Regarding “Vatican approval affirms pastoral care for those who believe,” Feb. 21, Page 5:

I enjoyed your revealing article about Medjugorje. Your thoughtful reporting included insightful quotes from Jeff Pettit and Diane Puncochar, who are instrumental in helping pilgrims. I’ve appreciated many of your articles over the years. I hope future articles may expose others to Medjugorje — which I believe will eventually prove to be an incredibly important supernatural event of our time. As you know, apparitions of the Mother of God have occurred at pivotal times throughout Christian history.

I first visited Medjugorje in 1993. I’ve since learned that the real value of our Blessed Mother’s visits are the messages. She truly is a mother who is concerned about each of her children (us). I can’t say that I experienced anything miraculous during that visit, but I came away convinced that it’s legitimate.

Many years later, my adult son Kenny and his family were vacationing in Europe. Kenny is a software engineer with a very scientific mind. With healthy skepticism, they decided to make a side trip to Medjugorje. It proved to be a life-changing event. They experienced the miracle of the sun. He said, “I’ve always believed that God exists, but now I don’t just believe, I know!” He came back and made a commitment to help other people visit Medjugorje and has arranged to send dozens of pilgrims.

Ken Paulsen

Southwest Portland