Thank you and may God Bless You!
Hosanna in the Highest
APPARITIONS OF OUR LADY IN MEDJUGORJE
"Pray, Pray, Pray"
The following are excerpts taken from a speech that was delivered by Fr. Milan Mikulich, OFM, STD at St. Patrick's Church in Portland, Oregon on April 8, 1984. The writer was a Franciscan priest and a Doctor of Sacred Theology. He was the Pastor of St. Birgitta Church and Administrator of St. Patrick Church, as well as the Director of the Croation Mission Center in Portland, Oregon. Fr. Milan Mikulich, passed from this life to his eternal home on February 13, 1997. We are grateful that we may reprint this article.
THE BEGINNING OF THE APPARITIONS OF OUR LADY IN MEDJUGORJE
The local parish church of Medjugorje, itself called Medjugorje, and dedicated to St. James, is administered by Franciscan Fathers, and belongs to the diocese of Mostar.
THE FIRST DAY OF THE APPARITIONS - On June 24, 1981, two girls, Ivanka Ivankovic and Mirjana Dragicevic, at that time 16 and 15 years old respectively, at about 4:00 p.m.. went for a walk to a hilltop, called PODBRDO, meaning in English "between the mountains".
Suddenly, Ivanka, the older girl, saw a bright image of a girl who had a crown of stars on her head, and immediately beckoned to her girlfriend Mirjana: "HERE IS OUR LADY!"
Mirjana at that waved her off saying in disbelief: 'WHAT OUR LADY. DON'T THINK SHE WOULD APPEAR TO US!"
Both were disturbed by that occurrence and went home. Something urged them, and Ivanka thinks it was God's power, to return to the hill to see whether Our Lady left a sign on the spot of the apparition. They took with them another girl, Milka Pavlovic, who was 12 years old.
When they arrived at the spot, it was again Ivanka who first saw Our Lady and said: "Here she is!" Milka then ran home and brought three more friends: Ivan Dragicevic, 16 years old, Vicka Ivankocic, 17 years old and Ivan Ivankovic, who was much older than the others.
When they arrived, all of them saw Our Lady, She was still there waiting for them. That apparition lasted, as Vicka told me, about 45 minutes!
THE SECOND DAY OF THE APPARITIONS - Again, on the second day four girls and two boys went to the same location.
However, this time, two of those who saw Our Lady the previous day, Ivan Ivankovic and Milka Pavlovic did not go. Ivan was much older, therefore he declined to go and to be involved with the youngsters. Milka was asked by her mother to help her do house chores. In their place went Marija Pavlovic, Milka's older sister and Jakov Colo, 16 and 10 years old respectively at that time.
Before the Blessed Mother Mary appeared, a great light shone, almost connecting the skies with the earth. This light was seen by many people in the various distant places. It was understood as a sign by which Our Lady was calling the people to come.
Again, the girls and the boys were frightened and did not muster many words with Her. These six who saw Our Lady on the second day, became known as Her permanent "group of the six in Medjugorje"!
THE THIRD DAY OF THE APPARITIONS -The news about these apparitions spread fast and far, so that on the third day about three thousand people, even from more distant places, gathered around the girls and the boys on the spot of the apparitions.
It is to be pointed out that on this day Our Lady did not appear in the same place, but a little farther from the village, where She continued appearing to them over a longer period of time.
While the girls and the boys enjoyed the vision of Our Lady on the previous days, still they were cautious and took no chances in being deceived. Thus, on the third day, Vicka took some blessed salt and Holy Water, and in the name of all others, sprinkled it on Our Lady saying "In the name of The Father, and of The Son and of The Holy Spirit! If you are indeed Our Lady, stay with us; if your are not, go away"!
Our Lady smiled, showing that She was pleased with this action by which their faith in Her presence was confirmed! On the third day they were more courageous and began to ask some questions. They asked about Her name and She answered: "I am the Blessed Virgin Mary"!
