Megan Welsh
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (May 25/05) - Sister Emmanuel, a French nun who has lived in Bosnia-Herzegovina for the past 16 years, recently spent the morning speaking to the students of Ecole St. Patrick high school.

Sr. Emmanuel has spoken all over the world in countries including Canada, Italy and the United States.

Sister Emmanuel of the remote Bosnia-Herzegovina village of Medjugorje, visited Yellowknife recently to tell Catholic school students of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary that have happened in the town since 1981. - Lisa Scott/NNSL photo

The Weledeh Grade 3 Choir, singing "Hail, queen of heaven," welcomed her while Bishop Denis Croteau introduced her and made reference to an old Reader's Digest column, calling her "a very extraordinary person."

Sr. Emmanuel's presentation began with an explanation of her purpose. Sitting on a small chair and dressed in a brown and white habit, Sr. Emmanuel shared the history of the small village of Medjugorje.

Since 1981, six inhabitants of the small village have claimed to receive visions from and of the Virgin Mary.

Sr. Emmanuel's talk focused mainly on a particular vision from 1982, when Mary took two of the children and visited the three states of afterlife: heaven, purgatory, and hell.

Beyond stories of these visionaries, the soft-spoken sister spoke on the benefits of prayer, fasting, and church going.

The hesitant audience opened up slightly to nod, shake their heads, or raise their hands in response to Sr. Emmanuel's questions. However, for several students it was a particularly unique experience. Says student Alex Fischer: "I liked her views of the afterlife itself."

Sr. Emmanuel was both an animated and a gentle speaker. Says Billie-Jean McConnell: "She was a little extreme."

The sister encouraged students to attend church, participate in prayer groups and engage in prayerful conversation with God. She spoke intensively on a list of the five things she deemed important in a spiritually healthy lifestyle: prayer, fasting, regular reading of the Bible, monthly confession and participation in the Holy Mass.

At the end of Sr. Emmanuel's presentation, Bishop Croteau blessed a basket of rosaries and spoke briefly on praying with them.

Roselle Constantino (of the Christian Leadership Team) presented a St. Pat's sweatshirt to Sr. Emmanuel as a parting gift. However, Sr. Emmanuel stayed at the school until noon, conversing in the drama room of the school with students who wished to ask more questions, or learn more about her life in Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina.