Medjugorje Peace Conference October 2008

On October 24 through 26 I attended the 18th Medjugorje Peace Conference in Irvine, CA. I have never been to a religious conference before, and I have to admit I was overwhelmed with wonder and joy. Gathering with 5,000 (or so) Catholics to say the rosary, listen to outstanding speakers, pray, and partake of the Eucharist each day, was an experience I will repeat as soon as I can. I was a believer in the Medjugorje story before I went to the conference, and I came away strengthened in that belief. Seeing, watching, and hearing the visionary Mirjana in person may be as close as I ever come to seeing a saint. She was exactly as you would expect; peaceful, respectful, childlike, and perhaps a little world weary from her personal trials and the weight of her responsibility, yet joyful over simple matters. The other speakers, many of whose stories were grounded in Medjugorje conversions, healings, and miracles were sincere and highly believable. As a group, they cared for each other in a way that demonstrated the scripture:

“By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
(John 13:35)

Below is a brief overview of the Medjugorje story.

Since 1981, in a small village in Bosnia-Herzegovina named Medjugorje, the Blessed Virgin Mary has been appearing and giving messages to the world. She tells us that God has sent Her to our world and, these years she is spending with us are a time of Grace granted by God. In Her own words She tells us, "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's mission is one of peace and love. She has come to earth to reeducate us and to help us convert and re-center our lives back to God. Our Lady's role has always been one of guiding us to Her Son, Jesus.

Our Lady continues to give messages to six people from the village of Medjugorje: Ivan, Jakov, Marija, Mirjana, Vicka, and Ivanka. These six people (referred to as "visionaries") have had apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary since June 24, 1981. In addition to these messages, Our Lady is to give each of the six visionaries a total of ten "secrets" about events that will occur on earth in the near future.

Our Lady has promised to leave a supernatural, indestructible, and visible sign on the mountain where she first appeared. Our Lady said: "This sign will be given for the atheists. You faithful already have signs and you have become the sign for the atheists. You faithful must not wait for the sign before you convert; convert soon. This time is a time of grace for you. You can never thank God enough for His grace. The time is for deepening your faith and for your conversion. When the sign comes, it will be too late for many."

Once Our Lady stops appearing there will be three warnings given to the world. Mirjana will witness the warnings and they will occur on the earth. Ten days before each of the warnings, she will advise the priest she chose for this task (Father Petar Ljubicic), who will then fast and pray with Mirjana for seven days. Then, three days before the warning is to take place, Fr. Petar will announce to the world what, where, and when the warning is to take place. Fr. Petar has no choice, and must reveal each warning. Mirjana's testimony will be a confirmation of the validity of the apparitions and an incentive for the conversion of the world. After the first warning, the others will follow within a rather brief period of time. So it is that people will have time for conversion. After the three warnings, the permanent visible sign will be left on the mountain where Our Lady first appeared in Medjugorje. This sign will lead to many healings and conversions before the messages become reality.

Since the apparitions began in 1981, millions of people of all faiths, from all over the world, have visited Medjugorje and have left spiritually strengthened and renewed. Many bring back stories of miracles in the form of healings (of mind, body and soul), supernatural visual events, and deep conversions back to God.

Our Lady of Medjugorje asks us to follow the regimen below:

Daily Prayer (Of the Rosary)
Fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays
Daily Reading of the Bible
Monthly Confession
Holy Communion

There is much more to the Medjugorje story than can be copied and pasted here. I highly encourage you to go to http://www.medjugorje.org/ for more information.

By the way, I prayed for and received a personal healing at the conference.