2014
December 28:
Medjugorje statue cries in Uruguay
Since December 4, a replica of a famous Medjugorje statue has been shedding tears in Montevideo, Uruguay, in a parish named after the apparitions in Medjugorje. The parish priest confirms the phenomenon, calls it a matter of individual discernment, and starts investigation.
December 25:
Nativity vision confirms the Gospel of Luke
Medjugorje locutionist Jelena Vasilj got an unexpected Christmas gift when the Virgin Mary showed her how Jesus was born. Complete with stable and shepherds, the vision confirms the Gospel of Luke. As extra details, Jelena was also shown what was on Mary’s mind, and what she prayed for.
December 24:
Fr. Jozo: Society is playing with the family
By legitimizing every conceivable way of being a family, society plays and makes fun with an irreplacable unit for healthy development, and with a plan of God, says the world famous Medjugorje priest Fr. Jozo Zovko. Society further ignores modern psychology and pedagogy, he adds.
December 23:
Key Cardinal: Medjugorje changes people
Medjugorje is the largest confessional in Europe, and the place’s changing effect on people is perhaps the strongest sign in Medjugorje, says Cardinal Vinko Puljic of Sarajevo, a member of the Vatican investigative commission on Medjugorje. He expects the Pope’s decision in the near future.
December 20:
Renegade group is loose on the mountains
Dressed in red capes, a group of Poles called Knights of Christ the King attract attention on Medjugorje’s mountains. The founder of the group was suspended as a priest by the Cardinal of Krakow, Pope John Paul II’s former secretary, for heresies and alienating his group from the Church.
December 16:
Media: Pope could render verdict soon
It is being speculated that the Pope will receive the reports on Medjugorje in January, a Croatian newspaper writes without citing sources. The paper quotes the Cardinals of Zagreb and Sarajevo to the effect that no fraud or manipulation by the visionaries was detected by the Vatican Commission.
December 15:
Bosnia invites Pope, Medjugorje an option
Pope Francis has been invited to Bosnia and Hercegovina, and the visit could take place in 2015, the Croatian member of the country’s Presidency says after private audience today. If Medjugorje will lend ground to part of a visit may depend on the Pope’s coming verdict – and on the local Bishop.
December 11:
Vicka never saw her statue glow
When a statue of the Virgin Mary belonging to visionary Vicka Ivankovic-Mijatovic began to glow in September 2013, Vicka never wanted to witness the phenomenon, to avoid controversy. Interview on Italian tv further shows that Vicka keeps viewing the shining statue as an authentic sign.
December 9:
Medjugorje author dies at 64
While unknown to most pilgrims, Kresimir Sego was a very well-liked figure in his native Medjugorje. He was the editor of the parish magazine and authored four books on the events of his hometown, among them a biography of Fr. Slavko Barbaric. Today he died at 64, after long illness.
December 5:
Fear of Rome takes events under radar
Cancelled Medjugorje arrangements at the order of Vatican top prelate have had organizers of events with Medjugorje seers become cautious. Arrangers of prayer meeting with Ivan Dragicevic hardly informed of it beforehand, and a meeting with Jakov Colo in Italy was not announced.
December 2:
Austrian cured despite his medical tests
Alfred Ofner’s chronically ill left hand could not lift a sheet of paper, was close to amputation, and gave him constant pain before he went to Medjugorje. Though his medical tests have kept showing a severely damaged hand, he has no symptoms, to the amazement of his doctors.
November 28:
Psychiatric patient was instantly cured
The healings in Medjugorje are not only physical. An unemployed mother of five from Madrid, Spain, suffered from a chronic form of bipolar disorder until she was instantly cured on Apparition Hill. Her case living up to Church criteria for being considered a miracle, now she has written a book.
November 27:
Marija: The Virgin Mary echoes Pope Francis
Visionary Marija Pavlovic-Lunetti notes how the Virgin Mary’s message of November 25 paraphrases words spoken by Pope Francis to the Council of Europe earlier that day. “We need profound roots to progress towards the future” the Pope said. “Pray to understand who you are” says the message.
