The Field (ACHUKAbooks)

by Bill Nagelkerke

  Two Petitions

  Dear Jinta,

  My kat is very il. Plese pray to Mary to mak him betetr. Thnk yu.

  My dear child,

  I cannot begin to say how moved I am by your predicament. I pray that you will have the courage and strength that you need to sustain you in the times ahead. I wish I could be there on July the twenty-third, but I cannot. I have to look after my elderly mother. She suffers from dementia, which as you may or may not know, means that she has lost the faculties of memory. When I was a little girl my mother, a devout Catholic, presented me with a holy picture of Our Lady, upon which she had written the beautiful words, A true child of Mary never gets lost. I hope my dear Jacinta that Our Lady continues to look after you and I ask you, if you are able, to intercede for me to Mary that she will never let my dear mother, a true child of hers, be utterly lost either. I enclose an icon of Mary for you as a sign of my sincerity, and send my very best wishes to you.

  Transcript of television prime time extended news item

  Reporter

  How can you be sure this ‘lady’ wasn’t just a television personality? I mean, a reporter or news-anchor or the like? Someone you’d perhaps never seen before?

  Jacinta

  Because she was talking to me and not to anyone else. One second she wasn’t there, and then she was, and then when she’d said what she had to say she was gone. Just like that.

  Reporter

  And this happened without you having to turn the television set on?

  Jacinta

  That’s right.

  Reporter

  Could it have been some sort of electrical fault that made the set switch itself on?

  Jacinta

  I don’t know about electrical faults. All I know is that it happened three times.’

  Reporter

  You’re a Catholic, aren’t you Jacinta? Go to a Catholic school, attend church, and all that?

  Jacinta

  Yes.

  Reporter

  Every day? Do you go to church everyday?

  Jacinta [Shakes head and smiles.]

  Every week. And sometimes we have a class mass on Wednesday morning.

  Reporter

  And do you study Mary at school?

  Jacinta

  Yes, sometimes.

  Reporter

  So isn’t it possible that because of going to church and learning about Mary and seeing pictures of her and so on, that your imagination got, shall we say, a little carried away?

  Jacinta

  It wasn’t my imagination. I saw the Lady, and she told me to tell as many people as I could to come to the Fi . . . to Southerham Stadium on July the twenty-third.

  Reporter

  OK, I hear what you’re saying. Bishop Harris, what do you make of all of this?’

  Bishop

  Well, Jacinta is obviously a sincere and well-meaning child, but in a case such as this, where someone reports having had an encounter with Our Lady we - and by we I mean the wider Church - have to consider all the facts very carefully.

  Reporter

  The Catholic Church accepts, doesn’t it, that Marian apparitions have occurred?

  Bishop

  Most certainly. But this acceptance doesn’t happen overnight. A great deal of investigation has to first take place. And so far there’s been nothing except Jacinta’s verbal testimony to suggest that anything has happened at all.

  Reporter

  What sort of investigation exactly?

  Bishop

  Well, obviously the reliability of the visionary and of any witnesses, the accuracy of their descriptions, the evidence presented . . .

  Reporter

  To come down to brass tacks, do you believe a word of what Jacinta is saying?

  Bishop

  It’s not a case of whether I personally believe or disbelieve her.’

  Reporter

  But Bishop, surely you must have an opinion, a gut-feeling, if nothing else?

  Bishop

  As I said, it’s not a case of opinions or “gut-feelings.” It’s trying to establish the truth.

  Reporter

  How long does it take to establish that?

  Bishop

  How long is a piece of string? Of course I can’t say.

  Reporter

  Within four weeks?

  Bishop

  I would say four weeks is highly unlikely.

  Reporter

  After the four weeks are up?

  Bishop

  No.

  Reporter

  So the best we can do is to wait and see what happens on the night?

  Bishop

  People shouldn’t make up their minds, one way or the other, based on what happens or, what’s more likely, doesn’t happen on the twenty-third. I can’t tell Catholics or anyone else who may be interested and curious not to go to the Stadium, but nor can I encourage them to.

  Reporter

  Will you be there on the night Bishop?

  Bishop

  At this stage I will be out of town on July twenty-third.

  Reporter

  Jacinta, given what you’ve told us you’ve seen, and the instructions you say you’ve received, what do you want to see happen?

  Jacinta

  I hope that the rugby people and the Council people will let us have the Field, I mean the Stadium, on that Saturday night.

  Reporter

  What if they say to you that you can’t? What will you do then?

  Jacinta

  I don’t know. I just hope they will.

  Reporter

  And pray, I suppose?

  Jacinta [Nods]

  I suppose.

