“On December 23, 1982, Our Lady appeared to me as usual; that time too it was a beautiful experience that filled my soul with joy. But toward the end she looked at me with tenderness and said: “At Christmas I will appear to you for the last time.”
At the end of the apparition I was shocked. I had heard well what she had said, but I could not believe it. How could I live without the apparitions? It seemed impossible. I prayed intensely that this would not happen.
(…) I later learned that the last apparition lasted 45 minutes, which was extraordinary. Our Lady and I spoke about many things. We reviewed all 18 months spent together, what we had said to each other and what She had revealed to me. She entrusted me with the tenth and last secret. She said that I would have to choose a priest for a special role. Ten days before the event foreseen in the first secret I will have to tell him what will happen. Then he and I will have to pray and fast for seven days, and three days before the event the priest will reveal it to the world. Each of the ten secrets will be revealed in this way. (p. 142)
Our Lady also gave me a precious gift: she told me that she would appear to me once a year, on March 18, for my entire life. March 18 is my birthday, but Our Lady did not choose this date for this reason. (…) It will be possible to understand why Mary chose this date only when the events that are the subject of the secrets begin to occur. She added that I would have some other extra apparitions.
Then she handed me something like a rolled-up parchment, explaining that all ten secrets were written on it, and that I should show it to the priest of my choice to reveal them when the time came. I took it from her hand without looking at it.
“Now you will have to turn to God in faith, like any other person,” she said. “Mirjana, I have chosen you. I have confided in you everything essential. I have also shown you many terrible things. Now you must bear it all with courage. Think of me and the tears I must shed because of this. You must always have courage. You understood the messages right away. You must also understand that I must go away. Be courageous.” (p. 143)
The roll, beige in color, was made of a parchment-like material—not quite paper or cloth, something in between. I carefully unrolled it and found the ten secrets written in elegant, cursive calligraphy. There were no decorations or illustrations; each secret was written in simple, clear words, similar to those used by Our Lady when she first explained them to me. The secrets were not numbered, but listed in order, one after the other; the first written at the top and the last at the bottom; each event with its date. (p. 144)
Some have said that I am privileged because I know what will happen in the future, but I do not see it that way. It would be much easier if I could reveal everything now; but secrets are God’s will. I am aware of my human weakness and I can say with certainty that I am not the one who keeps the secrets: only with God’s help can I do so. (p. 146)
I unrolled the parchment… My cousin held it in her hand and said she saw something like a prayer or a poem. My friend, on the other hand, said she saw a letter in which a person was asking for help. Neither of us had seen the same thing; I realized that only I could read what was written on it my idea on the parchment: its existence means that I do not have to be alive to reveal the (…) If I forget the details, Almighty God will grant me the gift of remembering them when necessary.
“One day a UN soldier came to our house. “We found your apartment in Sarajevo,” he said, and handed me a package containing our documents. Among them was the parchment. (p. 274 – after the bombing of the city in the Balkan war, Editor’s note)
Our Lady is preparing us for everything that will happen in the world. She is training us for victory. When the events of the secrets manifest, everything will be clear. You will understand, for example, why Our Lady has chosen to appear to me on March 18 of every year and on the 2nd of every month (from 1987 to March 2, 2020, Editor’s note). You will understand the importance of these dates and why she has been appearing for so long. (p. 323)”