Ivanka asked Our Lady about her mother who died two months previously in a hospital. Our Lady responded: "Your mother wants you to obey your grandmother who is old; and your mother is well, she is with me in Heaven"!
This message was consoling news to all. It indicated that it was not too difficult to get to Heaven, because Ivanka's mother was not known as an exceptional "saint", but just an ordinary Christian woman and mother, who regularly and devotedly fulfilled her Christian duties!
On the third day, Our Lady prayed with them: Our Father and Glory Be to the Father... Vicka told me that Our Lady never prays with them: Hail Mary, because it refers to Herself. However, She did recommend to them to continue praying SEVEN OUR FATHERS, SEVEN HAIL MARYS AND SEVEN GLORY BE TO THE FATHER..., together with the CREED, as they were doing on their own, for the sick and the sinners! She also recommended to pray Her Rosary and to sing: CHRIST, IN THY NAME!
THE POLICE STEPPED IN THE AFFAIR OF THE APPARITIONS - Due to the large influx of the people, the local police became interested in the affair.
ON THE FOURTH DAY, The police summoned the girls and the boys to their station and examined them at length, but all of them remained firm in their claim that Our Lady was appearing to them.
Police then directed them to physicians in the city of Citluk to establish their health condition. Doctors found nothing wrong with them and declared them completely healthy.
But, when on the FIFTH DAY of the apparitions- which was Sunday - about fifteen thousand people arrived on the hilltop, police again on the following day sent all the girls and the boys to the psychiatrists in Mostar, hoping thus to terminate the affair of the apparitions. It was expected that the girls and the boys would be declared mentally sick or suffering from hallucination, or drugged. But, on the basis of their behavior and answer, the psychiatrists pronounced them healthy and normal.
From the psychiatrists the girls and the boys went to the hilltop again and experienced the same vision as before.
From the SEVENTH DAY, which was June 30, until August 12, 1981, the "group of the six" continued meeting and conversing with Our Lady, as usual on the same hilltop. The larger crowds kept coming, too.
Being unable to prevent them from coming, on August 12, 1981, the police finally forbade every access to the hilltop and barricaded the road leading to it!
THE APPARITIONS OF OUR LADY IN FIELDS, HOMES AND CHURCH
When the girls and the boys of Medjugorje were unable to go to the hilltop, Our Lady began to appear to them for a while in the fields, in their homes, and finally in the local church of St. James, where the apparitions are continuing to this very day!
Meanwhile, the police were still active in supervising the influx of the pilgrims, registering the licenses of the cars and checking the passports of the visitors from other countries.
However, since the second anniversary, which was on June 24, 1983, Vicka told me, the police have not been seen around the place in their uniforms or their official cars!
OUR LADY PLACED THE GIRLS AND THE BOYS ON A TEST WHEN SHE DID NOT APPEAR TO THEM FOR A PERIOD OF FIVE DAYS ON THE HILLTOP:
During the period of the apparitions on the hilltop from June 24 to August 12, 1981, Our Lady did not visit the girls and the boys for one period of five days. On the subsequent appearance, they asked Her why, and She told them that She placed them on a test, to see whether they would still be coming to pray even if She did not come!
Since then She has been visiting them daily, at the same time, either all together or separately, wherever they may be at that time. Vicka told me that on three different occasions she went to Zagreb, and Our Lady visited her there daily, while the other youngsters saw Her in the village of Medjugorje!
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OUR LADY AND THE GIRLS AND THE BOYS DURING THE APPARITIONS:
On the first two days, the girls and the boys were confused, scared, and did not even know what to say to Our Lady. On the third day, they became relaxed and more courageous to converse. All of them say that they even touch Her dress. She instructs them how to behave. She corrects them, even scolds them when they say or do something wrong.
Our Lady warned Mirjana Dragicevic, who studies in Sarajevo, not to associate with a girlfriend because she was preparing a dangerous trap for her!
One of the girls said: At the beginning I looked at Our Lady as something unapproachable, and now, when She is with me, I look at Her like my mother and my best friend who helps me!
