Medjugorje A Brief History

The place is St. James Parish in the remote village of Medjugorje, 30 miles south of Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina, in what was then known as Yugoslavia. On June 24, 1981, two teenage girls, Ivanka and Mirjana, were walking along the hillside just outside the village when they suddenly saw, high on the hillside, a phenomenon which they recognized as the "Gospa" (the Blessed Virgin Mary)

They were soon joined by two others, Vicka and Ivan, and the following day by two more children, Marija and Jakov. Many of the villagers, upon hearing the story from the youngsters, did not believe. However, within two days 3,000 people from surrounding areas flocked to the hillside with the children. When the six visionaries began to pray at the site, all in attendance saw brilliant flashes of light, signalling the arrival of Our Lady, the Mother of Jesus. The apparition identified herself as the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Queen of Peace.

She stated that she was bringing an urgent message for mankind to return to God. She said to the children: "I
have come to tell the world that God exists. He is fullness of life, and to enjoy the fullness and obtain peace, you must return to God." From that day to the present, she has been appearing to the seers daily. She has given them thousands of messages - for themselves, for the parish, for the region and for the world.

 During the apparitions, the visionaries do not react to light or sound; they do not react to being touched. They feel they are outside of time and space. All the visionaries declare in substance: "We see the Blessed Virgin as we see all other people. We pray and we speak with her." Our Lady presented herself as a servant messenger from God. The message she brought does not convey any new teachings, but echoes the Gospels and teachings of the Church. As at Fatima in 1917, she related the conditions for peace in the world - peace through prayer and conversion. She stressed: "Peace in the world is in a state of crisis. Mankind must be reconciled with God and with one another." Her messages are for the entire world, and she calls upon all of her children to reconcile with God by converting their lives.