Medjugorje 43 Years of Apparitions

 

Queen of Peace
1981 - 2024
 

Last News:

Pope authorizes pilgrimages to Medjugorje

The announcement was made by the Apostolic Visitator, Henryk Hoser and the Apostolic Nuncio. Ad Interim Director Gisotti: "Attention given to favouring and promoting the fruits of good", but this does not mean "an authentication of known events".

Medjugorje is one of the villages of the Western Herzegovina municipality of Citluk in the former Yugoslavia. The name Medjugorje is Slavic and means "area between two moutains". This true story takes place in the Bijakovici section of Medjugorje. On the afternoon of June 24, 1981, two girls, Ivanka Ivankovic, age 15, and Mirjana Dragicevic, age 16, were returning home from a walk. Looking toward the hill called Crnica, Ivanka saw a bright silhouette of a woman. She said to Mirjana, "It is the Gospa!" (Our Lady).

On June 25, the two girls returned to the hill with four others. Their names are, Vicka Ivankovic, age 16, Ivan Dragivevic, age 16, Marija Pavlovic, age 16 and Jakov Colo, age 10. A figure in white was calling them to come up the hill. The children were somehow transported in some mysterious way to a beautiful Lady who calls herself, the Queen of Peace. The Lady gives messages to the seers for the whole world. To date, the Queen of Peace has left thousands of messages. At first, the messages were almost daily. Now, for the past several years, they come on the 25th of each month.

The visionaries describe Our Lady as beautiful beyond words; radiant with holiness. Her conversations with the children have taken the form of motherly tenderness and love, and she has taken the role of both mother and catechist in advising and directing their lives. She greets them with, "Praised be Jesus, my dear children." At the end of the apparition she says, "Go in peace, my dear children." She appears to the six visionaries as a three-dimensional real image and always appears amid brilliant flashes of light. Her appearances generally take place about 6:40 pm every day. In Medjugorje, thousands of people come daily at this time to participate in the event with prayer, song, the rosary and the Mass, which is often concelebrated by thirty or more priests. The entire evening service lasts about three hours. And this has been happening daily since 1981!  

The 6 visionaries of Medjugorje:

• Marija Pavlovic-Lunetti was born on April 1st, 1965
• Vicka Ivankovic-Mijatovic was born on September 9th, 1964
• Ivan Dragicevic was born on May 25th, 1965
• Mirjana Dragicevic-Soldo was born on March 18th, 1965
• Ivanka Ivankovic-Elez was born on June 21st, 1966
• Jakov Colo was born on March 6th, 1971

During the apparitions, the visionaries do not react to light, they do not hear any earthly sound, they do not react to being touched. They have been subjected to many scientific tests even during the apparitions, and the findings are well documented. While with Our Lady, they feel they are outside time and space.

All the visionaries declare in substance:

• We see the Blessed Virgin as we see all other people. We pray, we speak with her and we touch her.
• She stressed: "Peace in the world is in a state of crisis. Mankind must be reconciled with God and with one another."
• She promises us she will leave a visible sign at the place of the apparitions in Medjugorje, for all humanity.
• The Blessed Mother promised to confide secrets to us.
• This time, this period of grace, is urgent. After the visible sign, those still living will have little time for conversion. For that reason, the Blessed Virgin invites us to urgent reconciliation and conversation.
• The Blessed Mother continues to invite us to prayer and fasting: "You have forgotten that with prayer and fasting you can stop a war from happening. You can suspend natural laws."

"According to the united testimony of the visionaries, Our Lady, on the occasion of her apparition gave a series of messages, to be transmitted to the people. Even though there are many messages, they can be summarized in five themes, because all the messages basically underline or lead up to these five. General themes of the messages:

PEACE

"Peace, peace, peace and only peace". (June 25, 1981)

Mary has told the children that she is Queen of Peace and she invites us to peace in four ways: peace in our hearts through reconciliation. This is achieved through her request for monthly confession; peace in our family by making God the center of our homes; peace in the community by love and forgiveness of our neighbor. Finally, peace in the world by conversion and union with God.

