CROWN - Croatian World Network - http://www.croatia.org/crown
Mary's Meals - a fruit of Medjugorje initated by Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow of Scotland
http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11189/1/Marys-Meals---a-fruit-of-Medjugorje-initated-by-Magnus-MacFarlane-Barrow-of-Scotland.html
By Nenad N. Bach and Darko Žubrinić
Published on 12/12/2019
 
In 1992, the MacFarlane-Barrow family from Scotland, launched an appeal to help the people of war-torn Bosnia-Herzegovina. Mary's Meals is today reaching more than one million children across four continents. Those involved in the first Mary's Meals projects were all people whose lives had been changed by pilgrimages to Medjugorje. They chose, therefore, to name the organisation in honour of Mary, the mother of Jesus. They consist of, respect and reach out to people of all faiths and none. Mary's Meals are celebrating its 10th anniversary in Croatia, 2009-2019.

We consist of, respect and reach out to people of all faiths and none

Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, Scotland, founder of Mary's Meals




Mary's Meals is a fruit of Medjugorje

In 1992, the MacFarlane-Barrow family launched an appeal to help the people of war-torn Bosnia-Herzegovina.

They did this from their home in Argyll, Scotland: Craig Lodge Family House of Prayer. Craig Lodge is a Catholic retreat centre that the MacFarlane-Barrow family were inspired to open after a family pilgrimage to Medjugorje in 1983.

Donations of food, clothing, blankets and medicine flooded in, and the first batch of aid was delivered to refugee camps near Medjugorje.

The family was overwhelmed by the generous response of the public, and what was meant to be a one-off delivery of aid developed into a rapidly-growing international charitable organisation. From feeding just 200 children in Malawi in 2002, Mary'€™s Meals is today reaching more than one million children across four continents.

Those involved in the first Mary's Meals projects were all people whose lives had been changed by pilgrimages to Medjugorje. They chose, therefore, to name the organisation in honour of Mary, the mother of Jesus.

We consist of, respect and reach out to people of all faiths and none.

Source Mary's Meals



Magnus is married to Julie, a trained nurse from Inverness. She became his co-driver on some of the first deliveries of aid to Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1993, and has been devoted to the charity ever since. They live in Dalmally (Scotland) with their seven children.








MacFarlane-Barrow in Croatia, with Croatian jersey, signed by Luka Modrić

Mary's Meals celebrating its 10th anniversary in Slavonski Brod, Croatia,
in the presence of its founder MacFarlane-Barrow, accompanied with his wife Julie and surrounded by cheerful Croatian supporters.


Mary's Meals celebrating its 10th anniversary in Croatia, 2009-2019

U petak 29. studenog volonteri Marijinih obroka iz Slavonskog Broda organizirali su Donatorsku večer Marijinih obroka na kojoj se u svečanoj dvorana Arena okupilo više od 450 gostiju, a prikupljene su donacije za svakodnevni topli obrok za 590-ero djece. Tamburaški sastav "Evergreen" je zabavljao okupljene, a gosti večeri bili su Julie i Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, osnivač i izvršni direktor globalne organizacije Mary's Meals.

Nakon što se u plemenitost i dobrotu Slavonaca i osobno uvjerio Magnus i njegova supruga Julie, već idući dan, u subotu, 30. studenog je održana glavna proslava 10. godišnjice Marijinih obroka Hrvatska. Podupiratelji iz cijele Hrvatske okupili su se u Zagrebu u Auli magni na Hrvatskom Katoličkom Sveučilištu gdje je program započeo u 19 sati. Pred dupkom punu dvoranu s više od 500 prisutnih proslavu je otvorila Marija Husar Rimac, a tijekom večeri, uz nju, glazbom su okupljene zabavljali pjevači Klape Fjabula.

Proslavu je predvodila voditeljica Jelena Pajić, a na proslavi su, kao i prethodnog dana, s dobročiniteljima bili osnivač i izvršni direktor humanitarne organizacije Mary's Meals Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow sa suprugom Julie. Magnus je svojim motivirajućim govorom potaknuo sve u publici na nastavak djelovanja za najpotrebnije, a Hrvati su mu se zahvalili potpisanim dresom Luke Modrića, kapetana Hrvatske nogometne reprezentacije.

Proslava je završila zakuskom i slavljeničkom tortom, te glazbom i plesom uz Klapu Fjabula. Zahvaljujući velikom srcu prisutnih donacije prikupljene na proslavi u Zagrebu prehranit će cijelu školsku godinu više od 3300 djece. Svojom nazočnošću proslavu su uveličali pomoćni biskup zagrebački mons. Ivan Šaško i gospodin Peter Clements, zamjenik voditelja misije Ujedinjenog Kraljevstva.

Izvor Marijini obroci