| Parish of Medjugorje Medjugorje is one of the villages of the Western-Hercegovina municipality
of Citluk, of historic Brotnjo. As the largest of the five villages which comprise the
parish (Medjugorje, Bijakovici, Vionica, Miletina, Surmanci), Medjugorje gave its name to
this extensive Roman Catholic parish. In recent times it has been one of the best known
and most visited places of pilgrimage in the whole Catholic world. The name Medjugorje is
of Slavic origin and it means "area between two mountains." The territory of the
Medjugorje parish spreads out at the altitude of 200 meters above sea level and has a mild
Mediterranean climate that offers ideal conditions for cultivation of wine, tobacco and
fruit. The parish of Medjugorje was founded in 1892 and placed under the protection of St.
James, patron saint of pilgrims. Only five years later the old parish church of St. James
in Medjugorje was completed. At that time it was both sufficiently large and beautiful,
but built on earthquake prone ground, it soon began to sink and crack. Therefore, already
after World War I the thought was to build a new church which was completed and blessed on
January 19, 1969. Although till then it attracted no attention, not even from the people
of the nearest surroundings, in the summer of 1981 the church of Medjugorje became a focal
point for the gathering of millions of pilgrims from all over the world. People began
personally to come, see and be convinced of the extraordinary events in Medjugorje. There
awaiting them was a message about the necessity of faith, prayer, conversion,
fasting. . ., as the preconditions of peace and salvation of the world. After the
beginning of the apparitions the Church as well as the area around it were gradually
developed. The remains of the old church are preserved in the park inside the traffic
circle on the left side of the shrine. Medjugorje is a unique event in the modern world.
In the last fifteen years it has attracted about 20 million pilgrims from all over the
world. Here they again discover peace, their humanness, and their closeness with God. They
become witnesses of truth, love and APPARITION HILL The place of Our Lady's first apparitions on the hill of Crnica is usually called Apparition Hill. It is situated several hundred meters above the Bijakovo hamlet of Podbrdo. A steep footpath leads from the houses to the very place of the apparitions. Now broadened a little by the millions of pilgrims who have so far visited the place of the apparitions, the path has become such a blazed trail that it is visible from far away. Numerous pilgrims, many of whom were born and raised on flat asphalt, often in unsuitable clothing or even barefoot and on their knees, climbed over the sharp stones to the place of Our Lady's first apparitions. Half way up the path is located a large plain wooden cross. This is where on the third day of the apparitions, June 26, 1981, Our Lady appeared to the visionary Marija Pavlovic who, after having had a vision with the others at the usual place that evening, ran down the hill a little ahead of the other visionaries. At this place Marija once more saw Our Lady, now with a sad face. Behind her was a large cross and motioning with her hands she said, "Peace, peace, peace and only peace! Peace must reign between God and man and also between men!" Today this is a place where pilgrims make a stop, remaining in prayer and reflection on the message of the Medjugorje apparitions directed to the man and the world of today, so much in need of peace. The very site of apparitions is a big emptied space on the rocky ground more than a hundred meters in diameter, completely trodden down by the feet of millions of pilgrims, without a single stem or blade of grass between the rocks, without hardly a lump of ground or even little rocks. At the site which the visionaries closely marked as the very place where Our Lady had appeared to them, a high cross is erected, planted into a pile of rocks. And only something truly extraordinary could have attracted such a great multitude of people to that place. At any time of day or night, any day of the year, individuals and groups can be found in prayer, in song, in deep meditation, and silence. CROSS MOUNTAIN (KRIZEVAC) About one kilometer from the church of Medjugorje, as the crow flies,
Cross Mountain rises up as a continuation of Crnica Hill, forming an angle with it. On its
peak (520 meters above sea level) the pastor and people of Medjugorje at that time erected
an 8.56 meter high reinforced concrete cross in commemoration of the 1900th anniversary of
the Passion of Jesus. In it they engraved the words, "To Jesus Christ, Redeemer of
the human race, as a sign of their faith, love and hope, the pastor Bernadine Smoljan and
the parish of Medjugorje erected this cross. From every evil deliver us, O Jesus."
