Miraculous happenings are being reported in a church in Istria.
A middle-aged woman is standing at the entrance to the church. She opens the door and steps in. But, something does not allow her to enter. There is some force which is pulling her back… This is just one of many testimonies about strange energy present in Batvači near Vodnjan. Many people who come to the local church dedicated to St. Fosca say that miracles are taking place there, including healings from serious diseases. Also, women who could not get pregnant for years become pregnant soon after visiting the church, reports 24Sata on December 21, 2015.
In Istria there is a saying: “Saint Fosca, many miracles”. Former police officer Zlatko Moslavac (54), who lives near the church, experienced one such miracle. “I had a tumour in my head which just disappeared after persistent prayer”, claims Zlatko who was a police officer for 20 years. “It was a stressful job, especially during the war. It all happened in 1994. On the right side of the head, I felt a lump. With each passing day it grew bigger and bigger”, Zlatko said. It finally reached the size of an egg. He went to medical exams, but doctors initially thought it was just an ordinary fat tissue. They scheduled an outpatient surgery under local anaesthesia, but the half hour surgery stretched into three hours. “During the operation, I heard them saying that it was ‘not just fat tissue’. But, they did not tell me anything”, said Zlatko. Doctors later called Zlatko’s wife and told her: “Your husband has cancer…”
“I was desperate. I heard about a lady from Sarajevo who cured cancer with herbs. I wanted to see her, but she told me that there was war in Sarajevo and that she could not help me”, Zlatko said. But, the woman from Sarajevo told him: “In the vicinity of the town where you live there is a sacred place. Go there and be persistent until God helps you.” The woman was talking about the St. Fosca church, and Zlatko did as he was told. “I was saved from certain death by faith and prayers. I went there every day at 7 am for prayer for 30 days. At the end, there was no tumour, and I felt better”, said the former police officer who still regularly visits the church.
The pastor of the church Marijan Jelenić confirmed his story. “It is not unusual that people get healed in this place, and miracles have been observed here for years”, said the pastor while showing the items which the faithful left to the church in gratitude.
Last summer, physiotherapist Bernard Nikšić Nado from Osijek visited Istria several times. “A friend who came to the church near Vodnjan told me that she sat on a stone bench in front of the church and her hair was pulled forward, as if a strong wind was blowing through the wall of the church. But there was no wind. I managed to photograph this event”, Nikšić Nado said. He added that his friend, before her arrival to St. Fosca, had cancer with metastases, which completely disappeared after several visits.
“People come here from all over the world. Some women have even become pregnant after been unable for many years. According to my knowledge, there are 26 such women”, said Dragutin Vlašić.
Although many claim that their health improved in the church, and that they were even cured of deadly diseases, the Church has not officially recognized the miracles of St. Fosca. The Church officially recognizes healings only after doctors certify that they do not know how the disease was cured. The church of St. Fosca has no such cases, so officially the Church cannot talk about such events. However, many find their peace there, and in some inexplicable ways feel overwhelmed with positive energy. The first record of healing in the church of St. Fosca dates from 1681, recorded by Bishop Giacomo Tommasini. Every year on the feast of St. Fosca several thousand people come to the church for mass and prayer.
