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 It
was late afternoon on June 24, 1981.
Two pretty girls were out for a walk,
no doubt sharing the latest news or
talking about a young man or two. Fifteen-year-old
Ivanka Ivankovic, from the hamlet of
Bijakovici (part of the parish of Medjugorje)
suddenly noticed a light high up on
Mount Podbrdo, the large hill behind
her village. Glancing up, she saw a
figure shining with light, hovering
above the ground. It stood a good distance
away, perhaps over 200 yards. As she
looked, speechless, their conversation
forgotten, the figure seemed to form
the shape of a young woman. Although
she wasn’t at all sure, she exclaimed
to her friend, "Mirjana, look.
There is Gospa." (Gospa is the
Croatian word for Our Lady.)
 Mirjana
was sure Ivanka was joking. She didn’t
even bother to look where her friend
was pointing. "Come on," she
said, mockingly, "Would Our Lady
appear to us?" Convinced, Ivanka
said no more and they walked on. A younger
girl, Milka Pavlovic, asked for help
rounding up her goats. Arriving back
at the spot, all three now saw the figure.
This time they knelt down. Vicka Ivankovic,
another friend, happened by. "Look
up there," they told her. Terrified,
Vicka kicked off her shoes and ran.
She met sixteen-year-old Ivan Dragicevic
and his friend Ivan Ivankovic. Telling
them what happened, they convinced her
to take them to check it out. They,
too, saw the vision. Ivan Dragicevic
took off on a dead run for home. Next
day, four of the children felt drawn
back to the spot. Vicka then ran to
get her friend, Marija, (Milka’s
sister) and ten-year-old Jakov Colo.
They, too, saw the apparition the second
day. Milka and Ivan Ivankovic did not
return and never saw Our Lady again.
 Gospa
has appeared every day since then. The
six young people say Our Lady looksabout
nineteen years old, is extremely beautiful,
and has dark hair with blue eyes. She
appears to the visionaries every day
at 5:40 p.m. Her overall message through
the years is peace – to reconcile
ourselves with God and with each other.
Mary says she has come to bring the
world back to her Son, Jesus. She asks
us to pray, go to Mass, confess once
a month, fast on Wednesday and Friday
on bread and water and say the fifteen
decade rosary every day. Three of the
visionaries, Ivanka, Mirjana and Jakov
have received ten secrets and no longer
have daily apparitions. Vicka, Marija
and Ivan have received only nine of
the secrets and still have daily apparitions.
The visionaries, except Vicka, are all
married and have two or more children.
Mirjana has been chosen to reveal the
secrets and will tell a Franciscan priest,
Fr. Petar Ljubicic, ten days before
each one occurs. After prayer and fasting,
he will tell the secret to the world
three days before it happens. Our Lady
also promised that a lasting sign would
be left at the spot of her first apparition.
Each month, on the 25th, Our Lady gives
a message for the world to Marija, who
writes it down for the priests of St.
James’ Church to translate and
send out. Between twenty and thirty
million pilgrims have been to Medjugorje,
including priests, bishops and cardinals.
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