Medjugorje Apparitions started on June 24th, 1981. At about 6 pm, when six young people - Ivanka Ivanković, Mirjana Dragićević, Vicka Ivanković, Ivan Dragićević, Ivan Ivanković and Milka Pavlović, saw on the hill called Crnica, several hundred meters above the place called Podbrdo, a young woman with a child in her arms, who gave them a sign with her hand to come nearer. Surprised and scared, they did not approach her.
The next day, June 25th, 1981, at the same time, four of them: Ivanka Ivanković, Mirjana Dragićević, Vicka Ivanković and Ivan Dragićević, felt strongly drawn towards the place where they had seen the person the day before which, they had recognised as Our Lady. Marija Pavlović and Jakov Čolo joined them. The group of Medjugorje visionaries was formed. They prayed and spoke with Our Lady. This is why June 25th is celebrated as the Anniversary of the apparitions. According to the testimony of the visionaries, from that day onwards, they had daily apparitions, together or separately, wherever they were. Milka Pavlović and Ivan Ivanković never saw Our Lady again.
Attracted by Our Lady’s apparitions and messages, people – first the parishioners and then from other villages and from all over the world – started to gather and pray.
Thanks to Our Lady’s apparitions, Medjugorje – a simple village parish – became a place of gathering for a multitude of pilgrims from the whole world (in the first 20 years, more then 20 million), and one of the biggest prayer centres in the world, comparable to Lourdes and Fatima. Innumerable witnesses say that, precisely in this place, they have found faith and peace.
The parishioners and the pilgrims have to become witnesses of Our Lady’s apparitions and messages first, and then, together with the visionaries, join her in the realization of the plan of the conversion of the world and its reconciliation with God.
See documents Short History of Our Lady Apparitions at Medjugorje and Medjugorje Visionaries and Apparitions of Our Lady Today for more comprehensive information's.
Our Lady allegedly appears to six visionaries. During some of these apparitions, Our Lady gives messages. One of most frequented topics of these messages are appeals for prayers and love . In most of the messages of Our Lady, the content outlines the core of spiritual life.
The messages in various languages can be found in Medjugorje Messages section of this website
The following major scientific researches investigated Medjugorje apparitions:
In regard to the scientific examination of the Medjugorje apparitions, it is important to bear in mind that in the entire history of apparitions not a single one has ever been so broadly and strictly examined scientifically as those in Medjugorje. When the examinations in Lourdes and Fatima are compared with those in Medjugorje, then there is almost no similarity whatsoever between them. Neither have other visionaries been that strictly examined nor was it possible to examine them with such certainty and success, due to the inferior level of science and the insufficiency of technical tools at that time. Besides, it is also very significant to mention that there was only one visionary in Lourdes, Bernadette Soubirous; there were three visionaries in Fatima, and six in Medjugorje. Manipulation is easier with one visionary than with several. Likewise, a group confirmation is more valuable than an individual. The said about Bernadette herself that she was psychically of delicate health. For the visionaries in Medjugorje adequate health has been established.
See Scientific Research on Medjugorje visionaries for comprehensive information's and conclusions of the above commissions regarding the apparitions
In the early days of the apparitions, Our Lady, called "Gospa" in Croatian, started to entrust to the six visionaries ten secrets which contain information on future events. These ten Medjugorje secrets will affect the Church and the world. To date, three visionaries, Mirjana, Ivanka, and Jakov report they have received all ten Medjugorje secrets, while Ivan, Marija and Vicka say they have received nine secrets. The six visionaries would eventually each know all ten Medjugorje secrets, but none has fully disclosed them except to announce that Medjugorje secrets include also chastisements for the world and that they will begin during the lifetimes of the visionaries. The seventh secret is said to be a punishment for humanity that has been diminished because of the response to Our Lady’s requests for prayers, fasting and conversion.
See Medjugorje Secrets for more comprehensive information's.
It is a fact that many pilgrims who come to Medjugorje testify to having seen special signs in the sky or at the Cross or to have felt the presence of Our Lady and her call with a great intensity. Although it is, of course, not easy to assert objectively what is happening, one must still emphasize that this also constitutes an important factor of the pilgrimage. However, here also the rule applies that the ultimate criterion is what the pilgrim does after having experienced the extraordinary interventions of God. Here, one can also include the spiritual, mental and physical healings. Those who have experienced such healings, by their testimony awaken the faith and the curiosity and inspire people to leave their everyday life and tasks and to go to the people and places, which, through the intervention of God, have become the goal of many pilgrims.
See Medjugorje Miracles for more comprehensive information's.
Some people believe that Medjugorje apparitions are the "Last apparitions of the Virgin Mary on Earth". There are some people internet pages and printed material with such claims. One of documents where this claim appear is a letter of Tomislav Vlasic's letter to Pope John Paul II. In this letter, on December 2, 1983, Vlasic wrote:
All of the youngsters basically agree that:
... These apparitions are the last apparitions of the Blessed Virgin on earth. That is why they are lasting so long and occurring so frequently."
There is also a message of May 2, 1982, that can be found e.g. in the book of René Laurentin and René LeJeune: Messages and Teachings of Mary at Medjugorje, that could be used to support this claim.
“I have come to call the world to conversion for the last time.
Later, I will not appear any more on this earth.” ( May 2nd 1982 )
In the same book, we can find alleged answer from Our Lady for the day Wednesday, June 23rd 1982
... They have said that these would be the last apparitions on earth? Is it true?
These apparitions are the last in the world.
However the visionaries had clarified this matter:
"That was a misinterpretation in certain books and newspapers. That was the desire of some people, to make some sensation. But that is not what Our Lady said. She says that this is the last time I am on this earth in this way, but no books have given the interpretation where Our Lady said ‘in this way’. The way I understand is that she will not appear again for such a long time and to so many people – and not that she would never come again."
Mirjana at the question and answer session at the National Conference on Medjugorje, Notre Dame University, May 30, 2004:
Answer: Like I said, she said these are the last apparitions on earth in this way. And I think that she thinks so many years, so many visionaries, but I think that she never meant that she will never again appear on the earth.
Portions of this document - photos and sections History of Apparitions in Medjugorje, Medjugorje Apparitions and Scientific Research and Medjugorje Apparitions in the Church were adapted from materials by: © Information Centre "Mir" Medjugorje ( www.medjugorje.hr )