Ludmila Mikulčíková

„There were three tickets for the parish here. So the three of us travelled. I did not have a passport, so I went to Hodonín, I had to take a picture and went out to arrange it, and they were laughing, but they did not make any trouble anymore. Maybe they could see that it was going down, so they promised that at midnight we would be back on a special train in Brno, there were three trains prepared out there. And at about twelve we were in Břeclav, but now the customs officers have asked us for goods to declare. Moravian-Slovac region can never go without wine. So off we went. Then, when it was ringing the next day at noon, we arrived in Rome. We prayed and sang.” – “You went to Rome for St. Agnes´ sainthood. How do you recall this particular event?” – “it was very nice and there was much enthusiasm. I had a lot of talk about it, and then it was on TV too, we already had a TV, and I said, "Look well, girls, I was sitting behind that lady, she was also dressed in Kyjov's costume.” We had a great deal of push as we were in costumes. So they encouraged us: "The ones in costumes should go forward ... right behind the nuns.” The priests, nuns and those in costumes were sitting down. I sat in the third row behind nuns. We were excited. Then we went to the audience, as planned, and we sat there in that hall, and František Tomášek suddenly rushed in there. And the Holy Father... He went and the first... there were those, who were from Slovakia, and with the Slovaks we were there together... there were ten thousands of people.” – “You felt just like one family.” – “Indeed we did. So we smiled at each other and handed our hands for a quiet greeting. And then the Father stood up, and he welcomed our Father first. Well, it was a good feeling for us as we thought that he would be the closest thing to the Holy Father in his heart. But when we drove back, it was so enthusiastic. We had already gathered, that was three trains, and I do not remember the station where we met, and the windows were opened, and they called out to each other: “There are nine holes in Berlin in that wall!” They´ve already started breaking down the wall and there was one Marian song heard from carriage to carriage and we were already singing, we were not afraid anymore.“

“The Russian soldiers have not stayed for a long time. As we had those cows and I still remind my sister: ´What did you think to take the cows from the barn of the old lady and lead them through the whole village, when the Russians arrived on horses?´ Two soldiers and a female soldier in the middle. And they rode through the village and looked very well and proud. There were holes and ruins everywhere, and these cows were afraid of their horses, and I was just a girl ... so we let them and brought them home, and there were Russians in our house. And the one soldier came to us the first night and wanted a drink. So my daddy poured him some, but he kept pouring it out and then he was staring at Tonuša [the older sister]... Mom, she was barely alive. And at the same time the commander found out that the soldier was not at home, it was eleven o'clock in the night, so he went looking for him and found him with us and got sent to the front immediately. And in front of our house there were no houses, there were just fields and there were seven cannons buried right there. But I remember such a little poster, such a bony hand with the claws painted, and there it was: 'If I get rid of you, you will perish.' 'It was already a warning from the Germans that communism would rule us. Well it was shown all over in the corners, such a great hand with such nails... on the 19th [of April] the Russians came and they also plundered the fields, which were sown, it was all eaten by the horses. But it all recovered and we were glad to had freedom. But how long for...”