he was not surprised that such a phenomenon would occur in Soufanieh, because the population in Damascus is similar to Kazan’s, namely a grouping of both Muslims and Christians. He ended his presentation by saying that he was aware of the phenomena that occurs in Soufanieh and that he had come here to see an example of a place of prayer where pilgrims can gather without any financial demands placed on them, and he wishes to use it as a model of a place of prayer for his own city. Laymen and members of religious orders could potentially support his efforts in Kazan.

Following this talk, the Inhumation ceremony took place, with a procession going around the interior courtyard of Myrna’s and Nicolas’ home. The Coffin was carried on shoulders and a single line procession of pilgrims carrying candles followed. The Coffin was held in the arms by a pilgrim standing by the front door of their home so that each person who passed underneath may pick up a flower... This ceremony ended around 18:00.

Myrna then invited everyone to go and attend Holy Friday ceremonies taking place in the various churches and she stated that she would be heading to Our Lady of Damascus, which is Father Elias Zahlaoui’s parish in the Koussor neighborhood. Many people followed Myrna. The atmosphere at the Church was very different and the Church was full to capacity, with pilgrims standing outside and on the sidewalk.

The Home of the Virgin Mary was open the entire time, and people did not stop visiting until very late in the evening.

2007-04-07 - Holy Saturday

The Holy Oil that was given to Myrna this evening rekindled the enthusiasm of the pilgrims of the Home of the Virgin Mary.

In fact, before receiving this gift from Heaven, and for the many long weeks preceding Holy Week, I would remember Christ’s last message delivered on Holy Saturday in 2004, and which began on a very strict tone: “My last commandment to you…”, I felt, as did many of the regular pilgrims to Soufanieh, that we were all being reprimanded and that we were not living up to what Christ’s expectations. This feeling was further confirmed gradually by the total absence of Holy Oil in the last 3 years….!!

However, on that evening, although I personally felt that the general atmosphere was extremely fervent, I could still detect in the eyes and in the expression on people’s faces a certain sadness as well as a kind of resignation denoting a feeling that no more signs would be manifested again since nothing happened on Holy Thursday of this year -even though Easter occurred on the same date for both Catholic and Orthodox churches. I sensed a feeling that pilgrims were more and more convinced of the message delivered by Christ on April 10th, 2004 which indicated that there would no longer be any manifestations of any kind in Soufanieh …..

As I said earlier, one could sense the fervor of each pilgrim’s prayer in Soufanieh (more so than what we feel in churches), so that at the end of the 6 pm Easter Mass, really at the end, after Fathers Fadel and Besnier gave their benediction, my wife Maya (often present during religious celebrations and anniversaries at Soufanieh in order to photograph and video the events), moved from her chair that was facing the altar (she was close to the audiocassette player to play the songs and position the cameras, right near the Icon), and went over to Myrna who was standing next to the two priests, next to her bedroom door. Following a brief discussion with them, Maya started to make signs with her hands to let us know that there was Holy Oil on Myrna’s hands. This happened at 19h01.

The oil that was oozing from Myrna’s hands was so abundant that it initially fell to the ground. Maya although very weak struggled to keep her balance and bent down to wipe the oil. Myrna discretely informed Father Boulos Fadel of what had just happened. She was not able to contain her emotion and she walked over to the altar to pray and to cry. After her prayers, her face shining with Holy Oil, she said: “Because of your fervent love for Jesus, you forced Him to make a miracle.”

This was greeted with applause and acclamation.

She again addressed a message to the pilgrims:

“When there are no stigmata, that is indeed a heavy wound to bear,
because the stigmata are consolation and joy;
but the absence of stigmata is the greatest wound.
The absence of a message is a message in itself.
The lack of a message is a message.
A message from God which tells us:
To scrutinize ourselves. To examine our conscience.
To practice what the Lord taught us.
There is nothing more I can tell you.

Myrna, as it is her custom, then blessed each pilgrim with the Holy Oil, making the sign of the Cross on the forehead of each person in attendance. She blessed EACH and EVERY pilgrim present in the Home of the Virgin Mary and there was enough oil for everyone. Myrna was very moved and had tears in her eyes.

There was great joy and relief and the enthusiasm was as great as it was when this phenomenon first happened in Soufanieh.

I immediately phoned Maya’s mother to tell her know that Holy Oil did manifest itself so that she can relay the message to as many people in Damascus… I also wanted to inform you by telephone, but I did not have your number. I did ask Mr. Roger Kahil to phone you using my telephone, but he did not have your number handy and he told me he would call his sister so that she can contact you in order to update the Soufanieh website with these facts.

Close-up photographs were taken and I asked our Russian guests to stand next to Myrna to capture this event. These pictures were sent to you via e-mail.

This is a summary of the day that began at 11:00 with prayers for Holy Saturday, followed by the Divine Mercy rosary at 15:00 (second day of recitation) and ended in the evening at 18:00.

Still very enthusiastic, the Soufanieh group stayed quite late in the Home of the Virgin Mary. After a joyful supper, the prayers of the Easter Eve Vigil (normally celebrated at around 05:00 in the Churches) were said while singing and holding candles outside the Home of Soufanieh then leading into the House standing in prayer before the Holy Icon.

We left Soufanieh at around 2 am with a light heart, thankful to Christ for all His Goodness and Mercy.

Thanks be given to God for this day and for this Sign from Christ.

Easter Sunday was a wonderful day. The sun was shining and our hearts were full of joy. Spoken words and gestures were joyful, mindful of Christ’s miracle of the night before.

Father Joseph Besnier from France celebrated Mass at 11:00.

