Our Lady of Medjugorje
Patron of Those Seeking Faith, Answers and Vision
On June 24, 1981, two young girls, Ivanka and Mirjana, went for a walk up a hill near some mountains in what is now known as Bosnia-Herzegovina. The Virgin Mary appeared to Ivanka and she told Mirjana to take a look. Since the Church has not officially substantiated the story, it is “not proper” to say “Our Lady.” The Bishop of Mostar refuses to believe or sanction because some of what the children reported was criticism. At first, Mirjana was skeptical about the vision, and they went home. A while later, they decided to go back to see if Mary would appear again and they brought another girl with them, Milka. Mary did appear again and Milka ran away and told 4 boys who joined them on the hill. Mary appeared to all of 6 of them! The children started to tell others and several thousand people went to the area and Mary appeared nearby and offered messages of conversion, prayer, fasting, faith, peace, and reconciliation. The people who have seen her report that she is young and beautiful and her message is consistently one of peace and love for one another. Millions and millions of faithful followers of Mary of Medjugorje, the “Queen of Peace,” have made pilgrimages to the areas where she has appeared. One of the boys, Vicka, met with Pope John Paul at the Castle of Gandolfo and the Pope told him that “Our Lady” offers hope for the entire world. The Pope never visited “Our Lady” but his shoes did and Vicka has them in his home as a treasure. © 2009/13