Medjugorje

• The apparitions of Medjugorje
• The 6 visionaries
• The 10 secrets
• The main message
• Other info

The six protagoninsts are in more than 25 years of what might be termed "the college of visionaries". Three no longer have daily apparitions (December 25, 1982 by Mirjana, Ivanka and Jakov since May 6, 1985 from 12 September 1998), but the Lady has promised that She will appear once a year for their entire life to Mirjana on March 18 (but since 1987 has added another appearance on the 2nd of every month), Ivanka on June 25 and Jakov December 25.
The others instead see the Queen of Peace every day anywhere they are. Theirs is truly an example of fidelity and perseverance that is unmatched in the history of Marian apparitions.

This is the final group of the six visionaries. Mind you not the equality of certain surnames: they are not relatives, but is due to the fact that in Medjugorje there are many people with the same last name: Mirjana Dragicevic, Marija Pavlovic, Vicka Ivankovinc, Ivanka Ivankovic, Ivan Dragicevic, Jakov.

The credibility of the visionaries

Any sensible person should ask how six children, among them different and each one with his/her own life, despite a friendly cordiality that unites them, can testify for such a long time the daily apparitions of the Mother of God, without ever a contradiction, without loss and without second thoughts.

At the time, scientific experiments were made by teams of eminent doctors, leading to the exclusion of any form of hallucination and confirmed the mystery, in a purely scientific phenomena associated with the apparitions.
It seems that on one occasion the Blessed Mother has said that such tests were unnecessary. Actually just the simple observation of psychological normality of the kids, their balance and a progressive human and spiritual maturity in time to conclude that they are the most reliable witnesses.

You never hear of any local resident doubting of them, but how many mothers and fathers wish it to be a son or a daughter to be chosen as witnesses of the Blessed Virgin Mary! In which town in the world aren't there rivalries, petty jealousies and conflicts of interest? Yet no one in Medjugorje has ever doubted that Our Lady has chosen these six and not others. Among boys and girls of Medjugorje there have never been other candidate visionaries.

All credit is due especially to the families of Bijakovici, the village of Medjugorje where the visionaries are from, for having accepted the choices of the Gospa, as there Our Lady is called, without murmuring and without ever questioning it. Satan, weaving his devious intrigues, has always resorted to strangers, finding waterproof locals.

Father Time is a great gentleman. If something is wrong, sooner or later it comes to light. The age of adolescence and young adulthood, from fifteen to thirty, is the hardest period in life; stormy age, subject to unpredictable changes. Those with children know very well what it means.

Yet the children of Medjugorje have traveled this long road with no fogging or eclipses of faith and morals without wavering. Those who know the facts, know what weight they had to endure at the beginning when the communist regime persecuted them in various ways, stalking them, preventing the ascent of the mountain of the apparitions and even trying to make them look mentally ill. They were basically just kids. The communists thought it was sufficient to intimidate them. I once saw a blitz of the secret police who took away Vicka and Marija for questioning. The climate of the early years was full of threats. The daily encounter with the heavenly Mother has always been the true force that carries them.

Add the hostility of the local bishop, whose attitude, however you wish to evaluate, has and continues to represent a heavy cross to bear. One of the visionaries once told me, almost crying, "The bishop said that I am a liar ". Stuck in the side of Medjugorje remains a thorn constituted by the hostile attitude of some ecclesiastical circles, and only God knows why He wanted the parish, and first of the visionaries, to carry our cross.

They have been years of sailing the waves of  quite an agitated ocean. But all this is nothing compared to the daily toil of the reception of pilgrims. Since the early days of the apparitions they flocked by the thousands from all over Croatia and beyond. Then began the unstoppable fury of visitors from all over the world. Starting from the early hours of the morning the homes of the visionaries were besieged by all sorts of people praying, questioning, crying and especially hoping that Our Lady would bend on their own needs.

Since 1985 I spent all my vacations, one month per year, in Medjugorje to help the visionaries in accommodating some of the pilgrims. From morning to night these people, and especially Vicka and Marija, accommodated groups, testified of messages and listened to the recommendations and the prayers of the people. The languages were mixed, hands intertwined, tickets of requests for Our Lady  were piled up, the sick begged, and the more agitated (first of course the Italians), almost attacked the homes of the visionaries. I wonder how the families were able to resist in the mid of this incessant siege.

Then, towards evening, when people swarmed to the church, here is finally the moment of prayer and the apparition. A refreshing break without which it would not have gone forward. But here's the dinner to prepare, friends, relatives and acquaintances invited to the table to be served, dishes to wash and finally, almost always, the prayer group until late at night.

What young child could endure this kind of life? Who would even try it? Who would not have lost his or her mental balance? Yet after years you face serene people, calm and balanced, confident in what they say, humanly understandable, aware of their mission. They have their limitations and defects, fortunately, but they are simple, clear and humble. The six kids are the first and most precious sign of the presence of Our Lady in Medjugorje.