DESCRIPTION OF OUR LADY BY THE GIRLS AND THE BOYS
All of the girls and the boys, communicating with Our Lady, see Her not as an image, but as a living human person.
They describe Her in this manner: She is of medium height; thin; She looks like 19 or 20 years of age. Her beauty is not of this world; She has a crown of stars around Her head; She wears a beautiful gray, but not completely gray, somewhat like coffee, but not completely coffee, dress with white veil.
On the major feasts, like the Nativity, Immaculate Conception, Assumption, Christmas, Easter, etc., She wears a bright golden dress. She has black hair, some-what curled and hanging on the left side. Her eyes are blue and the look of Her eyes is gentle. Her face is white with rosy cheeks. She smiles and is very happy!
THE "GROUP OF THE SIX" IN MEDJUGORJE HAVE OTHER VISIONS
The "group of the six" in Medjugorje had also other visions. They saw Jesus. Vicka told me that one Christmas Our Lady showed to them Jesus whom She held in Her arms, like a little babe. Jesus did not say any thing at that time. On another occasion, they saw Jesus with His wounds. He was bleeding. He had a crown of thorns. Our Lady showed Him to them saying: This is my Son as He suffered for the world!
They also saw Angels, Heaven, Purgatory and Hell. One of them saw the devil. She waited for Our Lady, but meanwhile the devil appeared and offered her something beautiful, and she said, NO! Suddenly, he disappeared and Our Lady came saying to her that the devil tries to deceive the true faithful!
DID ANY ONE ELSE, BESIDE THE "GROUP OF THE SIX", SEE OUR LADY?
In addition to the "group of the six", Our Lady appeared also to three more persons, as far as I could verify. Two of them, Ivan Ivankovic and Milka Pavlovic saw Her on the first day of the apparitions. And Father Jozo Zovko, O.F.M., was privileged to see Her several times when he was in prison in Mostar.
OTHER VISIONS WITNESSED BY MANY PEOPLE:
In addition to these visions which the privileged girls and the boys experience, we should also mention other visions seen by various people in different locations at the same time.
For example, THE PLAY OF THE SUN which was witnessed by many people of Medjugorje on August 2, 1981. Just at the time of sunset, the SUN began suddenly to spin, for a moment coming closer to, and then again going farther from those who were observing it. There were about 150 people who happened to be on the hilltop of the apparitions. They saw the SUN in a large HEART in which it was spinning. All of them were afraid. They began to pray to God and to cry and some started to run. Suddenly, a bright cloud appeared on the hill of the apparitions and after a time it withdrew toward the SUN which began to go back and set in the west. All lasted about ten to fifteen minutes!
In addition, often on the mountain KRIZEVAC, or the mountain of the CROSS, was seen a special light in the form of a column. At the same time, many from distant places often saw on the same spot where the Cross was placed a bright female form. This phenomenon sometimes lasted even one half hour and it happened at various hours of the day. Frequently, this was seen by the pilgrims who happened to be in Medjugorje.
At the end of October of 1981, a strong flame appeared on the site of the apparitions. It lasted ten to fifteen minutes and it was observed by several hundred people who were in front of the parish church. Among them were several nuns and priests. A policeman, who was guarding the access to the place of the apparitions on the hilltop, saw it himself. Later, her went there to find out what happened to the flame. He searched all over and found no trace of the fire, or ashes or charcoal!
THE REASON AND THE PURPOSE OF OUR LADY'S APPARITIONS IN MEDJUGORJE:
THE REASON for choosing Medjugorje for Her apparition was the fact, as Our Lady told the girls and the boys, that 'THERE ARE MANY FAITHFUL PEOPLE THERE"!
THE PURPOSE of Our Lady's apparitions in Medjugorje She indicated when She introduced Herself saying:
I AM THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY. I CAME TO CONVERT THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD! I AM THE QUEEN OF PEACE. I CAME TO BRING PEACE TO THE WORLD!
