Priest Leonid, a Redemptorist from Ukraine, took part in the 15th international seminar for priests in Medjugorje and gave testimony, first to other participants and then to the radio station Mir Medjugorje. We publish this testimony, as it sounded from the mouth of the priest.

“My first pilgrimage to Medjugorje was connected with my duties and my priestly vocation. Namely, in 2005, the local church entrusted me with a great responsibility and gave me a heavy burden – to serve as an exorcist. The first months and the first year were filled with God’s love and grace, but also with great difficulties and temptations. One of the greatest difficulties occurred during one exorcism session on a possessed person. That person spoke to me in a very rough, fear-filled voice: “I am terrible, I am powerful, and I will destroy you.

I will destroy your priesthood and your whole life.” Although it sounded pretty bad, I didn’t take it seriously at all. After all, I had a strong faith in God and had no reason to doubt. I also knew that if I had a fear of the devil, it would look like I was missing something. But the Lord allowed this situation to happen and I am going to share with you how great and powerful His Mother is and what a holy place Medjugorje is.

When I was in great pain, when I was suffering, and when I was tempted daily, I could not pray at all. I went to confession every day, but Satan tempted me every time. The temptations were so strong that I completely lost peace in my soul. And not only that. I also felt that I had lost my priesthood and calling. I felt like a complete destruction of my life was taking place. In those difficult moments, when I still could not understand what was happening to me, someone suggested that I go to Medjugorje. And I went. I was with a group of priests. I could not pray even when they were praying. During that pilgrimage, I met a priest, Father Ambrosius from Slovakia. He completely devoted his life and vocation to working with people from Ukraine in the Zakarpattia region. He came to Medjugorje shortly after his heart attack; and also had diabetes. He was a Franciscan priest who had been to Medjugorje five times before. He moved me greatly with his life and humility. He became my friend. I helped him, held his hand, since he was an older person.

Once we were climbing the Mountain of Apparitions and there was an apparition to a visionary. Everything was crowded with people, priests. I sat next to Fr. Ambrosius and turned his back to the place where the apparition was. I felt completely unworthy to be there.
But while praying the Rosary, I felt a desire to look in that direction, to see what was happening there. At the same time that I felt this desire, another inner voice told me not to look there. “You’re a loser and you’re going to end up in hell,” was what I heard. It was awful. But those first, positive feelings directed my gaze to the place of revelation. I started looking and looking for a sign. Maybe I should have seen something at the end. Hope was slowly beginning to appear in me, but there were also new arguments that my humiliating situation would not change. But I believed in that decisive moment. Just for a moment. And at the same moment, when the answers to the questions became more and more, I was able to feel how Mary descended from Heaven to this world. It was very scary at that moment because the feeling of another world was so strong. And then I was soothed by a gentle, light touch, like a gentle breeze of Mary’s presence. She came closer to me. And while she was near me, the power of evil disappeared. I was experiencing a new discovery in my heart. I was able to feel how powerful Her presence is, how humble She is. Then I realized that Mary did not cast out the evil spirits, but they themselves fled. They cannot resist Her purity and the beauty of Her presence. She does not humiliate them and does not drive them away. She just loves them and they can’t stand it! Following this, a change of spirits took place in me. The spirit of Satan, the spirit that destroys, is gone along with depression and fears. The spirit of Mary took the place of this spirit. In my heart I heard a voice: “Do not be afraid, I am your Mother! I promise that no one will destroy you and that you will never stray from the right path.”

Everything has changed. The fact that I experienced the presence of Mary was a miracle of love that saved me, my vocation and my life! I began to feel Mary’s presence during every exorcism session I performed. I will share with you just one of many examples. Our priests dealt with one possessed girl who came to confession to a young priest who had recently returned from studying in Rome. And when he was giving permission, that person, or rather Satan in that person, hit the priest so hard that he immediately fell down. Then the same girl started calling another priest in a very strange voice. The priest got scared and called me. After some time, that girl was next to me and I began to pray over her. When I began the exorcism prayer, I immediately understood her diagnosis: the girl was strongly possessed, and I invited five believers to pray as well. When I recited traditional exorcism prayers, Satan just laughed. He spoke to me in English, humiliated me and laughed at me all the time. Then I began to pray to Mary. I was very exhausted and started to get nervous. I felt that I needed to finish the prayer, but the evil spirit did not leave. It was the spirit of suicide. I called out to Mary with all my heart, just as a child calls out to its mother. And at that moment there was a shrill cry: “I can’t stay here anymore, here Maria, I have to go away.” And the spirit left. This is just one of many such cases.

During these five years, when I was entrusted to perform exorcisms, I experienced many temptations and trials. I have had them so far and I know I will have them in the future as well. But Maria keeps me in her heart. I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT MEDJUGOR AND JERUSALEM ANYMORE. I need to be in Medjugorje and Jerusalem every year. This is what faith means to me. Here I receive faith, blessings and grace. I am grateful to Dear God that I can testify to the grace of Mary in this way. It is my wish that each of us would love more and more our Blessed Mother, the Mother of God. She is our mother. She loves her children. She is ready to do whatever Her children ask of Her. I believe that if it were not for Her presence, we would all be destroyed. That is why we should try to live every second of our life with Her. I feel a personal invitation to help other people to come to Medjugorje, to bring here all the people who are experiencing extreme spiritual suffering.”

In conclusion, Father Leonid blessed all the listeners of Radio Mir.
at. Leonid, exorcist, priest, life