2024Medugorje - First Day Cover

In 1981, Međugorje, a small town in Herzegovina, became the centre of the whole world. Five children, now adults, testified that Our Lady - the Blessed Virgin Mary - appeared to them on the hill of Crnica. Their names are Ivanka Ivanković, Mirjana Dragićević, Vicka Ivanković, Ivan Dragićević, Marija Pavlović and Jakov Čolo. The beautiful young woman they saw introduced herself to them as the Queen of Peace. From the first apparitions until today, her messages call for peace and reconciliation. Peace with God and peace among people. In the first years of apparitions, Our Lady's messages of peace may have sounded strange. Ten years later, peace in these areas turned into war. Today, we are witnessing messages of peace becoming increasingly relevant. The world is swept by a wave of hatred and wars, a wave of tragedies. People from all over the world come to Međugorje to make peace with themselves, God and the people around them in the sacrament of confession. There are three special places for pilgrims to gather in Međugorje. The Apparition Hill where the visionaries saw Our Lady in the first days; Križevac, a hill above Međugorje where the residents of the village of Međugorje erected an eight-meter-high concrete cross in 1934 to commemorate the 1900th anniversary of Jesus' death; the parish church dedicated to St. James the Greater, apostle and patron of pilgrims. Pilgrims carry the messages of the Queen of Peace in their hearts around the world.