FAITH

Faith - believe in God. It may sound simplistic, but in this world of unbelief and pagan lifestyles - belief in God is of major importance. In response to the children's questions, our Lady said her favorite prayer is "The Creed", and she urged that we pray it often.

CONVERSION

"You of the parish, be converted: this is my second wish. In so doing, all those who come here will be able to do likewise". (March 8, 1984) "Tell all my sons and my daughters, tell all the world. as soon as possible, that I wish for conversion; the only word I say to the world is: Be converted".

PRAYER

"Without prayer there is no peace. Therefore, dear children, I urge you to pray for peace before the Cross". (September 6, 1984) "Today I wish to make you this request: PRAY, PRAY, PRAY, PRAY! In prayer you will find the solution to every difficult situation. Thank you for the progress you are making in prayer! Each on of you is dear to my heart, and I thank all those who have encouraged prayer within their families". (March 28, 1985)

FASTING

The Virgin Mary asks that we fast on bread and water on Wednesday and Friday. If we can not fast on bread and water, we should fast from other pleasures, such as television, and things that distract us from prayer. Fasting and prayer together are necessary to help us convert. It shows us our dependence on God and opens our hearts to His grace. Fasting takes power away from the devil.

The Secrets

Our Lady began imparting secrets to the visionaries in Medjugorje very early on. She has told the visionaries that each of them would receive ten secrets. Our Lady has imparted these secrets to the six visionaries progressively over these past 18 years. Three visionaries have received all ten, and subsequently, they have stopped having the daily apparition with Our Lady. The other three each have nine. The secrets pertain to the visionaries themselves, to the Church, to the sign, to all humanity, and to everyone, and to the whole world and to Medjugorje. The ninth and tenth secrets are grave matters. They are a chastisement for the sins of the world. The punishment is inevitable because we cannot expect the conversion of the entire world. The chastisement can be mitigated by prayers and penance. It cannot be suppressed. An evil which threatened the world, according to the seventh secret, had been eliminated through prayer and fasting according to Mirjana.

The Warnings and Lasting Sign

Before the visible sign is given to humanity, there will be three warnings to the world. The warnings will be warnings on the earth. Mirjana will witness them. Three days before one of these warnings, she will advice a priest of her choice. Mirjana's testimony will be a confirmation of the apparitions and an incentive for the conversion of the world. After these warnings, the visible sign will be given for all humanity at the place of the apparitions in Medjugorje. The sign will be given as the testimony of the apparitions and a call back to faith.
After the first warning, the others will follow within a rather brief period of time. It is so that people will have time for conversion. This time is a period of grace and conversion. After the visible sign, those who are still alive will have little time for conversion. For that reason, the Blessed Virgin calls for urgent conversion and reconciliation. The invitation to prayer and penance is destined to ward off evil and war and above all save souls. We are close to the events predicted by the Blessed Virgin. Convert yourselves as quickly as possible. Open your hearts to God. This is a message to all mankind.

The news that Our Lady might be appearing immediately began to attract pilgrims to Medjugorje, first from the surrounding countryside, and then, despite the communist government of that day, from Europe and the whole world. These included clergy and theologians, as well as experts from the physical and medical sciences who testified to some kind of phenomenon taking place when the apparition was said to be occurring. The private judgement of these early visitors did much to bolster people's belief in the events at Medjugorje. In addition, some pilgrims reported seeing the sun spin and being able to look at it without pain or eye damage, others that their rosaries turned gold colored, still others that remarkable physical or spiritual/moral healings had taken place. All of these contributed to the fame of the alleged apparition. 

Our Lady says: "You have forgotten that with prayer and fasting you can ward off wars, and suspend natural laws".

Marija Pavlovic Lunetti: Born April 1, 1965. Marija receives the monthly messages for the world from Our Lady. She has received nine secrets and has visions daily. She was married in 1993 and has four sons. The family resides in Italy.

Ivanka Ivankovic Elez: Born June 21, 1966. Ivanka has received all ten secrets. She sees Our Lady annually on the anniversary of the apparitions. She is married, lives in the parish of Medjugorje and has three children.