OUR LADY'S MESSAGE IN MEDJUGORJE FOR THE WORLD:
Although Her apparition alone is a MESSAGE in itself, still Our Lady brought a specific MESSAGE in Medjugorje.
In it She stresses the need of prayer, penance, fast on bread and water on Friday's by those who are able to do it, conversion, reconciliation with one another and with God, and especially FIRM FAITH as the preconditional means of avoiding catastrophic wars and thus assuring PEACE and SALVATION of mankind!
On February 6, 1984, Vicka, the eldest of the "six", told me: Our Lady stresses that the most important thing She asked for is FIRM FAITH, which, as Our Lady said, is being lost by many, including the members of the clergy!
To stress the need of faith, Our Lady indicated that the recitation of the CREED is the prayer dearest to Her Heart, and She recommended that it should be always recited!
Vicka also added that Our Lady said: As much as the people will pray, so much I will help them!
IN ADDITION TO HER MESSAGE to the world, Our Lady also recommended to the PRIESTS to keep their faith and to preserve the faith of their people!
To the Holy Father John Paul II She recommended to continue to promote untiringly and courageously the message of PEACE and LOVE for all people, and to feel and act as the father of all people and not only of the Christians!
SECRETS PROMISED BY OUR LADY TO THE "GROUP OF THE SIX" IN MEDJUGORJE:
In addition to Her MESSAGE, Our Lady promised to confide to each of the girls and the boys TEN secrets.
Some of them concern the universal Church and the world; some refer to the local church in Medjugorje, and again some to the girls and the boys with whom She communicates.
They assert that, according to Our Lady's wish, they are obligated not to reveal these secrets until She decides to whom and how they are to be revealed!
I asked Vicka how much longer will the apparitions last in Medjugorje. She responded: Once we asked Our Lady the same question, and instead of answering, She asked us: Have I been annoying you? Since then we never dared to ask Her the same question!
According to Vicka and Jakov, not all the secrets given to the girls and the boys are the same. Only three of the secrets are common to all of them, while the contents of other secrets are known only to those to whom they were communicated!
Our Lady confided to the girls and the boys that She will leave a sign on the site of Her apparition. That sign will be permanent and indelible as a proof of Her presence in Medjugorje!
The girls and the boys know the kind and the time of the sign, but they may not reveal it because it belongs to one of those ten secrets!
In my interview I asked whether the nature of these secrets is more positive or negative for us.
Jakov said: "There are some that are good, and some are not so good, but there are more that are good". Pressed for an exact number of the good ones and bad ones, he answered: "That I may not say".
Vicka stated that her secrets are "Mostly Bad". However, she added, Our Lady said that "The peace in the world depends on our acceptance of Her message, also. Therefore, She wants Her Message to be known and promoted."
HOW THE APPARITIONS TAKE PLACE IN MEDJUGORJE:
The apparitions in Medjugorje take place in the following manner:
After the public recitation of the Rosary at 5:30 p.m. in the church, the girls and the boys go to the designated place where Our Lady will appear to them. They go there to meet Our Lady and to present the petitions to Her of those who asked for the Lord's help through the intercession of His Mother.
They line up next to one another and standing, they make the sign of the Cross and begin to pray: OUR FATHER. Usually, as they recite a portion of the prayer, Our Lady appears preceded by a bright light. Suddenly, all of them, as though electrified, fall on their knees, look to one spot in front of them, and having any perception of things around them, they go into a trance and converse with the Heavenly Visitor.
On February 2, 1984, in my presence, a Doctor from the city of Milan, Italy, who is also a member of the International Commission of Doctors in Lourdes, was testing the pulse of Marija Pavlovic, and also pointing a heavy light into the eyes of Jakov Colo, lifting him from the floor, but both were motionless, and later stated they did not feel anything the Doctor did to them.
When Our Lady appears to the girls and the boys, She greets them with the words: PRAISED BE JESUS CHRIST!
During the trance, the conversations with Our Lady ordinarily last 3,5,10,15,20 minutes and sometimes even one half hour.
