Other Outreaches
Caritas of Birmingham has a long list, from the beginning of its founding in 1986 until this present day, of successful projects aimed at the promotion of Our Lady of Medjugorje, Her plans and the inculturalization of the messages, as well as to support the conversion of those who have begun to follow Her way.
Caritas of Birmingham began publishing the Caritas of Birmingham Newsletter in 1987, and Words of the Harvesters newsletter in 1995. These newsletters are still being written by A Friend of Medjugorje and are widely read among 120 countries around the world.
Caritas of Birmingham distributes A Friend of Medjugorje’s writings, booklets, books, and audio CD’s that have impacted millions of lives, healed thousands of marriages, led many to the Catholic faith, helped to birth many religious vocations to the priesthood and religious life, and helps to support the tens of thousands that follow these writings in living Our Lady’s messages in their daily lives.
Caritas of Birmingham produces the cutting-edge website, Medjugorje.com, that provides information on Medjugorje not available. It promotes not only the event of Medjugorje and the facts of Medjugorje, but, most importantly, the application of Our Lady’s messages to every facet of life.
Radio WAVE is also a production of Caritas of Birmingham, through the website, Medjugorje.com. It is a webcast that is hosted by A Friend of Medjugorje, who gives the opportunity for Medjugorje believers around the world to listen in every 2nd and every 25th of the month to a discussion on Our Lady’s messages given on those days to visionaries Mirjana and Marija. WAVE stands for Worldwide Ave, and many of its listeners have expressed their gratitude to have a way to connect with others whenever Our Lady gives a message. Caritas of Birmingham is active in creating other programming. Their most recent edition to Radio WAVE is a Thursday program called Mejanomics, in which the current economic situation is discussed in light of Our Lady’s messages.
Caritas of Birmingham has in the past and is currently running a very successful billboard campaign, exposing millions of new people every day to Our Lady’s presence in Medjugorje. These billboards are being placed around the country. Caritas of Birmingham was first involved with a similar program in the early 1990’s, and they just recently resurrected the program announcing Our Lady’s apparitions at Caritas for July 1-5, 2009. The program continues, and billboards around the country continue to attract newcomers to Medjugorje.com and the knowledge of the apparitions taking place in Medjugorje.
There have been many prayer initiatives that have come through Caritas of Birmingham, initiatives that began years ago, but because of the spiritual benefit multitudes experienced through them, have become annual events that are still going strong. Every year Caritas of Birmingham announces the Caritas Community’s nine-day bread and water fasting novena in which hundreds of others join for the conversion of self, family and nation, as well as personal intentions. This powerful fast has had as many as 2,500 people participate in it at a given time. Every year for the past 17 years, Seven Novenas are prayed by tens of thousands of people, one each month, the first beginning on June 25th, going for nine consecutive days, and the last beginning on December 4th, also for the reconciliation of ourselves, our families and our nation back to God. These novenas culminate in The Five Days of Prayer held every year from December 8th through 12th, at Caritas of Birmingham.