Campo Della Vita - The Early Days
La Sveglia -- the man assigned to wake up everyone on the morning of
June 1, 1991, was telling me to pack my bags because I was going to
Medjugorje to open the house there. With two other guys from the same
house, we were taken to Saluzzo, the Mother house, where we joined the
others that were included in this first expedition outside Italy. I had
a lot of mixed feelings, joy and worry, but my spirit of adventure and
my interest in travel was telling me that it was another place where I
had never been. We arrived late morning in Saluzzo, just in time to
fill our big pick up truck with the final tools.
At noon the bell rang. Sister Elvira wanted all of us in the chapel for the Angelus and a moment of blessing for the group that was going to Medjugorje. At first we were 7, and then in the morning she added a couple more. We needed a plumber and an electrician. We all knelt down, and she prayed over all of us. It was an historical moment for Comunità Cenacolo. We were leaving to open our first house outside Italy. The reason was to give thanks to the Blessed Mother for the 10 years she had been appearing. Sister Elvira spoke very strongly of the importance of sacrifice and that we should not expect any of the comforts or conveniences of Europe because there were none where we were going. That was verified from the first minute we got there.
The Small Group
Our little group was Stefano--the future Father Stefano--Claudietto, Antonio, Marcone, Francesco, Dario, Franco, Flavio, and me. We were a combination of very different personalities with a lot of strong wills and lots of determination. Around one o'clock after a quick lunch we left from the bottom of the hill of Saluzzo. We were charged up and ready to start this adventure. We had a double cab truck full of tools, wheelbarrows, shovels, rakes, pick hammers, electrical tools, a generator, and plumbing pieces. Our luggage, which wasn't much, was on top of it all. Since there wasn't much room, we ended up leaving half of our stuff in Saluzzo and never saw any of it again. Our "dependable" vehicle was Regina (Queen), an old Range Rover jeep given to the Community a few years before. Regina was pulling a small trailer that was packed with 10 mattresses, miscellaneous but necessary articles, and all kinds of kitchen items. Charlie, a Community dad, was driving it because he had experience pulling a trailer. We all squeezed in the two vehicles to drive directly to Ancona, where we had to take the ferry to Split, Yugoslavia.
The trip was great, even though we were not moving too fast because our vehicles were feeling the weight, especially "Regina" that was pulling a very heavy, fully loaded vehicle. On our way we said countless Rosaries. I was very excited about this trip. I had heard about Medjugorje from relatives that had gone and had prayed there for me many times, but in those days I couldn't have cared less about the prayer part. Now it was different. With already 7 months in Community, I had begun to open my eyes a little. Francesco and I were the youngest in Community. We did not have any ambitions or responsibilities other than just do what the others were telling us to do.
We made it to Ancona and took the ferry. Charlie worked a deal at the ticket counter so we got a cabin, which meant a nice night of sleep. We woke up at sunrise early the next morning, and from the ferry we could see the numerous islands that are around the mainland of Yugoslavia. We were almost there. Charlie wanted to take a photo, which has since become historical in Community. We were on the boat, all lined behind each other. Now people can see the picture in the Community's latest book called "Mother Elvira."
Arriving in Split
We arrived in Split and had to clear customs, which it was not an easy task with all our stuff. Charlie and Stefano went to the office with all the paper work, letters, and receipts from Italy that showed everything we were carrying in our caravan. A couple of custom guys came to check our passports and check our cars. They tried to go through some of the piles on the truck, but there was just too much. He asked us if we were moving there, since we had household goods and mattresses. In the meantime, Regina was not starting. We had to push it out from the ferry! In trying to get it started, a rush of smoke that wouldn't stop poured out of the muffler. Everybody in the whole area ended up engulfed in smoke! It was a classic Community moment-- the car not starting, smoke everywhere, 10 people try to clear customs, no one knowing the language. At point, for sure through the power of our desperate prayers, the customs guy told us to get out of there because we were smoking everybody out. At that moment Regina finally started, and we got out from the port real fast before they would change their minds. Hooray! We made it! We said a nice Rosary in thanksgiving.
We were in Split, a pretty sea town that was pretty hot on that day. Struggling with the language barrier, we still managed to get directions to the Cathedral of Split to visit Father Jure, a priest friend of Sister Elvira. He welcomed us with kindness and enthusiasm. We received the gift of Mass right away and then ate lunch. Then we had to wait a while to go to the airport to pick up Sister Elvira and Anna, a lady friend of hers. Sister arrived on time, as always full of life, energy, and joy. We made room for them in our already over packed vehicles. It was pretty late when we left from Split to go to Medjugorje. Normally it's a good three hour drive through the mountain, but we were so packed that our vehicles were struggling to make it, so we went very slow. But with Sister you never get bored. She was telling stories and never lost a chance to nail anybody for whatever we were saying. It didn't matter what it was -- you got a big "shampoo" anyway!