November 23:
Soil from Apparition Hill involved in cancer cure
7 year old Andreja Vajdic had cancer with metastates, and doctors had given up on her. Yet her grandmother went to Medjugorje and brought back soil from Apparition Hill and blessed water from St. James Church. When the mixture had been applied for a week, her doctors found she was healthy.
November 19:
Tourist’s cure disproves theory from critics
Joan Merriam-Schlagel from Colorado had three months left to live when she went to Medjugorje. She was there as a humanitarian worker and a tourist, but came back cured. Her story debunks critics’ theory that people’s faith, not the grace of the place, brings about Medjugorje’s many healings.
November 17:
Cardinal steps up infight over Medjugorje
By a time when the head of the Vatican’s doctrinal office seeks to ban Medjugorje events that take the apparitions for granted, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna did just that on November 15. “Here before us is Our Lady” he said in his homily after seer Ivan Dragicevic’s apparition.
November 15:
Vicka’s glowing statue still shines
Visionary Vicka Ivankovic-Mijatovic’s glowing statue of Mary has been shining every day since Medjugorje’s parish priest took it into custody in September 2013, very well-informed sources tell Medjugorje Today. Experts exclude fluorescent paint as cause and cannot find an explanation.
November 11:
First ever call to pray for the Church
After more than 33 years of apparitions in Medjugorje, the Virgin Mary issued her first ever call to pray for the Church in her November 9 message given to to visionary Vicka Ivankovic-Mijatovic in Palestrina, Italy. Italian author Antonio Socci raises alarm and asks if anyone is listening.
November 9:
Mary after ban turmoil: Pray for the Church
After heated debate of banned prayer meeting in Fiuggi, Italy, the Virgin Mary gave a rare public message via visionary Vicka Ivankovic-Mijatovic on Sunday: At the follow-up prayer meeting Mary called to prayer for the Church, by a time when cardinal goes against cardinal on Medjugorje.
November 9:
Vicka attends disputed prayer meeting
Contrary to what she had announced, visionary Vicka Ivankovic-Mijatovic guested a controversial prayer meeting in Fiuggi, Italy, on Saturday. More than 2,000 people went in spite of local Bishop’s prohibition. Vatican top prelate sent Bishop restricting letter one day before the ban.
November 7:
Writer: Bishop invites Vicka into church
Prayer meeting attended by visionary Vicka Ivankovic-Mijatovic on November 9 has been moved into the diocesan church of the local Bishop, author Paolo Brosio reports. Yet the Diocese of Palestrina makes no mention, and meeting organizer has not announced a change of venue.
November 6:
Woman cured after seeing Jesus and Mary
Mara Odak from Mostar was paralyzed for five years after falling from the third floor down. During Mass in Medjugorje she saw the roof of St. James Church disappear and noticed the Virgin Mary smile at her from the sky. Next she saw Jesus with the apostles, stood up, walked, and was cured.
November 4:
Vicka stays away from banned prayer meeting
Obeying the local Bishop who has prohibited attendance for clergy and faithful alike, visionary Vicka Ivankovic-Mijatovic tells Medjugorje Today that she has cancelled her participation in a prayer meeting in Italy on November 8. Organizer reacts by maintaining that Vicka will be there.
October 31:
Marija longs for Heaven more and more
We hope for Heaven every time we have the apparition, visionary Marija Pavlovic-Lunetti commented on the Virgin Mary’s recent message to her. We all choose our eternity through our choices on earth, she further said before recounting the seers’ early vision of Heaven, Purgatory, and Hell.
October 29:
Arranger: Vicka will go to banned meeting
Organizer of the prayer meeting on November 8 in Fiuggi, Italy, claims visionary Vicka Ivankovic-Mijatovic will attend the meeting which has been banned and sought cancelled by the local Bishop. False cancelletion poster was circulated on Wednesday, only to be promptly denied by the arranger.