Relics received from Rome for the occasion are embedded in the cross bar itself. They are
a piece of the cross venerated by Christians as the one on which Jesus Christ was
crucified, the largest part of which is preserved in the Church of the Holy Cross of
Jerusalem in Rome. The cross was completed on March 15, 1934. Later on the custom was
established of celebrating Holy Mass at the base of the cross on the first Sunday after
Our Lady's birthday in commemoration of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The Cross
Mountain does not so much attract pilgrims for its natural beauty nor because of the
importance of the cross erected on it, but only because, after the Medjugorje apparitions
began, a great number of people claim that they saw various luminous and other
"signs" on that cross. Everyone connected them with the apparitions of Our Lady
themselves, with the message of the Medjugorje apparitions - peace between God and man and
between men. They understood that the way to that peace leads unavoidably through the
cross. They included the veneration of the cross in their pilgrimage devotions and
practices. Climbing up that difficult, near impossible path to the Cross on the mountain,
pilgrims pray the devotion of THE APPARITIONS OF OUR LADY TODAY According to the testimony of the six young parishioners, the Blessed Virgin Mary has been appearing daily in the parish of Medjugorje since June 24, 1981. That day the visionaries were frightened by the apparition of Our Lady and ran away. On the followingm day, June 25, they responded to Our Lady's call and went to Apparition Hill, where for the first time they prayed and spoke with her. That is why this day is celebrated as the anniversary of the apparitions of the Queen of Peace, as Our Lady introduced herself. Ivanka Ivankovic - Elez, born in 1966, had daily apparitions till May 7, 1985. On that day, confiding to her the last of ten secrets, Our Lady told her that for the rest of her entire life, she will have an apparition once a year - on June 25, the anniversary of the apparitions. Mirjana Dragicevic - Soldo, born in 1965, had daily apparitions until December 25, 1982. On the last day of her apparitions, Our Lady told her that for the rest of her entire life she will have an apparition once a year on March 18, her birthday. Since August 2, 1987, on each second day of the month, she hears our Lady's voice within herself and prays with her for unbelievers. Sometimes she also sees her. Vicka Ivankovic - born in 1964, still has daily apparitions. Marija Pavlovic - Lunetti, born in 1965, still has daily apparitions. Through her on every 25th day of the month Our Lady directs her monthly message to the parish and the world. Ivan Dragicevic - born in 1965, still has daily apparitions. Jakov Colo - born in 1971, received his 10th secret Sept 12, 1998. He no longer receives daily apparitions - THE PRAYER PROGRAM IN THE SHRINE The daily evening program in the church takes place from 6 till 9 pm (6 pm Rosary, 7 pm Holy Mass, blessing prayers and the third part of the rosary). Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is held Wednesday and Saturday from 10 to 11 pm and on Thursday immediately after the evening mass. Adoration and prayer before the Cross takes place in the church every Friday immediately after the evening mass. During the winter season the prayer program starts one hour earlier. Every Sunday at 4 pm a Rosary for Peace is prayed on Apparition Hill and every Friday at 4 pm the Way of the Cross is prayed on Cross Mountain. In winter its at 2 pm. Opportunity for the sacrament of reconciliation is available every day when the evening program starts and even earlier, if necessary. Mass in Croatian is celebrated Sunday and holy days of obligation at 8 am, 11 am and 7 pm, and on weekdays at 7:30 am and 7 pm. On Saturday mass for Croatian pilgrims takes place at 1 pm in both winter and summer. We request all organizers of pilgrim groups to announce their arrival, if possible, for the sake of more efficient organization of the pastoral ministry in the shrine. The prayer schedule here in the shrine is something that gradually evolved. Right from the first days of the apparitions, the children began to pray the creed, seven our fathers, Hail Mary's and Glory Be’s with Our Lady. In her message on the 15th of March 1984 Our Lady said to continuously adore Jesus in the most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. In an unexpected apparition to Ivan on the 14th of August, 1984 to fast strictly on Wednesdays and Fridays and to pray at least the joyful, sorrowful and glorious mysteries of the rosary every day. On the 30th of August 1984, she said that the building of the Cross on Krizevac (Cross mountain) was in God's plan and that we should pray in front of it. The significance of the Cross, Our Lady referred to on the12th of September 1985, saying that great graces are granted when we pray in front of it. THE IMPORTANT TELEPHONE AND FAX NUMBERS OF THE SHRINE Information office: tel +387-88-651-988; fax +387-88-651-444 |
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