[Five Spiritualities Testimony] “Why Do Pilgrims Keep Going to Naju?” I couldn't understand!

“Why Do Pilgrims Keep Going to Naju?" My Honest Experience

Cecilia Park Ji-eun

My name is Cecilia Park Ji-eun from Dae-gu, South Korea. At first, it was not faith that brought me to Naju. Rather, I wondered, "How could someone tell such outrageous lies that people fall for them like that?" My aunt was even called a Naju fanatic, and she had drawn my parents into it as well. So I came to Naju to see for myself, determined to prove that it was truly a cult and to help them realize the truth.

Although I was born into a Catholic family, before I began making pilgrimages to Naju, I had distrust toward the Catholic Church and a very negative prejudice against Naju. In fact, I was one of those who thought it was nothing more than a so-called total cult.

At first, I came to Naju with a painful back and even with the unrealistic dream of winning the lottery. But during the meeting time, through Mama Julia’s prayer, my painful back was healed as if it had never hurt!

From that moment on, my heart gradually began to open. Our Lady of Naju welcomed me with the fragrance of roses. The scent was incredibly sweet and beautiful.

I went up to the Blessed Mother’s Mountain, where I showered with the Miraculous Water. With my aunt praying for me, I—who had been quite a heavy smoker—found that even the thought of smoking disappeared.

Later, while touching the feet of Jesus on the Mt. Calvary at the Blessed Mother's Mountain in Naju, I prayed. And the heavy cross began to move slightly, and whenever I prayed and made my petitions to Jesus, that heavy cross began to sway back and forth very strongly! 

When I first visited Naju, the Cross, which had never shaken before—and which I had never seen shake like that even when others prayed. So, I began to wonder, “Could it be that they are watching me through CCTV and somehow manipulating the Cross to make it move?”

With that suspicion, I carefully looked around to see whether there were any CCTV cameras installed nearby or if there was anything under the Cross that could be used to control it, but I found nothing.

Still unable to believe it, I raised my hand once again, and the Cross began to move again. From that moment, a flood of indescribable emotions welled up inside me, and tears started to fall. 

Afterwards, as I prayed the Stations of the Cross, memories of how wrongly I had lived my life until now came to mind, and I felt deep regret. When I finally reached the Crucifix of Mt. Calvary, tears poured down, and one by one I began to forgive the people whom I had not been able to forgive before.

And while touching the feet of Jesus on the Mt. Calvary at the Blessed Mother's Mountain, I prayed, “Please help me quit smoking, reduce my drinking, and lose some weight.” As if Jesus were responding to my prayer, the Cross began to shake even more strongly.

Before I came to know Naju, drinking and smoking were a given in my life. I was obsessed with nightlife—nightclubs, clubs, host bars, and bars—spending over two million KRW a month on it and living for pleasure. 

But Jesus on Mt. Calvary granted me the grace of repentance. He began to change the life from which I could not escape, helping me quit smoking and gradually reduce my drinking and the pleasures of nightlife and worldly entertainment.

To be honest, even after receiving such great graces, I still faced many temptations. At first, as Mama Julia had said, I tried to live by practicing the Five Spiritualities. However, there was a coworker who made my life extremely difficult. That person slandered me so badly that I hated him to the point of wanting to kill him, and I could not forgive him. Using that as an excuse, I began to drink frequently, and whenever I drank, I started smoking again as well.

At first, I told myself it would be just for one day: “I can stop tomorrow. Anyway, I’m going to Confession next week, so I might as well confess everything all at once then.” With that kind of mindset, I gradually stopped going to church. I even looked for a lawyer to file a defamation lawsuit against the coworker who had spread false rumors about me. 

I became consumed with thoughts like, “How can I kill that guy?” Eventually, I decided to stop going to church and to end my pilgrimages to Naju. I thought that such a good and upright life simply did not suit me and that I was a person who could never truly change.

Then, on August 14, my aunt called me and told me to go to Naju and forgive him. But I firmly refused, saying, “I don’t go to places like that anymore, and I will never forgive that crazy guy.” At that very moment, however, the crucifix that had been brought from Naju suddenly caught my eye.

The Naju crucifix had a hammer and a pair of pliers on it. Then I saw the hammer suddenly stick to Jesus’ hand, as if He were holding it. I was truly shocked, and I said, "I will go to Naju."

The next day, I came to Naju on August 15. I went to Confession and then began praying the Stations of the Cross. From the beginning to the end, I could not stop crying. 

When I finally looked at Jesus on Mt. Calvary, my heart, which had been filled with anger and hatred, became truly peaceful, and I was able to forgive the person I had hated so much that I once wanted to kill him. 

Then, while touching the feet of Jesus, I prayed, “Lord, I am sorry. I have truly done wrong. And thank You so much for leading me to repentance like this. Now, please help me completely quit so that I will not even think about alcohol or cigarettes.” As I prayed like this, the Cross began to shake tremendously. It was the strongest response I had ever experienced in my life.

After that, there were still many temptations to join drinking gatherings. Sometimes I would pour water into a soju glass and offer it up as if I had drunk alcohol. Now, even the smell of alcohol or cigarettes makes me feel sick, and I have been able to quit both completely. Even I myself am truly surprised and amazed at how much I have changed.

Around October, the younger brother of my director suffered a stroke. Although he passed the most critical stage, the hospital said there was nothing more they could do, so he was discharged and admitted to a nursing facility. He had no consciousness and was simply lying there, only blinking his eyes. The director knew that I attended the overnight prayer meetings in Naju, so he asked me, “When you go to Naju, please pray for him.”

So I offered prayers to Our Lady of Naju for his healing. Then, while touching the feet of Jesus on Mt. Calvary and praying, the Cross again shook strongly. I gave the Naju scapular and the Miraculous Water to my director and told him, “Please apply the Miraculous Water to his head and also give him a little to drink. And if you put the scapular around his neck, I’m sure he will get better.” I comforted him like this.

About two months later, I became curious about how his younger brother was doing and asked about him. The director smiled and said thank you, telling me that now his brother could walk well on his own and speak normally. The hospital had said there was absolutely no hope for him, yet he was healed like that.

Lastly, my father once fell while working at his company and was rushed by the 911 emergency service to Se-gang Hospital. After a CT scan, the results showed that his third lumbar vertebra had been completely shattered, and they said he would need surgery the next day.

The hospital had told him not to drink even a single drop of water before the surgery. But my father said he was very thirsty, so he drank three drops of the Naju Miraculous Water that my aunt had brought. The next day, he said his back felt better and insisted on being discharged from the hospital.

The hospital performed another CT scan, and unbelievably, the shattered bone had rejoined. Because of that, he was able to be discharged immediately.

At that time, I thought the doctor must have been a quack who had made a misdiagnosis, so I absolutely did not believe it. But now, through that grace, even my father—who was so stubborn that even Kim Il-sung (North Korea's dictator😂) could not have overcome him—was transformed.

My maternal grandmother fell on Lunar New Year’s Day and seriously injured her back. My aunt brought her some Naju Miraculous Water that Mama Julia had prayed over. At our house, there had also been Naju Miraculous Water on which white milk had appeared and flowed down. We took that Miraculous Water to my grandmother’s house and applied it to her. After applying it the first time, her back was healed the very next day.

I give my deepest thanks to our Lord and the Blessed Mother for granting these immense graces that could never be bought with money. I am also grateful to Mama Julia, who always suffers in love on our behalf for the sake of these great graces. I offer all praise and glory to the Lord and the Blessed Mother. 

April 14, 2018

Cecilia Park Ji-eun from Daegu, South Korea

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