In Medjugorje At Last
When we finally arrived in Medjugorje, it was around midnight. We pulled up to the statue of the Blessed Mother in front of the church. All of us and Sister knelt in front of it for a nice prayer, thanking her for all the protection. It was pitch dark, with not much movement in this small village of Medjugorje, which the Blessed Mother had chosen as the place of apparition to draw thousands of people to her Son Jesus. We met Crisian, a Croatian guy who was a very good friend of Sister Elvira. He had done an experience for a year in Community earlier. Finally we drove to our site. I didn't know what to expect because the last time that Sister was in Medjugorje was four years earlier, and she hadn't seen the property since then. It was so dark when we arrived at our property that you couldn't see a thing, but there was not much to see, because there was nothing. Four of us unhooked the trailer and threw a few mattresses on the rocks to sleep there and to guard all our belongings. The rest of us went to sleep in Crisian's house. I was so tired that I do not remember many details of the house. An early morning wake up from Sister brought us back quickly to our property.
When I saw it, I could not believe it. We were in a field (campo) with only rocks of all sizes, some really huge. There was nothing else. Well, almost nothing else. A mountain of trash covered one part of the property. Basically, our land was the dump for the village of Biakovic that surrounded us. With the fact that we were foreign and nobody was there, people used our campo to dump all their garbage. Our caravan was parked in the middle of the property. Right away we started to clear the trash, trying to get rid of as much as we could that first day, at the same time working on how to level the ground with all those rocks. There was also a big hole that had been dug before, which eventually became a water tank.
A Simple Existence
The first day we opened the veranda of the little travel trailer and got everything out. It became our kitchen and Sister Elvira's living quarters. I was assigned to prepare the site where we could pour the cement slab for our tents. One tent was going to be the kitchen and eating area, another the bedroom, and the third would be the chapel. After the initial shock, we started to get excited and we worked really hard. Sister was constantly on us, pushing us to work harder and faster to create a little form from this place of nothing. Our plumber hooked up the water that a neighbor of ours let us use. The electrician got the generator running to give power to our mobile kitchen. Our bathroom was four poles with a tent all around it and a hole going through the stones. Everything was very rudimentary and Spartan.
We located the area where we decided to pour the slabs in the shape of an L for the three big tents that we brought from Italy. Since the property was so uneven, that meant that we had to flatten the rocks in some areas and fill in other areas. The ground was not level at all, and we had to move a lot -- a lot -- of rocks. That was my job with some other guys. Sister was constantly on our case. No matter what you did, nothing was right. Even though we were working as hard as we could, she was giving us one shampoo after another. At one point I remember being so frustrated that I did not know what to do anymore. I did know what rocks to move because, no matter what you did, nothing was ever right. The rocks were either too big or too small or you were putting them in the wrong place. Nothing was ever right. Sister Elvira was just screaming at us all the time.
We had dinner close to our small trailer. Then we went to a nearby house, where the Blessed Mother appeared to Viska, one of visionaries. She wanted us to be there to be blessed by the Blessed Mother in this land. It was an experience of mixed feelings for me. I did not know what to think. I was only in Community for 7 months, so I felt overwhelmed by everything. After the apparition, we were just so exhausted that we threw our mattresses under the veranda of the trailer, said a Hail Mary, and crashed. It was our first full day in Medjugorje.
Beginning Our Work
The next day we began to adjust a little bit. Sister Elvira was keeping us going from the moment she was up to the end of the day that she when she went back in her trailer that was the main kitchen and her sleeping quarters. What energy she had! It was my first experience of really spending the whole day with her. I was surprised to see her energy, and I felt almost fearful, because nothing was right. We had a goal that by the time Sister Elvira had to go back to Italy we had to have the slabs done to set the tent for our dormitory, the tent for our chapel, and the tent for the kitchen and dining. The days passed by. We had a little corner that we used as a chapel, and we listened to Sister give long catecheses on the way we did things, the way we worked, and none of it was ever good.
In the summer of the late 80's, Sister Elvira used to come from Italy with a group of guys to take them camping in Medjugorje. They had a concrete mixer that they left behind when they returned to Italy. Well, we managed to locate it and get it back. We worked very hard to prepare the site and then pour the cement. I remember that the concrete mixer was yellow and worked with diesel fuel. It needed a few adjustments, but when a guy got it in shape, you could hear the sound of our mixer going all day. I was mixing concrete every day with Claudietto and, no matter how I did my job, nothing was ever right. The weather was not helping because it was very sunny and hot, but by the time she left, everything was up.
