The official announcement of her appearance states very simply:
"Anne started receiving messages from Christ Our Lord, and from the Virgin Mary, years ago. At first she did not recognize them as messages coming from God. On her visit to Medjugorje she experienced a more profound relationship with Jesus and Mary, and began to converse freely with heaven."
Anne herself said: "I didn’t know there were locutions. It felt like the most natural thing in the world." She is an Irish housewife, the mother of six children. Over the next months, it became obvious that Jesus was preparing her to work for Him. Very gently, Jesus drew her into daily recording of His messages. This was the beginning of a series of writings that today are known as the "Volumes". In July 2003, Our Lord indicated to Anne His desire that these writings be published.
Anne is not her real name. The Blessed Mother gave explicit instructions to Anne about remaining anonymous.
"I want you to retain your private life as a mother and wife. Anne, you will speak for Jesus and represent this mission. When you are speaking, You are Anne. When you are working for this mission You are Anne. When you are serving your family at home, or away from home, you are a wife and a mother and you belong to your family."
The messages to Anne were very clear, very strong, and very positive. On May 12, 2005, Our Lord promised:
"You may assure each lay apostle that just as they concern themselves with My interests, I will concern Myself with theirs. I will defend and protect them. I will pursue complete conversion of each of their loved ones."
The messages were given to her through "locution", a form of private revelation in which she hears the voice of God the Father, Jesus, Mary, and the saints. Anne submits all printed materials to her spiritual director, parish priest, and Bishop. She acts in total obedience to these priests, and to her Bishop. Permission to print has been given, always, by Anne’s Bishop. Bahay Maria has published two books, both written by Anne: Climbing the Mountain and The Mist of Mercy. Bill Quinn was the co-author of Anne in the composition of Climbing the Mountain. His Prologue is fascinating.
"I didn’t go to Medjugorje to witness a miracle.
I just wanted a job.
"It was in October of 2004 that my wife and I first visited Medjugorje, the small village in Bosnia Herzegovina – the former Yugoslavia – where the Blessed Virgin Mary has allegedly been appearing and giving messages since 1981. Millions of pilgrims of all faiths had made the journey before us, and at last it was our turn.
"I didn’t expect miracles. I was already convinced. I believed that Medjugorje was a heavenly event on par with Lourdes and Fatima. Out of nowhere came the persistent thought that there could be a role for me there. As a marketing professional for over three decades, I considered that I might help promote the messages.
"One night as I stood just 15 feet from where Mary was appearing to Ivan with her daily message, I felt the urge to entrust myself completely to her care."
‘I’m your instrument’, I told her there in the darkness of that rocky hillside. ‘If you need me, the answer is: Yes. I’m ready to serve.’
"You’re thinking this is where the lightning flash came down from the sky and hit me on the head. Or where I had a life-altering experience? Hardly. What happened is that a large and aggressive group of tourists from Italy crowded in front of me, completely obstructing my view. If Mary had a message for me that night it was whispered in Italian because that’s all I heard. "Instead, her message came to me the next day. "I sat on the patio of the house where we were staying. The home rested at the foot of Apparition Hill. Our tour guide handed me two small books written by ‘Anne’, a woman said to be receiving messages from God the Father, Jesus and Mary. They were the first of a ten-book series known only as ‘The Volumes’.
"As I read, I kept glancing up at the tiny white statue of Mary on the hill. With growing excitement, I turned the pages. Heaven had my attention. I would read a few sentences, look up at the statue barely visible between the branches of the overhanging tree, then read some more. Warm waves of love seemed to flow down and encircle me.
"‘We have to tell the world about these Volumes’, I urged my guide. ‘Never have I read anything so obviously of divine origin, so topical or so urgent.’
"He agreed. And that is how I found the reason that I was called to Medjugorje.
"The message of the Volumes is clear. Jesus is returning to earth to reclaim His Church and He wants us to prepare. His return is not a future event, but a process that has already begun. In this initial stage, the process is occurring one soul at a time.
"The Volumes are addressed to church leaders, priests and religious, mothers, fathers, and children, Christians and non-Christians. They are both a wakeup call and a roadmap. If you listen to the words of the Volumes and follow their directives, your life will change."
Tomorrow, Sunday, at PICC, many Filipinos will listen to those words, as they came to Anne, the Apostle. Bill Quinn says: "Listen for the soft Voice that speaks in your soul as you hear His words." For information on the visit of Anne to the Philippines, and on the times and places where she will appear, contact:
BAHAY MARIA, INC.
95 Amapola Street,
Bel Air 3, Makaty City 1209
Metro Manila
Telephone: 632-8904539
Telefax: 632-6327844
E-mail to: bahaymaria@hotmail.com
You can reach it on Globe by texting: "Reuter@2978"
You can reach it on Smart by texting: "Reuter@236."