After the girls and the boys fall on their knees, a period of silence takes place. Then, while still in the trance, suddenly all began to pray 'WHO ART IN HEAVEN...", and continued it to the end. Omitting then the prayer of "HAIL MARY...", they recite: "GLORY BE TO THE FATHER..." to its end.
When I asked later for the explanation of this procedure, Vicka and Jakov said: Our Lady leads the words, "OUR FATHER", and we continue with Her, 'WHO ART IN HEAVEN", and since Our Lady never says "HAIL MARY", She omits it, so do we with Her! However, She told us to pray 'HAIL MARY" when we pray without Her!
After that prayer is completed, the girls and the boys still remain in the trance and converse with Our Lady. One can even notice their lips moving. The silence is interrupted by one of them saying in Croatian: 'ODE", which means: "SHE IS GONE"! On leaving them, she parts with: "GO IN THE PEACE OF GOD"!
During the trance I noticed that Vicka was nodding with her head and moving her lips, having a light smile on her face, and when I asked her later why she was doing so, she said: While Our Lady was speaking to me about Her life on this earth, I did not understand something and asked Her to explain it again. I nodded then to say that I understood it.
The "group of the six" in Medjugorje assert Our Lady speaks with them in perfect Croatian. They converse with Her just as they speak with us. They do not change their voices, therefore they are surprised that the people around them do not hear them!
The apparition completed, the girls and the boys then convey the responses of Our Lady to the people who sent in their petitions. It happens, though, as Marija told me, that sometimes Our Lady does not give the responses right away. They may come later!
The girls and the boys leave the place of the apparitions and immediately proceed in front of the altar and recite publicly, with the people, SEVEN OUR FATHERS, SEVEN HAIL MARYS, AND SEVEN GLORY BE TO THE FATHER..., together with the CREED for the sick and the sinners, as Our Lady recommended to them.
At the end of the Holy Mass and the homily the crowd disperses, but the girls and the boys still remain in the church to pray for those who seek heavenly help!
CURES AND MIRACLES OCCURRED IN MEDJUGORJE:
Our Lord, through His Mother's apparitions in Medjugorje, distributed generously many favors, graces, even miraculous cures to those who through the girls and the boys appealed to Our Lady and Her Divine Son for temporal and spiritual help!
Many cures, which occurred, and are still occurring in connection with the apparitions of Our Lady in Medjugorje, may be considered miracles according to the biblical definition of a miracle.
The list of many names of the persons, their addresses, their illnesses and the dates of their cures have been published in a book in the Croatian language already. The records are also kept in the Parish Office in Medjugorje of those cures which were certified by the Doctors who had taken care of the patients before the cures occurred and verified them afterwards.
Father Rene Laurentin, a prominent French theologian and Mariologist, visited Medjugorje and inspected four cases of these cures. He declared that any International Commission of experts would pronounce these cures as true miracles!
SPIRITUAL RENEWAL OF THE PEOPLE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FRUIT OF THE APPARITIONS IN MEDJUGORJE
The most important of the fruits of the apparitions in Medjugorje is the evident SPIRITUAL RENEWAL of the people.
The persons who strayed away from the Church of God, now return to the Sacraments of Confession and Holy Communion.
On some occasions there are not enough priests to satisfy the need and demand of the people to hear their confessions.
To the one who comes there it is obvious that the spirit of devotion, the spirit of conversion, penance, daily prayer, especially recitation of the Rosary, attendance at the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass and the reception of the Sacraments of Confession and Communion; the spirit of sacrifice of living on bread and water on Fridays; and the spirit of brotherly love prevail. One may see there Catholics, Greek Orthodox and Muslims kneeling and praying together in the church.
This is not the work of a magic human agent. It must have come from Heaven through the Mother of God!
POSSIBILITY AND CREDIBILITY OF THE EVENTS IN MEDJUGORJE
These are the facts of the apparitions and visions as presented to us by the "group of the six" in Medjugorje! And these are the fruits of the apparitions which are witnessed by many people!