October 28:
Cancer went away after Vicka’s apparition
Therese Daoud from Haifa, Israel, had a deadly tumor when she went to Vicka’s apparition in Nazareth in August 2013. Two weeks later tests showed the tumor had shrunk and in early October it was gone. She never underwent medical treatment and her doctor calls her healing unheard of.
October 26:
Fee makes Bishop ban meeting with Vicka
Tickets at 10 Euro are behind Bishop Lorenzo Loppa’s decision to ban clergy and faithful alike from attending a prayer meeting with visionary Vicka Ivankovic-Mijatovic on November 8. Organizer explains the fee with high costs, and says the meeting will be held despite the opposition.
October 24:
Bishop seems to ban meeting with Vicka
Italian media claims Bishop orders clergy and faithful not to attend a prayer meeting with visionary Vicka Ivankovic-Mijatovic on November 8, and would like it cancelled. Yet the diocesan website makes no mention of a ban, and the Bishop’s name appears on the arrangement poster.
October 23:
Italian was cured from incurable disease
Maria Pia Pacioni suffered from myelitis, a spinal cord infection that leads to progressive paralysis. Before she went to Medjugorje, she could only walk with crutches or a stick. Yet upon her return she felt a sudden heat, found her legs free from pain, and now has been declared healthy.
October 21:
Priest saw Mary’s mantle cover Medjugorje
When he came to Medjugorje, Fr. Juan Carlos Zapata from Newark, NJ, asked the Virgin Mary for a sign of her protection. What he received on Apparition Hill made him weep with joy: Mary’s mantle formed in the sky to cover the entire area, and in the middle was the Virgin Mary’s body.
October 20:
German had sudden cure from cancer
Ursula Herberg from Hannover, Germany, received the Last Rites when she was close to death with pancreas cancer. But before then she had spent a week in Medjugorje and when she returned her doctors found her tumor was gone. “It took me long to understand what had happened” she says.
October 17:
Fr. Jozo believed from very early on
Until now, it has been the general impression that Fr. Jozo Zovko, as parish priest in Medjugorje when the apparitions began, was initially sceptical of what the visionaries told. Yet the priest’s tape-recorded interviews with the seers from the first apparition week reveal a very open-minded Fr. Jozo.
October 15:
Many saw the Virgin Mary on day 2
The Medjugorje visionaries were not the only ones to see the Virgin Mary on June 25th 1981, the second day of the apparitions. Several people from the village also saw her, and they tried to guide the visionaries to her, the local priests’ interviews with the seers from the first week reveal.
October 13:
Doctor: Medjugorje has prolonged my life
Heart surgeon Dr. Ruben M. Lopez from Harlingen, TX, has stage 4 cancer. Yet visiting Medjugorje and seeing the Virgin Mary on Cross Mountain has renewed him, enabled him to work busily – and his tumor has shrunk. “I know my trip to Medjugorje has allowed me to still be here today” he says.
October 8:
Mary formed in wax from Medjugorje candle
Maria Valenzuela lit a candle bought in Medjugorje when she prayed. In December 2011 she noticed that the wax had shaped to form the Virgin Mary’s image. Her family and many other people have been in awe of the candle which has strengthened her faith and made her life more spiritual.
October 2:
Mary, John Paul II and Fr. Slavko get streets
The road under Apparition Hill will be named Queen of Peace Street. Saint Pope John Paul II will have the main street from the church to the bus station named after him – and the late Medjugorje priest Fr. Slavko Barbaric also gets one. Other names refer to Croatian history and heroes.
September 27:
Marija: Pray to keep joy, love and peace
The Virgin Mary’s message of September 25 is a call to joy – but how to feel joy in times of suffering and trial? By avoiding to reject the Cross, and by praying to hold on to joy, says visionary Marija Pavlovic-Lunetti. “Mary knows it is difficult, and so her messages help and inspire us” she says.
September 23:
12,000 Masses said for Mary’s plans
Spirit of Medjugorje editor June Klins urges her readers to have a Mass said for the Virgin Mary’s intentions. The response has surpassed her expectations, and after 18 months the number is nearing 12,000. “If all the pilgrims responded, the world would radically change” she says.
