Introduction to the Apparitions at Medjugorje
Location and Background
Medjugorje is a rural village in the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located about 26 km southwest of the city of Mostar and approximately 30 km from the Croatian border. The name Medjugorje literally means "between mountains".
Since the 24th of June 1981, Medjugorje has gained worldwide attention for the reported apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Six visionaries claim to have received messages of prayer, peace, fasting, and penance from Our Lady, drawing an estimated one million pilgrims per year.
The six visionaries - Vicka, Mirjana, Ivan, Marija, Jakov, and Ivanka - continue to report ongoing apparitions and receive regular messages from Our Lady. While the Catholic Church has not issued its official ruling on the supernatural authenticity of the apparitions, it has approved the surrounding devotion. Medjugorje remains a place of profound spiritual significance and experience for the Catholic pilgrims who have journeyed there.
Pilgrimages
Pilgrims visit Medjugorje for various reasons, ranging from simple curiosity to seeking healing, peace, conversion, prayer intentions for themselves and others, and a deeper connection with their faith and Christ.
Countless personal testimonies exist regarding claimed physical, mental, and spiritual healings that have occurred, as well as numerous renewed commitments to living a life grounded in the Gospel and the Catholic faith.
The three principal sites of interest in Medjugorje are:
- Apparition Hill (Podbrdo), where the initial apparitions took place in 1981, and where pilgrims can pray the mysteries of the Holy Rosary on the way to the hill's summit.
- Saint James Church, the local parish church which now serves as the centre of the daily prayer program for thousands of pilgrims.
- Cross Mountain (Križevac), where pilgrims ascend to the cross that was erected on the summit of the mountain in 1933, while praying the stations of the cross.
While the Catholic Church's official observation, investigation, and discernment process into the alleged apparitions will continue, Medjugorje serves as a beacon of solace, hope, and a testament to the power of faith.
Medjugorje is a place where countless hearts have been remarkably transformed and renewed through the intercession of Our Lady, the sacraments of the Catholic Church, and the grace of God.
Private pilgrimages to Medjugorje have been permitted by the Church since the beginning of the apparitions, and official Church pilgrimages have been permitted since May 2019. The Church has acknowledged the abundant fruits of grace that flow from Medjugorje, and in 2024 approved of the devotion to Our Lady at Medjugorje.
Medjugorje.ie - Medjugorje Ireland
This website aims to provide visitors with simple, clear, and accurate information regarding the messages, apparitions, and graces associated with Medjugorje.
We are eternally grateful to Our Lord Jesus Christ for the many profound spiritual graces experienced in Medjugorje, and the intercession of Our Lady, Queen of Peace, while fully recognising the importance of the Church's discernment, and recognising the Catholic Church as the only rightful and ultimate authority on the events at Medjugorje.
The official current Church position of the alleged actual apparitions at Medjugorje is that they are neither approved nor condemned.
On September 19, 2024, the Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a note endorsing "prudent devotion" to Mary at Medjugorje. This approval acknowledges the spiritual fruits of Medjugorje, such as conversions, renewed faith practices, and vocations, without declaring the alleged apparitions as supernatural in origin.
We humbly submit to the Church's decision regarding the authenticity and legitimacy of these events.
From the official standpoint of the Church, until any further verdict is issued, these are still alleged apparitions and alleged messages.
For the sake of brevity and ease of reading throughout this site, and to avoid repetitiveness, the word 'alleged' has been omitted from further descriptions concerning the messages and apparitions. However, this description should be kept in mind by the faithful.