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Medjugorje, Virgin Mary - Medjugorje shrine in Herzegovina

By: Robert - Article Submitted on: 2008-05-18


The name Medjugorje means 'area between two mountains.' Medjugorje is one of the villages of the Western-Herzegovina municipality of Citluk or you can say of historic Brotnjo.The territory of Medjugorje has a mild Mediterranean climate and spreads out at the altitude of 200 meters above sea level.The parish of Medjugorje was founded in 1892 and also placed under the protection of St. James, patron of pilgrims. Five years later, the old parish church of St. James in Medjugorje
wascompleted. It was both sufficiently large and beautiful at this time, but unfortunatell built on earthquake prone ground, and soon it began to sink and crack. After the first World War , the thought was to build a new church,and they did it.

The church was completed and blessed on January 19, 1969. So there was a beatifull church which attracted no attention, not even from the people of the nearest surroundings. The story of Medjugorje started in the summer of 1981. It has become well known all over the world, because of six young people who claim to have seen visions of our Lady.Beginning on June 24, 1981, the Madonna appeared to, and later told the visionaries God sent her with messages for the world to help us convert our hearts and lives back to Him.Our Lady's mission is one of love,peace and faith.She told them that these years she is spending with us are a time of Grace granted by God.

Her words has been: 'I have come to tell the world that God exists. He is the fullness of life, and to enjoy this fullness and peace, you must return to God'. Our Lady continues to give messages to the six visionaries: Jakov, Ivan, Mirjana, Marija,Vicka, and Ivanka. Here is a part of some messages our Madonna gave us:'Do not allow satan to gain control of your hearts, so you would be an image of satan and not of me.' (January 30, 1986)'You are ready to commit sin, and to put yourselves in the hands of satan without reflecting.' (May 25, 1987)'Dear children, this is the reason for my presence among you for such a long time: to lead you on the path of Jesus. I want to save you and, through you, to save the whole world. Many people now live without faith; some don't even want to hear about Jesus, but they still want peace and satisfaction! Children, here is the reason why I need your prayer: prayer is the only way to save the human race.' (July 30, 1987)'Children, darkness reigns over the whole world. People are attracted by many things and they forget about the more important.''Light won't reign in the world until people accept Jesus, until they live His words, which is the Word of the Gospel.'Since 1981,when the apparitions began, 25 millions of people of all faiths, from all over the world, have visited Medjugorje. Many come back home with stories of miracles in the form of healing (of mind, body and soul), supernatural
visual events, and deep conversions back to God.

APPARATION HILL: The place of Our Lady's first apparition was on the hill of Crnica. It is usually called Apparition Hill(brdo ukazanja). It is situated several hundred
meters above the hamlet of Podbrdo.A stony path leads from the houses to the place where Our Lady appeared.1989 ? bronze reliefs were placed representing the mysteries of the Rosary.The Rosary consists of three parts, the Joyful, the Sorrowful and the Glorious Mysteries.

The steep footpath was broadened by the millions of pilgrims who have so far visited the place of the apparitions, the path has become such a blazed trail that it is visible from far away. Numerous pilgrims climbed even barefoot and on their knees over the sharp stones to the place of Our Lady's first apparitions.Half way up the path is located a large wooden cross,erected on the place where Our Lady on the third day of apparition, appeared to the visionary Marija Pavlovi - on June 6,1981.

At this place, Marija saw Our Lady with a sad face and behind her was a large cross.This time she said, 'Peace, peace, peace and only peace! Peace must reign between God and man and also between men!' Today this is a place where pilgrims make a stop, remaining in prayer and reflection on the message of the apparitions directed to the world of today.At the main site of the apparitions is a white marble statue of Mary, erected on September 8th, 2001, in honour of the 20th anniversary of the apparitions. Any time of day or night, any day of the year, people can be found in prayer, in song, in deep meditation, and silence.

CROSS MOUNTAIN (KRIZEVAC)
About one kilometre from the church of Medjugorje Cross Mountain (Krizevac) rises up and the Cross of Krizevac is the most significant, and dominant feature in the landscape of Medjugorje. The Cross on the peak of Krizevac (520 meters above sea level),was erected by the pastor and people of Medjugorje. It is a 8.56m high white concrete cross in commemoration of the 1900th Anniversary of the Passion of Jesus. They engraved the words, 'To Jesus Christ, Redeemer of the human race, as a sign of their faith, love and hope, the pastor Bernadine Smoljan and the parish of Medjugorje put up this cross. From every evil deliver us, O Jesus.'in it.The cross was completed on March 15,1934. From then on, it became the yearly custom, even prior to the apparitions, to celebrate Holy Mass
in honor of the Exaltation (Triumph) of the Cross on the Sunday following September 8th after the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.The cross was so important to the people that they changed the name of it.The original name was Sipovac, because many pomegranate trees grow on it(sipak ist the Croatian word for pomegranate).Its name was changed to Krizevac, which means 'Mountain of Cross' or like English speakers like to say 'Cross Mountain'.Relics from Rome are embedded in the cross bar itself. In the parish chronicle it is written that the relics are a piece of the cross venerated by Christians as the one on which Jesus Christ was crucified. The largest part is preserved in the Church of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem in Rome.

The Cross Mountain does not attract pilgrims so much because of its natural beauty nor because of the significance of the cross put up on it, but only because numerous people claim that, after the apparitions of Medjugorje started, they saw various luminous (signs of light) and other 'signs' on that Cross. They all connected them with the apparitions of Our Lady themselves, with the message of the Medjugorje apparitions - 'peace between God and man and between men.' They understood that the way to that peace leads unavoidably through the cross. A lot of people have found peace and their way back to God on that mountain. While climbing up that difficult, steep and stony path to the Cross on the mountain, pilgrims pray the devotion of the Way of the Cross with fifteen stations. This stations along the path on Cross Mountain, are bronze reliefs sculptured by Italian sculptor Carmelo Puzzolo and the image of Our Lady is in each one of them.On November 24th, 2001, on the first anniversary of the death of Fr. Slavko Barbaric.Fr. Slavko Barbaric lived in Medjugorje, and has been involved with the visionaries and apparitions taking place there for many years. He regularly has given talks to visiting pilgrims, and has written numerous books about the messages of Medjugorje.On the spot where Fr. Slavko gave his soul into the hands of the Lord, a memorial was built: Fr. Slavko's relief in bronze, encrusted in stone. Between two stations of the cross, it will remain as a sign and a memorial of a man who said
what he thought and who did what he said, following the Gospel and the messages of Our Lady,the Queen of Peace.

Article Source: http://articles.travelandtourisminfo.com

WRITTEN BY: Ivan Peric is a freelance writer living in Medjugorje who maintains the Medugorje Map(.com) site, a site which contains a wealth of knowledge about Medjugorje www.medjugorjemap.com . Check it out and post some comments on the site.



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