  Media Statement from TekNat Arena Management

  TekNat Arena’s Management are delighted to announce that the new and innovative TekNat Arena has been completed on schedule and within budget. The first test match to be held there will go ahead as planned on July 23rd. The match proper will begin at 7pm but will be preceded by festivities and the official opening of the venue by the Prime Minister. As a consequence Southerham Stadium will no longer host major games and will be demolished before the end of the year to make way for additional car parking. The car park facilities will include a stopping point for the light rail link that is being built between the central city and the arena. Various individuals and community groups have asked to use the old stadium in the interim for non-sporting occasions. Management has referred, and will continue to refer, all such requests, including one to host a religious event on the night of the new arena’s opening, to the stadium’s owners, the City Council, with the recommendation from Management that the Council not approve this particular request for the reasons outlined in the appendix below.

  Minutes from City Council Meeting

  i) Report, with appendix, received from TekNat Arena Management.

  ii) Discussion followed concerning the availability of Southerham Stadium for individuals and groups.

  iii) Decision to consider each application on its own merits.

  iv) With regard to application by the family of Jacinta Grogan, Councillors have decided to ask Council Officers to investigate further and to report back to Council with recommendation within seven days.

  Report from PORF (Parks and Other Recreation Facilities) Unit

  Council Officers have investigated the situation with regard to the request made by the Grogan Family to use the Southerham Stadium on the evening of July twenty-third. According to latest census figures the number of Catholics in this country stands at just over half a million. This is enough to fill the Southerham Stadium fifteen times over. If just five percent of Catholics decided to attend the Grogan Family Event the Stadium would be filled to near capacity. Our research shows that there is some real interest in, and support for, this event both among the Catholic residents of the city (who easily make up five percent of the national Catholic population overall) as well as members of the public at large, not to mention nati
onal and international media. Therefore Council Officers recommend that the Grogan Family request be approved by councillors. Although a ‘go-ahead’ may have some impact on the numbers attending the test match at the TekNat Arena, the Parks and Other Recreation Facilities Unit believes that the economic benefits to the city of both events occurring will be significant enough to warrant this ‘go-ahead’. PORF has detailed the minimal costs associated with the use of the stadium for the Grogan Event, chiefly safety, security and lighting. Council will of course need to decide whether or not to pass these costs on to the Grogan Family.

  Minutes from City Council Meeting

  i) Report received from PORF (Parks and Other Recreation Facilities Unit).

  ii) Council has decided to approve Grogan Family’s request for use of Southerham Stadium for the evening of July twenty third.

  iii) Following a cost/benefit analysis, Council has also decided to cover the costs associated with such use, given the economic benefit to the city of two large winter events taking place instead of a single event.

  Dear Mr Grogan

  Thank you for your application for the position of head Groundsman at TekNat Arena.

  Unfortunately, because of the very large number of applications, we regret to inform you that on this occasion your application has been unsuccessful.

  We would like to thank you for making yourself available for interview and hope that you will apply for one of the two assistant groundsman vacancies which will be advertised in due course.

  Yours faithfully,

  On behalf of TekNat Arena Management.

  Letter to all parishes, from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference (Extracts)

  Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

  . . . although the claim by Jacinta Grogan has not been, and may never be, proven and therefore approved by the Church, your Bishops have agreed to sanction attendance by the faithful at the Southerham Stadium on July twenty third . . .

  . . . as with all Marian apparitions, past and future, nothing that is revealed during and through such an apparition can take the place of official Church teaching . . . Catholics may be permitted to believe but they are not required to.

  . . . your Bishops will continue to investigate the claims made by Jacinta Grogan, especially following Saturday July 23, but it should be remembered that such investigations will, in all likelihood, take a considerable time. There are many precedents for this approach. We refer, for instance, to the first and only approved Marian apparition in the United States of America in which Mary appeared to a visionary, also three times. Approval was given just recently, one hundred and fifty years after the apparitions first took place, as long ago as 1859 . . .

  Newspaper article

  Gathering gets go-ahead

  by Jon Rivers

  Jacinta Grogan, the twelve year old girl who claims that Mary, the Mother of God, has appeared to her with a message for her city, and the world, is elated that the City Council has agreed to make the Southerham Stadium available to her on July 23, the date on which Mary told Jacinta she would be appearing to her once more, this time with a message to share with everyone present.

  Since this story broke, there has been an escalating level of interest in the event. Police took the unprecedented step of ensuring the safety of Jacinta and her family after crowds began to gather outside the family’s suburban home. Jacinta has been unable to attend school for the past two weeks and has not been able to worship at her local church for a similar length of time.

  It seems that people do not want to miss anything that might occur before the date set down for the fourth apparition. I spoke to some of them as they waited in the cold and dark outside Jacinta’s home.

  ‘I want to be here when Mary comes again,’ said one woman. ‘Maybe it will be on July 23, but who can be sure. It may be earlier. If I miss out, I’ll be devastated.’ Another said she didn’t know what to believe about the whole thing but she was curious. The possibility of being part of a moment in history meant that not keeping vigil outside the house was not an option.

