Do You Carry an Assault Weapon?

It was a question asked recently by Fr. William Casey at the 2015 Marian Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona. Clearly, it got the attention of attendees. Father William Casey, from the Fathers of Mercy Congregation in Auburn, Kentucky, is a fiery speaker often seen on EWTN during the Lenten Season, who has the uncanny ability to convey Catholic teachings in a tremendously charismatic way. The former U.S. Army officer clarified his question after a sufficient dramatic pause, by taking a rosary out of his pocket; holding it up and explaining what a powerful spiritual weapon it is in our daily fight against evil in today’s world, if we Catholics were just more willing to take it with us into spiritual battle. Yes! What Fr. Casey said resonated in me, because I know it can also be a powerful spiritual weapon for nations, too. I was a witness to a real, modern day, David and Goliath event twenty years ago when a weak and fledgling people went up against one of the most powerful armies in Europe, after asking the Blessed Mother to protect them in their struggle against Communism and Atheism – two isms that are determined to abolish any devotion to her Son.

In 1991, when the winds of freedom were blowing across all of Eastern Europe, Croatia declared itself free from the Communist state of Yugoslavia. The Yugoslav Army was considered to have the fourth largest army in Europe and the Croats had only their strong Catholic faith in God and their devotion to Jesus and His Mother. Eighty-seven percent of Croatians are Catholic and the historical, cultural and religious bonds between the Church and the people are so strong that it would be impossible to tell where one begins and the other ends. Against all odds, the Croatian people voted, through a referendum in May 1991, to declare independence from Communist oppression.

I was compelled to tell Fr. Casey how right he was, that I knew his statement was not simply hyperbole, because of what I witnessed in Croatia between 1991-1995. I saw first hand what happens when a nation, fighting evil, turns to God in prayer. In the early months of the war, Croatian volunteer soldiers, wearing tennis shoes, confidently marched to defend their borders, wearing rosaries around their necks and carrying nothing more than a hunting rifle over their shoulder. Did I mention they wore rosaries around their necks?

During that horrific period, Yugoslav soldiers, displaying the red star of Communism, would enter Croatian towns and villages with the goal of killing, or displacing, the civilian population. The practice was later referred to as “ethnic cleansing”. Almost immediately, their next plan of action was to demolish and level the Catholic churches and graveyards, but not before desecrating the statues and religious objects left inside. According to the Croatian Catholic Bishops Conference in 1996, there were 571 churches and cemeteries razed in this manner during the four years of war against Croatia, including the church in my ancestral town of Petrinja.

However, killing Catholics - an estimated ten thousand - and destroying church buildings did not, and could not, destroy the Church as an institution in Croatia. Nor could it break the bonds that Croats had with the Catholic Church. And no amount of oppression could curb the devotion that Croats had for or Blessed Mother and her Son.

It was both chilling and epic for me as I witnessed Yugoslav tanks emblazoned with the red star of Communism roll past houses and apartments on their way to cause more destruction. It was chilling, because of the overwhelming military power of the Atheist regime. It was epic, because of the homemade banners that adorned the homes lining the street calling on the protection of our Blessed Mother. The signs in the Croatian language read: “Mother of God Protect Us.” Then, in 1993, the Croatian Parliament - the new nation’s elected representatives - made the country’s devotion to Mary official by declaring her, “The Protectoress of Croatia.” When have we ever heard of that in our time? It was clear to anyone observing that the nation had turned to God in prayer. Then in 1995, with the help of God and the intercession of Mary, the fledgling state was able to reclaim all the occupied territory by pushing out the last remnants of the Atheist regime’s powerful army in just a few days. Today all 571 of the Croatian churches destroyed by the Communists have been rebuilt.

I certainly am not a theologian. However, I can write what I personally witnessed just twenty years ago. I know that there is no better time to ask His Mother and ours for protection than when a nation faces tremendous evil. While Jesus was dying on the Cross, He commanded the Apostle John and us: “Behold your Mother!” There is no better way to behold our Mother than by praying the rosary as we confidently march into spiritual battle with her at our side.