The first miraculous healings occurred 50 years after the establishment of the pilgrimage site, and even today, they continue to happen, more or less well-documented.
Every day at Brezje, miracles of conversion occur during confession, as thousands seek peace of heart and, through God’s intervention, receive it.
In gratitude for the many answered prayers and countless graces granted by the Mary of Brezje, pilgrims leave votive images and other objects in the chapel, reminding them of her help. Expressions of thanks and petitions are preserved in hundreds of pilgrimage books.
However, it is important to note here that not all extraordinary events have received official confirmation from the Church; thus, the Church has not recognized them as miracles due to a lack of evidence and other facts essential for the rigorous process. Nevertheless, these accounts hold significant human value.
In 1863, an eighteen-year-old girl, Marija Tavčar, from Begunje near Lesce, was healed. She had been so debilitated by epilepsy that she could no longer go anywhere. For a long time, she lay bedridden, barely able to move. Various treatments had no effect on her.
The doctor from Tržič, Tomaž Pirc, whom she had sought for help, told her directly that, as a doctor, he could not assist her. Therefore, she decided to seek healing from Mary Help of Christians. She was brought to Brezje, where, during Holy Mass, she fervently prayed to Mary to be able to walk again.
Suddenly, she felt that she could move her paralyzed leg. She stood up and, to the great amazement of those present, set aside her crutches. On that very day, September 22, 1863, she returned home healthy. She lived to the advanced age of 85. Married as Lusik, she passed away in Begunje on May 21, 1931.
Marija M. from Smokuč near Radovljica also heard about the healing of Marija Tavčar. At the age of 21, she suffered from such severe headaches and rheumatism that sometimes she could not eat or drink for an entire week, and from time to time, she was even unable to speak.
After seven years of constant head pain, the illness progressed to the point where her right arm became twisted at the elbow. Then the disease also curled the fingers of her left hand, leaving her unable to help herself. Trusting that Mary would have mercy on her, she was brought to Brezje on October 5, 1863.
Here, she prayed to Mary Help of Christians to at least recover enough to be able to eat and dress herself. She attended three Masses. During the elevation of the second Mass, she was struck with such intense pain that she collapsed in a faint. Gradually, her arm straightened at the wrist and elbow and became flexible. During the final Gospel of the third Mass, the young woman was able to make the sign of the cross with her right hand for the first time in seven years.
Among the many people and several priests who witnessed all of this was also the 13-year-old A. B. Jeglič. He often proudly recalled that he had personally been a witness to the miracle that occurred through the intercession of Mary Help of Christians.
On the left side of Mary’s chapel, among many images, hangs a painting of a priest celebrating Holy Mass before Mary’s altar. Beside him lies a sick woman on a bed, surrounded by her weeping family. The inscription on the painting recounts another miraculous intercession: “O Mary, may you be venerated and praised forever, for on February 17, 1864, in this very chapel, you heard my prayer. You miraculously healed my dangerously ill sister – the mother of seven small children. Witnesses to this miraculous healing are all the inhabitants of Dvorska vas (Dobrepolje) and everyone who saw the poor, sick woman.” – Martin Ambrožič, priest.
On the left side of the chapel also hangs another large oil painting, in which a local woman from Brezje, Marija Finžgar (Tončkova), gives thanks for her healing, which occurred through Mary’s intercession during Mass on August 15, 1907. Interestingly, it was her son, Alojzij, known by his religious name Fr. Jozafat Finžgar, who saved the miraculous image from the occupiers and brought it to Ljubljana by a secret route.
In more recent times, much attention was drawn to the healing of 9-year-old Antonija Krajnik from Godešič, in the parish of Reteče near Škofja Loka. When the girl was seven years old, she was so frightened by a dog that she became paralyzed. Her mouth became twisted, her growth was stunted, and she could not walk without assistance.
When medical science failed, her devoted parents entrusted her to Mary Help of Christians. On Sunday, November 13, 1938, her mother brought her to Brezje. During the 10 o’clock Mass, at the moment of the elevation, the girl suddenly stood up without any assistance and said loudly to her mother, so that those present could hear: “I am going to Mary.”
She truly began to move on her own toward Mary’s altar, where she remained until the end of the Mass. Those who had seen the girl earlier, when her mother carried her in her arms, and then later walking on her own, were moved to tears by Mary’s help. Immediately after the service, a record was made, precisely describing the entire course of the event. Several eyewitnesses confirmed everything they had seen and heard in close proximity with their signatures.
The healing was permanent. The happy recipient of the miracle lived for many years as a Sister of Mercy under the religious name Sr. Nežka Krajnik in Luján, Argentina. By profession, she was a professor at a university for kindergarten teachers. Years ago, she returned to Slovenia and now lives in Šentjakob ob Savi (near Ljubljana).
On the 30th anniversary of her healing, she herself testified: “I have completely forgotten how I traveled to Brezje. But I clearly remember that after the elevation, I stood up, felt no more pain, and was so happy that I cannot explain it to you. After this event, I was completely healthy and could walk and run like I did before I was sick… I wish that my life would be lived in gratitude to Mary and that I could show her, even in some small way, that I love her and am deeply grateful for the immense grace she granted me.” – Luján, Argentina, October 25, 1968.
Other answered prayers are testified by the votive images, which thousands of believers have brought in gratitude for their fulfilled petitions. Some of these are preserved and displayed in the Museum of Votives and Nativity Scenes.
Many answered prayers, however, are not immortalized in stone, wood, or parchment but are indelibly written in the hearts of grateful believers. Physical healings are outwardly visible, while spiritual healings usually remain hidden; yet these are of far greater value, as they reach into eternity.
(Father Otmar Vostner)