September 20:
Pope Francis blesses Medjugorje statue
On September 17, Pope Francis blessed a statue of the Virgin Mary brought from Medjugorje after the general audience in St. Peter’s Square. It was the second time in three weeks the Pope got close to a Medjugorje statue but this time it is not known if he knew where the statue was from.
September 18:
Italian cured from multiple sclerosis
Gigliola Candian from Venice had multiple sclerosis and was confided to a wheelchair. In Medjugorje on September 13 she saw a great light, realized she could walk, and stood up. “To me, it is a miracle” says the 48 years old Italian who visited Medjugorje before, but never prayed for a healing.
September 17:
New road shortens way to Split Airport
The driving distance from Medjugorje to Split is reduced to 120 kilometres after new highway section was opened between Medjugorje and the Croatian border on September 16. Medjugorje is now tied to the European motorway network as the only town in Bosnia and Hercegovina.
September 17:
Tennis ace thanks God for US Open win
About 20,000 people greeted local tennis player Marin Cilic when he returned to Medjugorje after winning US Open. Cilic thanked God and the Virgin Mary for having showed him which path to take. Top politicians were present to congratulate and a great crowd celebrated into the night.
September 16:
Vicka in marathon prayer over pilgrims
Visionary Vicka Ivankovic-Mijatovic used to pray over pilgrims for about 20 minutes per encounter. Recently, she has not gone below 45 minutes, and on her birthday she prayed for 1 hour 10 minutes non-stop. Pilgrim told Vicka she is the only one who can have Italians stay silent for so long.
September 14:
Cardinal: Pope may take a year to decide
Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna seeks to calm down expectations of Pope Francis deciding on Medjugorje before long. The Pope has all the documentation, but may spend a year or even more looking at it, says the Cardinal. Until then, do not worry but go to Medjugorje with faith, he adds.
September 4:
Joyful Pope receives Medjugorje statue
Pope Francis was delighted when a statue brought from Medjugorje was given to him in St. Peter’s Square on August 27. The Pope was told the statue was a gift from visionary Vicka Ivankovic-Mijatovic, and reacted by blessing the man who brought it to him, and his mission in The Holy Land.
September 3:
Vicka shines on at 50
As the first Medjugorje visionary, Vicka Ivankovic-Mijatovic turns 50 years today. Her life has been marked by physical suffering, but first of all by the radiant joy that always impressed the people who met her. Great crowd of pilgrims greeted her when she gave a talk in the morning on her birthday.
August 29:
Cardinal: Rome will protect Medjugorje
Rome will not break down Medjugorje, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna tells priest in private conversation. Pope Francis asked to have the report from the Vatican Commission on Medjugorje before the Vatican’s doctrinal office had added their comments, the Cardinal further reveals.
August 20:
Mary prays for Francis’ mission of peace
The day before Pope Francis told he is ready to go to Iraq, the Virgin Mary told Medjugorje visionary Ivan Dragicevic that she prays for his mission of peace. On August 18, the day of Francis’ announcement, she warned that Satan wants to destroy her plans and asked for perseverance in prayer.
August 8:
Mirjana to youth: The world relies on you
“You are the ones who will bring good into the world. The world relies on you” Medjugorje visionary Mirjana Dragicevic-Soldo said in her August 4 lecture for the Youth Festival. Go step by step, hold Mary’s hand, do not judge your prayers, and found your family on God, Mirjana added.
August 4:
Medjugorje statue seems to weep in Italy
Believers flocked into the street when a statue of the Virgin Mary brought from Medjugorje seemed to shed tears for four days in late July in Piane Crati, Italy. While some believed it was a sign and others suggested a natural cause, the local diocese collected samples for laboratory tests.
August 3:
Solar halo sparks miracle debate
At 12.30 pm on August 3, a circular rainbow appeared around the sun in Medjugorje, seen by ten thousands attending the annual Youth Festival. Though the phenomenon is natural, and experienced Medjugorje photographers seek to downplay it, many still believe they saw a miracle.