  One elderly man told me that he was afraid of what was happening to the world. ‘We’re destroying ourselves, what with all the toxic gasses and other pollutants,’ he said. I asked if he thought that Mary’s message might have an environmental focus, and he agreed. ‘Of course. She was a woman of the world before she became God’s mother,’ he said. ‘I’m sure she’s here to help the world recover from itself.’ His wife added, ‘Just look at what’s happening everywhere. Tornadoes flattening towns and cities, floods, fires, ash clouds, earthquakes, wars, you name it. It has to end, otherwise there’s no hope for any of us anymore. No hope at all.’

  Hope seems to be the key to understanding the emotions that underlie the intense interest in Jacinta Grogan’s visions of Mary. Whether people are simply ‘suspending their disbelief’ or whether they truly believe, is not always clear. Some have come along just for the ride. ‘The whole thing smacks of a freak show’, one bystander said to me. ‘But hey, who cares? In the depths of winter a good story is what’s needed to keep us warm!’ We await with interest to see and hear what happens on Saturday.

  St Sebastian School Wikispace

  Mrs Prentice’s Class

  We’ve missed having Jacinta in our class these past couple of weeks but we understand why it has been too difficult for her to attend regular school. I have been visiting each day with lesson plans and homework, as well as taking along messages and drawings from Jacinta’s class mates. It’s hard for any of us to know what to think and believe. None of us has been in a situation like this before. The students in Jacinta’s class have written some of their thoughts and messages on the Student Pages. This has been a helpful way for them to sort out their mixed thoughts and feelings.

  Student pages (some examples)

  Jacinta is my best friend. I miss her. I’ve talked to her on the phone once but her landline is always busy now. We’ve sent txts to each other, though. She’s so glad that her Dad agreed to ask for permission to use the old stadium. It was a difficult thing for him to do, she txted me. Jacinta says she saw the lady, Mary, for real. I believe her, but not everyone in our class does. Stay staunch Jac! Xanthe

  I’m not sure what to think. It may be true or it may not be. Mrs Prentice says she doesn’t know for sure either. She says this sort of thing has happened before, but never in our country. It’s a first! We’ve learnt about Mary in class, and about the messages she’s given to other kids in the past. I think she is a neat lady. I hope Jacinta is right. It would be good to know what Mary wants us to do. Ella

  Jacinta is a cool person but sometimes I think she has been a little sad lately. Her Dad has lost his job at the Field. That’s what Jacinta calls Southerham Stadium. It’s her favourite place. I think everyone must have a favourite place. I can imagine what it must feel like to know that you might never be able to go back to your favourite place. I don’t know what to say about Mary. I thought only saintly people could have visions and stuff. Jacinta is a very nice person, like I said, but she isn’t a saint, not in my opinion. Courtney

  Father Dunally, that’s our PP (Parish Priest), has been to our class to talk to us about what has been happening with Jac. He says it’s early days yet, and we will just have to wait and see what happens. But not for much longer, thank goodness. Jacinta’s big day is July 23. What will happen then? We’re all waiting with bated breath. I want to go along to the stadium to find out but my Dad says he had already bought the tickets for the rugby test so we can’t let those go to waste. I guess I’ll hear all about it later, when Jacinta’s back at school. And even then we may not know much more than we do now, Father Dunally says. He says the Church (that means the Bishops and Cardinals and Popes) will have to find out if what Jacinta saw is true or not. Sometimes they can take a long time to decide on anything. Reuben

  I like Jac, too, and think she’s cool as well. But I don’t believe she saw what she says she saw. Sometimes kids want more atten
tion. I think that maybe that’s what Jac wants. Sorry Jac, but I have to be honest. Your friend, Cody

  Followers of Jacinta Grogan.com [Updated July 16]

  The Followers of Jacinta Grogan are delighted that the Bishops’ Conference has given their stamp of approval to the gathering of the Faithful in Southerham Stadium in a week’s time. We will post again very soon about the practical arrangements for getting to, and into, the Stadium – accommodation, transport and the like. Our key message at this point in time - come early to avoid getting snarled up in the rugby crowd. They will be in the area as well, for the rugby test match at the nearby new TekNat Arena.

  Keep coming back to the official Followers of Jacinta Grogan website. Meanwhile, add your comments here.

  Comments

  [Simon] Great news. Am already packing. Look forward to the great day. Can’t wait to find out what Our Blessed Mother has to say to us.

  [Margaret] Thanks for doing such a great job keeping us all informed. I think this will be the event of the year. Of the decade. Of the century! Hail Mary!

  [Connor] I watched the old black and white movie The song of Bernadette the other night. Hadn’t seen it for years. The credits were rolling and I read the following: For those who believe, no explanation is necessary; for those who do not believe, no explanation is possible. That says it all, doesn’t it?

  [Rhys] COMMENT BLOCKED BY WEBMASTER

  Transcript from Documentary One

  Presenter

  Good evening. Tonight my guest is psychologist Miriam Harwood. Miriam, I want to talk to you about these supposed ‘Marian apparitions’ that have occurred recently. What’s your opinion?

  Miriam

  Well, opinion it will be. I haven’t had the chance to speak to, much less observe, the child at the centre of the ‘apparitions’, so I will only be able to speak generally.