In the meantime, we got situated a little bit at a time. The family of Maria, another visionary, was giving us the milk for our breakfast. Then there was a place where we could get bread. We had some pasta that we kept under the mattresses, along with other food we brought from Italy. People were starting to bring some vegetables, mostly cabbage and potatoes, so we were surviving. We knew that the Blessed Mother would take care of us. Twice a week Ivan, another visionary, had a prayer group. He always invited us to go to play music and then say the Rosary right before the apparition at the blue cross. Our Community life was going, and we were settling in as a group. Stefano was providing the equilibrium to a lot of strong personalities. He selected three guys to be in charge. For sure, I was not one of them. I was just struggling a lot to listen. When we got the tent up, we were able to put up folding beds that someone gave to us, plus we had the mattresses. I really enjoyed sleeping in the tent at night. I got the feeling that we were camping out!
Taking Shape
In the meantime "il campo," the field, was taking form. We found an area where we wanted to build three showers and a sink for washing our clothes. Claudietto was the master mason, and I was his helper. We located the area, ran a few pipes to drain the water into the hole between the rocks, and we started our project. It took us a good week. By Saturday, shower day, we had the showers done in blocks with an open roof, no hot water, but the guys where just so happy to take a shower. Saturday was the only day we had a shower. The other days we were using a bucket of water, and we were washing our self in a basic way, but nobody complained. We were all very motivated to be there, and we knew inside our heart that something very special was beginning.
The anniversary of the apparition, June 25, was getting close. Sister was coming back for it. In the meantime, a lot of pilgrims were coming into Medjugorje, both local people and foreigners. It was the 10 Anniversary. That was the reason we were there. When Sister arrived, she was really happy to see our progress. On the vigil of the anniversary, there were more than 10,000 people going to the hill of the apparition. We all got there and our job was to help those that were struggling to walk on those tough trails. It was beautiful to see the candlelight procession of all those people. On top of the hill we sang all kinds of beautiful songs to the Jesus and to the Blessed Mother and said the Rosary kneeling on stones. We waited for the apparition of the Blessed Mother and listened to the message that one of the visionary was telling to the people. Even though in those days I did not understand the faith at all, something always touched me. I always got a feeling of peace was surrounding me while we listened to the messages that pretty much always focused on giving ourselves to Jesus, on peace, and on being faithful in prayer. It was an interesting feeling that I had inside, but I was not yet ready to open my heart!
The Pilgrims Arrive
On the day of the apparition, a lot of pilgrims came to our campo, and we began to welcome them, sharing who we were and giving short testimonies. The people were touched, and they began leaving small donations. A priest came to celebrate Mass under our tent that was packed with people. We were all boiling because it was 11 a.m. and the sun was biting. The priest was sweating like crazy. More and more people kept on coming in, so we tried to open the side of the tent to make more space and get some air! People came all day long. We got really excited to see so many people interested in the Community. There was not too much to show so our tour was quick. We could not offer much more than a glass of water, but we could see that we were touching them. The anniversary was a very special day, and I was so impressed just to see all those people.
The War Begins
The next day we got word that Croatia had demanded independence from Yugoslavia. That was the beginning of the war. In few days all the pilgrims left to go back to their own countries. A lot of foreigners that were living permanently in Medjugorje decided to leave. I was not aware of what was going on because we did not have any contact with the outside. The only thing that I noticed was that at one point nobody was coming to the Community any more. The small village of Medjugorje was pretty desolate. You could only see local people. Basically all the pilgrims, different religious communities, and other people that had decided to live in Medjugorje were all gone. Even though I was in Community, it was clear that something was not right. We kept on going up the hill of the apparition to say our Rosaries and have our "condivisione" (sharing). I could see the old ladies already coming down the hill, and they looked worried! At one point, we could hear war planes and bombing from far away! I was not worried, but my morale was going down, because a lot of the stimulation to keep going was seeing all the people coming to our "campo." Without it, I lost the "grinta" (drive) and went in deep crisis.
The Persistence of Sister Elvira
During all this, on June 1st Sister Elvira blessed 7 guys from Italy that she sent to open the house in Split (Croatia). Another house was opened. Sister was not worried at all about the war! We kept on going with our campo. The tents were up, and it was looking like a camp ground. The outdoor showers and laundry area were done, and we washed our dishes. We tried to locate an area to put the chickens someone had given us. Somebody else wanted to give us a few goats. We cleared another area to start a little garden. We started building a wall around the property with rocks. We tried to level some of the ground, filling it with more rocks. My job was pushing the wheelbarrow all day. The son was hot, but we were living Community well. I was very fortunate because there was a great group of guys, and we were very united. I got over my crises by breaking rocks and pushing wheelbarrows. It made me feel much better.
The reality of no pilgrims meant not much Providence coming in. We finished all our food from Italy, but we still had a lot of cabbage, potatoes, and onions. The menu was pretty much the same, but honestly we were not complaining. We were just happy to be there in this blessed land.
TO BE CONTINUED!!