Hrushiv, Ukraine is the site of several apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Hrushiv in the 17th century:
In 1637 the Blessed Virgin first appeared here in Hurshiv. People gathered from the entire area to see the apparition, which lasted into the next day The villagers planted a willow tree in honor of her visitation. Sometime around 1790 a spring, said to have healing powers, miraculously appeared beneath the willow tree. An an icon of Our Lady was placed above the willow tree and Hrushiv became a place of pilgrimage.
The authorities opposed the site it and had the stream contaminated.
But this is just the beginning. There were two apparitions reported here in the 20th century that were unusual, in that they were some 73 years apart.
The Shrine was closed after the Bolshevik revolution in1917, when Ukraine came under the control of the USSR.
The first apparition of the 20th century in Hrushiv:
The first apparition occurred On May 12, 1914, two weeks before the start of World War I, and pre-dates the apparitions of Fatima regarding Russia. Our Lady appeared to 20 people, asked for prayer, hope, fasting, and penance. The Blessed Mother warned: “There will be a war. Russia will become a Godless country and Ukraine, as a nation, will suffer terribly for 80 years and will live through the world wars, but it will be free afterward.” that there would be a war, that Russia would become a Godless country and that Ukraine would suffer for eighty years before becoming free again.
Her prediction came to pass as the country suffered under communist rule that included persecution, engineered famine and more.
The second apparition of the 20th century in Hrushiv:
On April 27, 1987 the Blessed Mother appeared again at Holy Trinity Church in Hrushiv. It was the Feast of the Ascension, exactly one year after the nuclear reactor disaster at Chernobyl. In this instance, not a few, but thousands of witnesses reported having seen the Virgin Mary over a four month period that ended on August 15, 1987 (the Feast of the Assumption).
Her message was “Do not forget those who have died…Chernobyl is a reminder and a sign for the whole world.”
She then urged disciplined, Christian fortitude, “Forgive your enemies. Through you and the blood of the martyrs will come the conversion of Russia. Repent and Love one another…Teach the children to pray. Teach them to live in truth and live yourselves in truth. Say the Rosary. It is the weapon against Satan. He fears the Rosary. Recite the Rosary at any gathering of people.”
She said their suffering would come to an end and one day Ukraine would become an independent state (Ukraine became an independent state on August 24, 1991).
Here is a youtube video describing the apparition
Among those witnessing the apparitions of Our Lady was Josyp Terelya. His book tells of amazing resistance as a prisoner of the KGB.
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