AV Travel is excited to announce our upcoming tour, “A Spiritual Journey to Fatima, Lourdes, Medjugorje, and Barcelona,” scheduled from November 3 to November 15, 2024. This pilgrimage will be led by Catholic Priest and spiritual tour director, Fr. Joseph Pham Tang Tri. AV will also share a series of articles and posts about the pilgrimage sites, known for the countless conversions and life-changing experiences they have encountered.
Our Lady of Medjugorje – The Queen of Peace
The apparitions of Our Lady of Medjugorje began on June 24, 1981, in the town of Medjugorje in Bosnia and Herzegovina, then part of Yugoslavia. Six young teenagers, Ivanka Ivanković, Mirjana Dragićević, Vicka Ivanković, Ivan Dragićević, Ivan Ivanković, and Milka Pavlović, reported seeing an apparition of the Virgin Mary on a hillside. They described her as a young woman with a veil, a crown of stars, and a gray dress with a white belt.
The apparitions continued daily, and the visionaries reported receiving messages from Mary. These messages often included calls for peace, prayer, fasting, penance, and conversion. Mary also reportedly revealed ten secrets to each of the visionaries, which are said to contain information about future events and warnings for the world.
Over the years, millions of pilgrims have visited Medjugorje, seeking spiritual renewal and healing. The town has become a major pilgrimage site, with many reporting conversions, healings, and other spiritual experiences.
The Vatican has been cautious in its approach to the apparitions. In 1991, the Yugoslav Bishops’ Conference formed a commission to investigate the events in Medjugorje. The commission’s findings were inconclusive, and the bishops were unable to make a definitive statement about the authenticity of the apparitions.
In 2010, Pope Benedict XVI established a Vatican commission to further investigate the apparitions. The commission’s work concluded in 2014, and its findings were submitted to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF). The CDF has not made a definitive statement regarding the authenticity of the apparitions, but it has allowed pilgrimages to Medjugorje to continue.
In recent years, the status of pilgrimages to Medjugorje has evolved. In 2019, Pope Francis authorized official pilgrimages to the site, recognizing the spiritual fruits of the pilgrimage experience while avoiding an official endorsement of the supernatural nature of the apparitions. This decision has led to an increase in pilgrimages to Medjugorje, as well as renewed interest in the messages of Our Lady of Medjugorje.
The apparitions at Medjugorje are accompanied by a series of secrets revealed by Our Lady to the visionaries. Each of the six visionaries is to receive a total of ten secrets, some of which are meant for the whole world, while others concern the visionaries themselves or the local village. So far, only one of these secrets has been revealed. In the third secret, Our Lady promised to leave a supernatural, indestructible, and visible sign on the mountain where she first appeared, specifically for atheists. She emphasized the need for urgent conversion, stating that when the sign comes, it will be too late for many.
Once each of the six visionaries has received all ten secrets, Our Lady will stop appearing to them on a daily basis. Currently, three of the original six visionaries, Marija, Vicka, and Ivan, continue to receive daily messages from Our Lady, having received nine secrets each. Mirjana, Jakov, and Ivanka have received all ten secrets, and Our Lady appears to them once per year for the rest of their lives. Mirjana also receives additional apparitions on the 2nd of each month for the purpose of praying for all unbelievers.
After Our Lady stops appearing, there will be three warnings given to the world in the form of events on Earth. These warnings will occur within Mirjana’s lifetime, and she will be a witness to them. Following the warnings, a permanent, visible, supernatural, and indestructible sign will appear on the mountain where Our Lady first appeared. This sign will lead to many healings and conversions before the secrets become reality.
The ninth and tenth secrets are serious and concern chastisement for the sins of the world. Our Lady emphasizes the importance of prayer and fasting in warding off such punishments, stating that one of the evils that threatened the world has been averted thanks to prayer and fasting.
Fr. Jozo Zovko, the pastor of St. James church at the time of the apparitions, initially doubted the children’s accounts but later became a believer. He played a key role in protecting the visionaries from the authorities and endured persecution for his beliefs, including imprisonment. Despite this, he remained steadfast in his faith and commitment to spreading the messages of Medjugorje.
Medjugorje has become a pilgrimage site for millions of people from around the world, of all faiths, seeking spiritual renewal and healing. Many visitors report miracles and deep conversions of faith as a result of their experiences at Medjugorje.