What is Medjugorje?

 

On the 25th June 1981, it is believed the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to a group of children, in a small village in Bosnia and Herzegovina named Medjugorje.

 

To this day, the Blessed Virgin Mary continues to appear and bring messages to the world through 6 people (known as visionaries)She tells us that God has sent Her to our world, and these years she is spending with us are a time of Grace granted by God. Medjugorje has changed the lives of millions and consequently, more than 30 million people have made a pilgrimage to Medjugorje since 1981.

 

Who are the Visionaries?

 

The visionaries were children local to the village of Medjugorje, their names are Marija, Ivanka, Mirjana, Vicka, Ivan and Jacov.. When they asked the Blessed Virgin Mary “Why us?”, she told them that God does not always choose the best! The youngest visionary at the time of the first apparition was Jakov, aged just 9 years old. 

All six visionaries are still alive today, many with families and most still live in Medjugorje. 

 

The Medjugorje Secrets

 

In addition to the daily messages that the visionaries receive, the Blessed Virgin Mary has given each of them ten secrets. Of course, nobody knows any of the secrets, except for one of them, which is when the apparitions cease, there will be an indestructible, visible sign on the mountain where she first appeared and that all of mankind will see that it cannot be made by human hands.

 

When the visionaries have received all ten secrets, the Blessed Virgin Mary will stop appearing to the individual visionary on a daily basis. So far three of the visionaries have received all ten secrets, Mirijana, Jakov and Ivanka. 

 

What does the Church say about Medjugorje?

 

Currently, people are encouraged to make private pilgrimage to Medjugorje. Although Medjugorje is still under careful investigation by the Vatican, it is unlikely the Vatican will make any profound judgement on Medjugorje until the apparitions have ceased and a period of time has passed.