Mother Elvira: a modern day Saint!

Dearest Ones,

If you have not already heard of Mother Elvira, I'd like to introduce you. Mother was born in Hungary in 1927 and lived there with her parents and seven siblings. Because her father was a drug addict, he was constantly changing jobs, so her mother worked two jobs to earn a living for the family. They were very poor and suffered as all poor people do from shame and want. Often, her father would wake her up in the middle of the night to ask her to go to the store and get cigarettes for him. She would be very much afraid in the dark, but she knew she had to go. Because of her experience with a father who was addicted, when she grew older, she had a heart for drug addicts and felt called to help them. In 1986, 25 years ago, she became a Sister and started a treatment home for drug addicts in Medjugorje, in Bosnia, where the Blessed Mother has been appearing to several young people for the past 25 years. She dedicated the home for drug addicts to the care of Jesus and Mary, Our Mother. The entire treatment is based on prayer. Those who come for help are asked to pray the Rosary each morning at 5:30 am. While on a pilgrimage to Medjugorje in 1999, I visited this home and prayed the Rosary with the 75 men, ages 18 through 40, in the early morning hours. This particular home was for men only, although there are now homes for women, too. People who are admitted must come voluntarily and with their parents. Whatever the reason for the addiction, whether it is family problems, hereditary reasons, love substituted with material things in their home or other reasons, parents must come and meet with those in charge. There are no doctors, psychiatrists and no government help. It costs nothing to become a member of this community, but members must go by the rules. Mother Elvira says it is God's community, so He takes care of them. Donations come just when they need them most. There are now over 60 of these communities all over the world, with one in Florida. Members help each other to get well by praying together, pointing out mistakes in a kind manner and by loving acceptance. Some have not talked to their parents for years because of past hurts. All need forgiveness. This takes time. Others have spent years in solitude, hating themselves and their parents. Some stay in the community for several years, while others remain there permanently, in order to help others. Four have become priests and are now helping other addicts. For the first couple of weeks, a "guardian angel" is assigned to new members. This angel, a former addict, never leaves the new person alone, day or night. Adoration of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament for one hour is a big part of each day for each person - even if a person comes with no faith at all, they are asked by Mother Elvira to simply spend the time in prayer as the others do. It is not long before they, too, are able to pray. The Holy Spirit works inside each one, bringing peace and joy. Holy Mass is also a vital part of the day. No one is excused from the religious devotions. People live together in small groups of eight in little houses, built by the members themselves. Everyone is asked to work, to share and to pray together. The cure rate in Mother's communities is 90%, while in all other drug programs, it is less than 50%. I feel the most important thing about Mother Elvira is that she, who had experienced a most hurtful childhood, used that experience to help others. Instead of feeling sorry for herself, she felt her father's addiction was a "school," where she learned compassion and caring. She could not have learned this in a university. From her mother, she learned forgiveness (her mother taught the children to respect their father as she realized he had a sickness.) Generosity was also learned from her Mother. Often, the family had little food, however, at breakfast, when each child had a dish of corn meal mush, she insisted that each take one spoonful and put it in a dish in the middle of the table, then someone would take this dish over to a poor sick neighbor. No matter what has happened to us in our childhood, we can use the experience to help others. One young man, who comes from a Christian family of five children, became an addict and was healed in the community. Right now, he is the only one of his siblings, who practices his faith. He thanks God for His addiction because without it, he says, he would not depend on God. Each Saturday night, he gets up at 2 am and makes a Holy Hour for drug addicts. Mother Elvira now lives in Italy and carries the love of Jesus to the sixty communities of addicts all over the world. She is a living example of how Jesus takes care of us, if only we TRUST IN HIM! Each of us has our own experience - we are not all called to do the same thing, but if we pray to the Holy Spirit, he will show us how to use our experiences to bring others to Heaven!

My love and prayers,
Sister Francelle