Pilgrimages of Europe: MEDJUGORJE, Bosnia

On June 24th, 1981, two young girls hiked up the mountain behind their house in search of sheep, in the small village of Medjugorje, in former Yugoslavia. Suddenly they were overcome by a huge display of light and color, and the Virgin Mary appeared before them. Shocked and fearful, they ran back down the mountain to fetch their friends. Six youngsters then returned to the mountain where they witnessed the apparition once again. Medjugorje is in that part of Yugoslavia now called Bosnia-Hercegovina, a region destroyed by the civil war. It is a miracle that the village itself is still intact, without doubt a sign of Mary’s continual presence, and of her message of peace. Pilgrims now come here from every corner of the globe. Vicka, one of the children to whom the Virgin appeared, still lives in one of the hamlets near Medjugorje, and several times a week she emerges from her home to address the pilgrims.