On June 24, 1981, the eve of the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, two young girls were walking a small hamlet in Bosnia-Herzegovina, when a woman holding an infant appeared high on a hill among the boulders and brambles of Mount Podbrdo. Instinctively, they knew it was the Virgin Mary, but they did not approach her. They and four other children felt called to return the next day, and Our Blessed Mother drew them to her, effortlessly transporting them up the mountain, over boulders and thorny bushes. The Blessed Mother introduced herself as the Queen of Peace. They fell to their knees and began to pray. She prayed with them and promised to return the next day. Our Lady has regularly appeared in Medjugorje ever since, as have countless stories of conversion and miracles, making the apparitions of Our Lady in Medjugorje one of the longest and most fascinating in modern church history.
More than 40 million pilgrims from around the world have flocked to the small village, which is named Medjugorje. Pilgrims attend Masses at Medjugorje’s St. James Church during the day and the evening Mass is celebrated outdoors to accommodate huge crowds. They fill the lines at the various confessionals of many languages. They climb rocky Podbrdo, now called Apparition Hill, which bears a statue of Our Lady marking where she allegedly appeared. Pilgrims also climb up the larger Mount Križevac, praying the Stations of the Cross, whose summit lifts up a 40 feet tall white cross built by villagers in the early 20th century.
Franciscan priests have administered to the needs of the souls of the Croatian people in the parish and region with its Mediterranean climate and fertile plains for farmers and vineyards since the 13th century, and they have been closely involved with the visionaries and pilgrims from the start of the apparitions.
The six visionaries, now adults, are Marija Pavlovic-Lunetti, Ivan Dragicevic, Vicka Ivankovic-Mijatovic, Jakov Colo, Mirjana Dragicevic-Soldo, and Ivanka Ivankovic-Elez. While Vicka, Ivan, and Marija still receive a daily apparitions at 6:40 p.m., the others do so now only on particular dates. Mirjana received a monthly apparition in addition to a visit from her Mother in heaven on March 18, her birthday. Ivanka sees Our Lady once a year on June 25, the anniversary of the first apparition, and Jakov once a year on Christmas Day.
Identifying herself as the “Queen of Peace,” Our Lady came to Medjugorje to show the faithful the way to peace and to bring people to her Son, Jesus.
On July 30, 1987, she gave the following message: “Dear children, this is the reason for my presence among you for such a long time: to lead you on the path of Jesus. I want to save you and, through you, to save the whole world. Many people now live without faith; some don’t even want to hear about Jesus, but they still want peace and satisfaction! Children, here is the reason why I need your prayer: Prayer is the only way to save the human race.”
Our Lady of Medjugorje has emphasized “five stones” that we are to use “to defeat Goliath” (cf. 1 Samuel 17:40). They are:
- Daily prayer, especially the daily rosary.
- Fasting — on Wednesdays and Fridays because, through fasting, wars can be stopped and natural laws suspended.
- Reading the Bible daily and placing it in a prominent place in the home.
- Confession. According to the visionaries, Mary requested regular monthly confession: “Monthly confession will be a remedy for the Church in the West. One must convey this message to the West.”
- Mass and the Eucharist: Our Blessed Mother has emphasized Sunday Mass and receiving the Eucharist in a state of grace. Our Lady has also spoken of the importance of going to daily Mass when possible.
On September 19, 2024, the Vatican released a note from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith sharing the Church’s current ruling on the Medjugorje phenomenon, under the new norms of classification of alleged supernational phenomena state. Their ruling of nihil obstat—or “no objection”—is the highest and most positive ruling that is currently allowed to be made. This ruling does not mean that something supernatural has or is occurring, but instead means that there are positive fruits and evidence the Holy Spirit is active. It also means that “no aspects that are particularly critical or risky have been detected, at least so far.”
At a press conference held at the Vatican Press Office, Cardinal Fernández, on behalf of the Dicastery, expressed the relief of pilgrims worldwide: “This determination indicates that the faithful can receive a positive stimulus for their Christian life through this spiritual proposal, and public worship is also authorized.” . . . “The faithful can go freely on pilgrimage to Medjugorje, to experience the spiritual fruits that have matured there and receive a positive stimulus for their Christian lives.”
For an inspirational read of amazing conversions as a result of the Medjugorje apparitions and to read an account of the very first apparitions, see the best-sellers, FULL OF GRACE: Miraculous Stories of Healing and Conversion through Mary’s Intercession and OF MEN AND MARY: How Six Men Won the Greatest Battle of Their Lives.