Mirjana Dragicevic Soldo: Born Mary 18, 1965. A college graduate from the University of Sarajevo, she is married, lives in the parish of Medjugorje, and has two daughters. Mirjana has received all ten secrets and now sees Our Lady annually on her birthday and at special times of need.

Ivan Dragicevic: Born May 25, 1965. Married to an American woman and now makes Boston, Mass. his home; they spend the summers in Medjugorje. They have three children. Ivan has nine secrets and continues to see Our Lady daily.

Vicka Ivankovic: Born September 3, 1964. Just recently married, January 26, 2002, she and her new husband live in the parish of Medjugorje. Vicka has nine secrets and sees Our Lady daily. She gave birth to a daughter, Marija, January 13, 2003. 

Jakov Colo: Born March 6, 1971. Jakov, an only child, was only 10 years old when the apparitions began and shortly thereafter both of his parents died. He has ten secrets and sees Our Lady annually on Christmas Day. He is married and lives in the parish of Medjugorje; he and his wife have three children.

WHAT DOES THE CHURCH HAVE TO SAY?

Local Church leaders sometimes feel they must keep Medjugorje under "wraps" until formal Church approval is given. However, Rome has established for itself a very different pastoral response; a response of support rather than distance. The support, of course, is low keyed and provisional, so as not to short cut the on-going process that will lead to a final definitive judgement. The process, historically, has only granted full recognition to world-scale apparitions when they have come to their conclusion. FATIMA was formally recognized 13 years later, and GUADALUPE 200 years later.

An informal type of recognition is granted to apparitions while they are still happening. It is granted as a result of careful and continuing scrutiny of their content and fruits. This kind of provisional approval is important because it provides exactly the kind of guidance that Church leaders around the world need from Rome, as to how much influence an apparition should be allowed to exert while it is still going on. The Vatican and the Yugoslavian Bishops have granted to Medjugorje the fullest possible measure of INFORMAL APPROVAL. The Pope writes: To Bishop Krueger (Brazil) "Medjugorje is a great center of spirituality" To Bishop Paul Hnlica (Czechoslovakia) " Yes, today the world has lost the sense of the supernatural. In M, many have looked for it and found it in prayer, fasting, and confession." To Cardinal Franizec Tomizec (Poland): "If I were not Pope, I would long since have gone there to assist at the work with the pilgrims". To the American Bishop's questions: " Let the people go there, they pray there." Bishop Flores replied, "But they are inviting me to go with them". The pope answered: " Go and pray for me".

To the Korean Bishops in response to thanks for what he did to free Poland from communism: "No, not me, but by the works of the Blessed Virgin according to her affirmations at Fatima and Medjugorje.

In April of 1985, the Pope encouraged the founding of OASIS OF PEACE. The Oasis of Peace is a contemplative community situated at the base of Apparition Hill and living by Divine Providence.

"Not officially church approved, but it is endorsed by dozens of Cardinals, Bishops, and the Pope himself"

Latest News:

April 10, 2008 - In Europe, the press has recently reported that the matter of Medjugorje -- the famed apparition site in Bosnia-Hercegovina -- has shifted directly into the hands of the Vatican.
The apparitions will not be accepted or rejected by local or regional Church officials until they are directed how and when to do so by Rome, officials now report -- in one of the larger development in this case since onset of the apparitions.
"I can confirm it," states Monsignor Mato Zovkic, vicar general of the Sarajevo archdiocese.

March 17, 2010 - Vatican commission reportedly formed to investigate Medjugorje apparitions

Pope Benedict XVI has formed a commission to investigate if Our Lady truly appeared in Medjugorje, a small town in Bosnia. The commission to examine the case is said to be led by Cardinal Camillo Ruini.
The Pope has made the decision to go ahead with the investigations, nearly 30 years after the first...

Prayer to the Queen of Peace

We come to you, dear Mother,
From all parts of the world;
We bring to you our problems
And with them our desires.
Look upon us, console us,
Lay your hands upon us;
Recommend us to your Son
Mother of peace, pray for us.
Amen