Medjugorje Website Updates

• Medjugorje in Light of the Pope's visit to Sarajevo
• The Pope, Medjugorje and the Provincial of the Hercegovina Franciscans
• The President of Croatia, Medjugorje and the Pope
• Statements of Pope John Paul II about Medjugorje
• Pope John Paul II wrote positively about Medjugorje
• Our Lady about Pope John Paul II

"We have the same attitude towards God when we do not put Him in the first place and when we do not pray. We are far removed from the source of the spring and become frustrated. Grace is given to us through our relationship with God - in prayer."

The 17th International Youth Festival took place in Medjugorje from August 1 to 6, 2006. This year’s theme was, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Ps 119 [118]:105), in harmony with the theme, which the Holy Father Benedict XVI gave to the youth for this year’s World Youth Day that took place on Palm Sunday in local Churches.

Photos from the Medjugorje Festival during 1. - 6. August, 2006.

..brethren, exercise yourselves in charity! (St. Augustine)

With the musical version of the Litany, the Saints were called to witness at the wedding celebration between Jelena Vasilj and Massimiliano Valente on 24th August 2002 in the Shrine of the Queen of Peace at Medjugorje.

Over 500 guests (mostly from abroad) filled St. James church to join the parishioners to pray for this new family. "From his shrine may the Lord bless you.." read Fra Dragan Rucic at the start of the Mass. A choir of splend-id voices from Vicenza (Italy), and several soloists, helped make the cele-bration more sacred and solemn.

For years, Jelena was formed by the Gospa. For years, Jelena was trained by the Gospa directly and today she remains a well of light for whoever wants to understand Our Lady's maternal spirit. Here are a few words that I gleaned these days from Jelena:

"Before I was married, my life was easier. I was studying, I was free, actually, I was working on my personal formation. Now my life as a spouse and mother obligates me to practice everything I learned. That is to say, to give all of myself constantly and without counting the cost. My children - they are my superiors. Looking at my children teaches me a lot about God. God is relationship and we are created in His image. I can tell by looking at my children! When a child makes noise, cries, weeps, hits, it's because he wants to enter into a relationship with us. A child, just like God, is always seeking a relationship. For a child this relationship is vital because it is through this relationship that he is built up. The richness of life is communicated through relationships. We all live out of relationships.

"When a child is experiencing relationship, he doesn't need television. Rather, he is at peace. He is satisfied. I've noticed that with my children. They never want television and even when they go to the homes of their friends, they don't want it. Television is interruption of relationship and sharing that unites family and friends. Often, we erect walls of protection against life and we lock ourselves in. When I am in a room with someone and I turn on the television, it is as if I am telling him that he is not interesting enough for me and doesn't deserve my attention.

The air of Medjugorje is bubbling with joy, faces are radiant, everyone is grateful for being here for this important and long awaited occasion: the 25th Anniversary of Mary’s apparitions at Medjugorje.

Everyone feels grateful, even privileged, as though each had received a personal invitation. Everyone certainly feels loved. It is as though the Gospa had “arranged things” in the life of each person to make it possible for him or her to be here. It hasn’t got to do with favouritism, but of being called. We are all called to become apostles, mediators of a grace that is too big to be contained. It is a gratuitous call by God that ought not make us feel better than others, but only responsible administrators of a good destined for all.

• Site now can be accessed either by www.medjugorje.ws or www.ourlady.eu
• Remaked starting page with quote of the day and also with links to selected recommended pages and documents
• Your choosen language preferences should be now much better remembered when you return to the site
• On left column of pages you can access some nice tools that work with messages
• Pages have been tested with Opera 9.0 browser and are valid XHTML 1.0.

The 25th Anniversary of Our Lady’s apparitions in Medjugorje was solemnly celebrated in the spirit of gratitude for all the graces received.

Spiritual preparation - Novena

The spiritual preparation for the Anniversary was the Novena, which was prayed on Apparition Hill by the parishioners and the pilgrims from all over the world. From June 15 to 23, great crowds flocked towards Podbrdo at any time of day or night. Every day at 4 pm, they prayed the Rosary together with the Franciscans, and the visionaries also climbed the hill to pray there with the faithful.

Celebration of Anniversary at the Exterior Altar before St. James Church Photos.

Photos taken during the Easter.

Photos from winter times.

How do you see the spirituality of Medjugorje - if there is a spirituality of Medjugorje at all?

I have been asking the question of myself and others if there is a distinct spirituality of Medjugorje. I do not think there is. I think it is more a call to deepen the spirituality that we already have. A new understanding of what we all received as children, in school and home; it is a reawakening of that, it is a renewal of that kind of uncomplicated faith, unembarrassed faith. As for the apparitions of Mary, at first you feel - if she is the Mother of God - her messages should be more theologically substantial. In fact they are deceptively simple. And I say to myself: I have been through theology courses, maybe this is the time for me to get back to the simple faith that we all have, and we grew up with. Time to look again at what Our Lady is saying, read the messages again, re-read them, and read between the lines, between the words.