A luncheon was prepared in the Garden of Soufanieh for 14:00 (the public garden facing Myrna’s home where the Virgin Mary appeared to Myrna, namely on one of the eucalyptus trees). This reception was organized to celebrate this common Feast of Easter date (only a calendar coincidence and not in any way due to the goodwill of religious leaders). This luncheon was organized for about 150 people, but greater numbers were present. The Governor of Damascus was invited, but he had to cancel the evening before, since he was required to accompany the President of the Republic on that day. The Director of the city of Damascus attended in his place. Let it be said, that he worked very hard and in a very short period of time to beautify this garden in honor the Virgin Mary. Four spotlights were installed around the eucalyptus tree where She was known to have made Her apparition.

(A nice story to be related regarding these spotlights - technicians on the night before Holy Saturday wanted to test the lights and they lit them for the first time around 19:00 just as people inside the house expressed their joy at the sight of the Holy Oil…)

Two ambassadors were present at this luncheon as well as pilgrims from different parts of the world that came to Damascus for the express purpose of celebrating Easter at Soufanieh. Also present were local pilgrims of Soufanieh who continue to come to pray with fervor for many years now in this blessed Home. Myrna and her family were present and they despite their fatigue were very attentive to everyone, including towards the city workers -and their families- who came to work without rest for several days in order to modernize and make the garden even more pleasant.

After lunch, I sat under the shade of the tree (where the Virgin appeared) as did many others, and we did not have the heart to leave as there was such a pleasant atmosphere on that day. (We did eventually leave so that the workers could water the lawn before they left to return to their homes.)

The doors were open to everyone wishing to come and make their wishes.

In the evening, Father Zahlaoui gave a summary of Holy Week in front of video cameras so that it may be published on the Soufanieh website so that a maximum number of people can learn of the various developments that took place, and more specifically regarding the Miracle by Christ who allowed the Holy Oil to ooze from Myrna’s hands, face and eyes.

This summary ended the events that took place on this Holy Week.

Glory be to God, and a heartfelt gratitude for his Divine Mercy and Clemency.

Matrona became a nun, and a monastery was built at the site of the apparitions where Matrona lived the rest of her life. In 1904 the Kazan icon that was kept at the monastery was destroyed by thieves. After the communists lost power in the Soviet Union, the City of Kazan became very interested in again having an important Kazan icon for the City. There were rumors in the late 1990s that Pope John Paul II had a beautiful Kazan icon in his personal chapel. Dmitri Khafizov was the representative of the City of Kazan who worked tirelessly over the next five years to obtain this icon for the City of Kazan.

In August 2004 Pope John Paul II gave the icon to Cardinal Kasper, who took it to Moscow and gave it to Patriarch Aleksy. In July 2005 the Patriarch gave the icon to Kazan. There is now a major project to rebuild the monastery at the apparition site and to make a major pilgrimage center there. The communists had converted the monastery into a tobacco factory.

There are many more details to the story that Dmitri will tell you. He has just completed a major documentary film (100 minutes) on the recent history of the Vatican Kazan icon. There is both a Russian and English version. I am sure that Dmitri will give you a copy of the DVD when he comes to Damascus.

Kazan is a city with a population of over one million and is the capital of Tatarstan. Kazan is the largest predominately Moslem city in the Russian Federation. Both the President of Tatarstan and the Mayor of Kazan are Moslem. Tatarstan and Kazan are both known for their excellent relations between Moslems, Orthodox, and Catholics. In 2005, Kazan celebrated 1000th anniversary of its founding of Kazan. For the millennium celebration, the City of Kazan rebuilt both the Orthodox cathedral and the Moslem mosque located in the Kazan Kremlin. The cathedral and the mosque stand next to each other. The City also rebuilt the church at the monastery to be the home of the Vatican Kazan icon. The City of Kazan is also helping the small Catholic parish in Kazan to build a new church.

The Vatican Kazan icon at the monastery in Kazan has already had many visitors including President Putin. Pilgrims have left gold objects at the monastery for favors received through the Vatican icon. Approximately half of the gold objects left were from Moslems. Last November, the Mayor of Kazan and Dmitri visited the mayors of Fatima and Lourdes and were very well received. Even though the Mayor of Kazan is Moslem, he is very enthusiastic about making a major pilgrimage center at Kazan.

Dmitri has recently been considering the name of the pilgrimage center. It appears that it will be named after the Queen of Heaven, because both Moslems, Orthodox, and Catholic can agree that Mary is the Queen of Heaven. (A title such as the Mother of God would be a problem for Moslems.)

In my opinion the new shrine at Kazan can be a symbol and center of reconciliation of Moslems, Orthodox, and Catholics through Mary. It is particularly interesting to me that the same could be true for the Soufanieh icon. The Soufanieh icon is a copy of the Kazan icon. The Soufanieh icon has been particularly associated with the reconciliation between Orthodox and Catholics, and many of the spiritual events involving Myrna and the icon have occurred when Orthodox and Catholic Easters fall on the same date. Soufanieh is in Damascus, Syria, an overwhelmingly Moslem country and city. There seem to be many common features between Soufanieh and Kazan. Maybe Our Lady has a similar plan for both locations and icons.

When Dmitri is in Damascus, it might also be interesting for him to visit the monastery at Saidnaya. As you know, that is also a Marian shrine of great importance to Moslems.

Dmitri will be arriving in Damascus on Friday and I hope that it will be a great visit for all of you.

Yours in Christ and the Mother of God, Peter Anderson

MULTI-MEDIA  AUDIO/VIDEO CLIPS

Holy Thursday - With medias

Kazan - Fatima

Holy Saturday - Oil oozes from Myrna's face, eyes and hands

Easter - Lunch in the Soufanieh garden

Easter - Father Elias resumes Holy Week - French

Easter - Father Elias resume Holy Week - Arabic

MANY MORE VIDEOS IN THE FRENCH SECTION - MOSTLY IN ARABIC