Now, the question remains as to the POSSIBILITY of these apparitions as well as to the CREDIBILITY of the girls and the boys who assert that they are the true messengers of Our Lady!
AS TO THE POSSIBILITY OF THE APPARITIONS IN MEDJUGORJE, one may easily ascertain that the experience in Medjugorje is based on the experience of the Old and New Testament.
God used the heavenly messenger, the Archangel Gabriel, to ask the consent of the Blessed Virgin Mary to become the Mother of the physical body of the Savior of the world. Now, can't Jesus send His Mother as His messenger to save His MYSTICAL BODY - the Church and the world? This He did before in other places, like Lourdes and Fatima!
The Medjugorje MESSAGE is, in fact, in complete accordance with the MESSAGE of Lourdes and Fatima! The MESSAGE of Medjugorje is not opposed to Tradition or to sound Theology!
AS TO THE CREDIBILITY OF THE GIRLS AND THE BOYS IN MEDJUGORJE, I should say a few words about their life, their character, their sincerity, and their honesty in order to be able to verify their credibility.
There is nothing unusual about the six young people in Medjugorje. Their daily lives are not different from their classmates'. They live, work, dress and behave like any one else of their age. They work doing what is required of them by the condition in which they live. Some go to school, some work at home. They do not ask for any privileges in the performance of the duties at home or in the school.
All of the girls and the boys were known to the people of their community as normal, and they were declared as such both by the official government experts as well as by others.
Their sincerity and honesty cannot be questioned, assert those who have lived with them!
IN CONCLUSION
In closing this presentation on the apparitions of Our Lady in Medjugorje, I should say:
Our Lady requests penance in Medjugorje, and the people who live there and go there really practice it!…
The spirit displayed by Our Lady in Medjugorje is an attraction for hundreds of thousands of people from various parts of the world, including the United States of America.
We may add: It is to be hoped that Our Lady will take the Medjugorje case in her own hands as She did in Lourdes and Fatima!
HOW FR. MIKULICH, OFM, STD BECAME INTERESTED IN THESE APPARITIONS
I would like to begin with a few words on how I became interested in these apparitions.
Medjugorje is a small and rocky region. In English, it means the place "between the mountains". It is only 25 miles from my birthplace. And something close to one's heart, attracts also the intellectual interest.
Wanting to see and observe the happenings there, I went to Medjugorje in November 1981 - just five months after the first apparition took place.
I was impressed and edified by the events, by the spirit of devotion and by the fervor of prayer, especially by the sincerity and simplicity of the girls and the boys who see Our Lady.
Later, I eagerly followed the development of the happenings there and obtained much written private documentation as well as materials published in Croatian and Italian languages. I myself have published several English articles on the subject in the newspapers, especially in my review, Orthodoxy Of The Cathocic Doctrine.
This year, on the occasion of the Olympics in Sarajevo, I visited Medjugorje again.
On February 2, 1984, on the feast of Presentation of the Lord, I participated in a concelebrated mass there, which was attended by about 2500 people.
On that occasion I spoke with Vicka, Marija, Ivan and Jakov.
Again, on February 6, I went to Medjugorje and I tape recorded a lengthy interview with the oldest girl Vicka, and the youngest boy Jakov. In that interview I spoke with them in our Croatian language. In order to understand what they really intend to say, one has to converse with them in Croatian, the only language they know.
Vicka told me that many from other countries come for interviews. If there is no interpreter, she just nods with her head to whatever they ask.
This probably was the reason for the rumors that Our Lady told the girls and the boys in Medjugorje that prayer and penance are not needed, and that Bible reading alone suffices.
THESE RUMORS ARE ABSOLUTELY INCORRECT, because Our Lady in Medjugorje constantly stresses the necessity of prayer and penance, too, which is according to the letter and the spirit of the Bible!
Compiled by: Perla Saenz
Last modified: 12 Sep 2005