Saint Pope John Paul II on Medjugorje
Saint Pope John Paul II once powerfully observed, “Today’s world has lost its sense of the supernatural, but many are searching for it –and find it in Medjugorje, through prayer, penance, and fasting.” The late pontiff and future saint, his holiness, spoke these words on August 1, 1989,while addressing a group of Italian… (Read more at medjugorje.org)
Brief Synopsis
It was late afternoon on June 24, 1981. Two girls were out for a walk, no doubt sharing the latest news or talking about a young man or two. 15-year-old Ivanka Ivankovic, from the hamlet of Bijakovici, suddenly noticed a light high up on Mount Podbrodo, the large hill behind her village. Glancing up, she saw a figure shining with light, hovering above the ground. It stood a good distance away, perhaps over 200 yards. As she looked, speechless, their conversation forgotten, the figure seemed to form the shape of a young woman.
Although she wasn’t all that sure, she exclaimed to her friend, “Mirjana look. There is Gospa” (Gospa is the Croatian word for Our Lady). Mirjana was sure Ivanka was joking. She didn’t even bother to look where her friend was pointing. “Come on,” she said mockingly. “Would Our Lady appear to us?” Convinced, Ivanka said no more and they walked on.
A younger girl, Milka Pavlovic, asked for help rounding up her goats. Arriving back at the spot, all three saw the figure. This time they knelt down. Vicka Ivankovic, another friend, happened by. “Look up there,” she told her. Terrified, Vicka kicked off her shoes and ran. She met sixteen-year-old Ivan Dragicevic and his friend Ivan Ivankovic. Telling them what happened, they convinced her to take them to check it out. They, too, saw the vision.
The next day, four of the children felt drawn back to the spot. Vicka then ran to get her friend Marija (Milka’s sister) and ten-year-old Jakov Colo. They, too, saw the apparition the second day. Milka and Ivan Ivankovic did not return and never saw Our Lady again. Gospa has appeared every day since then.
The six visionaries describe Our Lady as approximately nineteen years old, extremely beautiful, with dark hair and blue eyes. She appears to them every day at 5:40 p.m. Her overall message through the years is peace—to reconcile ourselves with God and with each other. Mary says she comes to bring the world back to her Son, Jesus. She asks us to pray, go to Mass, confess once a month, fast on Wednesday and Friday on bread and water, and say the fifteen-decade rosary every day.
Three of the visionaries—Ivanka, Mirjana, and Jakov—have received ten secrets, while Vicka, Marija, and Ivan have received nine. All are now married with children. Mirjana has been chosen to reveal the secrets and will tell a Franciscan priest, Fr. Petar Ljubicic, ten days before each one occurs. After prayer and fasting, he will announce the secret to the world three days before it happens. Over 30 million pilgrims have since traveled to Medjugorje.
— Medjugorje Magazine (used with permission)
“Dear children, today I want to appeal to all of you to start living a new life from this day forward. I want you to understand that God has chosen each and every one of you to have a part in His great plan for salvation. You cannot grasp how great your role is in this plan. For that reason, dear children, pray, so that through prayer you may penetrate more deeply into an understanding of God’s design for you. I am with you so that you can fulfill it completely. Thank you for responding to my call.“
Our Lady Queen of Peace, 1/25/1987