July 28:
Priest: Pope’s verdict appears imminent
Pope Francis is waiting for the right moment for his verdict on Medjugorje, and well-informed sources say it is not far away, writes Spanish priest who often visited. Medjugorje will achieve shrine status and the authenticity of the apparitions will be neither confirmed nor dismissed, he further tells.
July 24:
Legendary priest breaks lengthy silence
Fr. Jozo Zovko is back at writing commentaries to the Virgin Mary’s monthly message. Medjugorje’s charismatic parish priest by the time the apparitions began has been away from public spotlight for more than five years, asked to stay silent until the Vatican Commission had finished.
July 18:
Pope’s words on Medjugorje decision refuted
Still no papal decision: The Provincial of the Franciscan Order in Hercegovina denies that Pope Francis has told him to pray that he has made the right decision on Medjugorje, and expresses surprise that an American priest residing in Medjugorje gave this impression on June 25.
July 15:
Crippled young man was cured in Medjugorje
For three years, Andrea de Luca was suffering from perthes, confined to a wheelchair as his femoral head and hip were flaking. During Mass in Medjugorje, he felt a strong heat, and upon his return he heard a voice tell him to walk. Medical experts confirm a healing they cannot explain.
July 10:
Italian finds peace after suicide attempts
As a child, Gabriella Belotti lost her mother. As a young woman, she lost her father, too. Having lost a child in the womb, she also lost her husband. After three attempted suicides, she began to notice signs that led her to Medjugorje. Here she found a peace that took all her suffering away.
June 28:
Confirmed: John Paul II wanted to visit
More than once, St. Pope John Paul II expressed a desire to visit Medjugorje, but never went because he was being careful in everything he did, the postulator of his saintly cause reveals. The Pope was attracted because Medjugorje is transforming people’s hearts, and turning them to Christ.
June 26:
Pope Francis blessed Medjugorje medal
When Alicia Italiani from Erie, PA, wrote to Pope Francis to ask if her devotion to the Medjugorje message was was acceptable to the Church, the response was different from what she had expected. She received a Medjugorje medal, and a note that the Pontiff had personally blessed it.
June 25:
Estimated 100,000 attend anniversary
The 33rd anniversary of the first apparitions in Medjugorje is celebrated by next to 100,000 people. Medjugorje’s parish priest says that individual recognition of the Medjugorje message precedes the Church recognition. Visionary Vicka Ivankovic-Mijatovic asks for prayers for the seers.
January 25:
Pope meets with key Medjugorje advisors
On January 23, Pope Francis received Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the Chairman of the Medjugorje Commission, in a private audience. On January 24, he was followed by the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to whom the Commission just delivered its report.
January 23:
Pope’s top advisor would appear with Ivan
Chairman of the Pope’s Commission of Cardinals planned to appear with Medjugorje seer Ivan Dragicevic this weekend, yet Ivan did not make it. By agreeing to be side by side with the seer, Cardinal Maradiaga proved ready to dismiss the head of the Vatican’s doctrinal office once more.
January 20:
Cardinal: Expect Pope’s verdict this year
Pope Francis’ ruling on Medjugorje can be expected this year, says Cardinal Vinko Puljic of Sarajevo, a member of the investigative Commission. The Commission has shared its opinion on whether to give Medjugorje shrine status or not, and people are still free to visit.
January 19:
Commission found real fruits, no fraud
The findings of the Vatican Commission on Medjugorje make a favorable judgment an option, though in a partial form because the apparitions are ongoing. The Commission found real and significant fruits in the form of conversions, and no evidence of fraud, deception or abuse.
January 18:
Official: Commission has ended its work
Four years of Vatican investigation into the events of Medjugorje ended with the final meeting of the international Commission on January 17, Vatican spokesman confirms. But it may still be a while until the conclusions and the ultimate decisions of the Pope are being disclosed.
January 15:
Media: Commission will finish this week
The Vatican’s investigative Commission on Medjugorje will conclude its work on January 17 when the members vote to find the conclusion it will send to Pope Francis, a Croatian Catholic media portal learns from sources close to the Commission. Final decision will then follow “soon”.