Mirjana Dragicevic

Mirjana Dragicevic  Vicka Ivankovic  Ivanka Ivankovic  Jakov Colo  Ivan Dragicevic  Marija Pavlovic

Mirjana Dragicevic married Marko Soldo on September 16, 1989.  They live in Medjugorje with their two daughters: Veronika and Marija. Mirjana grew up in Sarajevo with her parents and continued her studies there even after the apparitions began. In June of 1981, she happened to be on vacation in Medjugorje, where the rest of her family had settled.  In Sarajevo, she suffered from Communist authorities and her Communist classmates. 

In addition, she was isolated from the other visionaries.  She was immersed in an atheist society, which contrasted greatly from the faith of her parents. One day Mirjana related an interesting story from Sarajevo: “Before Our Lady came to her, Satan appeared to her, disguised as a very handsome young man, but his eyes were red.  He tried to pull Mirjana out of Our Lady's school but failed. The Mother of God then explained to her how the devil works and always seeks to destroy. Our Lady entrusted to Mirjana the special task to pray and fast for those who do not yet know the love of God, not by preaching but by witnessing through her life. Mirjana was the first visionary to stop having daily apparitions, Christmas 1982.  It was the day she received her 10th secret.  Since 1987, she has a yearly apparition on March 18, her birthday. However, Our Lady confided to Mirjana that she did not choose this date because of her birthday, but for some other reason that belongs to the secrets. Since 1987, Mirjana has received a monthly apparition which is open to all and gathers thousands of people. 

Courtesy of Bernard Gallagher

Vicka Ivankovic

Mirjana Dragicevic  Vicka Ivankovic  Ivanka Ivankovic  Jakov Colo  Ivan Dragicevic  Marija Pavlovic

Vicka Ivankovic married Mario Mijatovic on January 26, 2002.  They live in Vionica, near Medjugorje, with their two children:  Marija-Sofija and Ante. One day, Sr. Emmanuel asked Vicka this question :“I guess it will be very difficult for you when the apparitions are over!  After so many years of daily Heavenly visits of the Blessed Mother, you might be afraid to see the day coming when you won’t see her anymore!  Do you sometimes ask her not to leave you?” 

Vicka (80's)

“I don’t! She knows when she’ll have to stop appearing to me, it’s up to God! When she doesn’t appear to me anymore I will tell her with all my heart, ‘I thank you for having appeared to me for so many years!’ You see, each one of her comings is a great gift and as for me, I cannot but be filled with gratitude!  I know, many people only think of asking and asking always more, but one has also to be able to say thank you!”

Vicka has a special gift of compassion for the sick and the suffering. Our Lady entrusted to her to pray for them in a special way. Vicka also takes to heart to visit them.  She is often found in hospitals, private bedrooms of the sick and any place of suffering where she can comfort those who mourn. She herself, has experienced crushing pain and sicknesses. Our Lady speaks to Vicka at length about suffering and its meaning in the works of salvation.  Vicka often reminds us that our life on earth is short and that “if we knew the love of God, we wouldn’t be afraid of death and we would not be attached to earthly things.” 

Vicka and Sr Emmanuel (2004)

Ivanka Ivankovic 

Mirjana Dragicevic  Vicka Ivankovic  Ivanka Ivankovic  Jakov Colo   Ivan Dragicevic  Marija Pavlovic

Ivanka Ivankovic married Rajko Elez on December 28, 1986.  They live in Medjugorje with their three children: Kristina, Josip and Ivan.  Ivanka was the first one to see the Blessed Mother on June 24, 1981.

Ivanka

The next day, she asked Our Lady how her mother was, since she had died two months earlier. Our Lady told her, “She is happy. She is with me. She is your angel in Heaven!”  Later, as a special gift to Ivanka, Our Lady appeared five times with Ivanka’s mother.  Ivanka was happily surprised to see how beautiful her mother was, she also noticed that she was becoming more and more beautiful each time she came with the Gospa. Unlike the other five visionaries, Ivanka does not travel for missions.  It is thought that she knows the most about the future of the world since Our Lady often confided in her about it.  Ivanka does not yet know if she will have to make her revelations public.  At the moment she lives a beautiful, austere life of a mother, rather hidden in the hamlet of Miletina.

JAKOV COLO

Mirjana Dragicevic  Vicka Ivankovic  Ivanka Ivankovic  Jakov Colo  Ivan Dragicevic  Marija Pavlovic

Jakov Colo married Annalisa Barozzi on April 11, 1993.  They live in Medjugorje with their three children, Arijanna Marija, David Emmanuele, and Miriam. Jakov was hardly 11 when he first saw the Gospa.  He had lost his father, and his mother died a year later.  Very wild and shy, he would always escape being looked for as a visionary.  Our Lady was everything to him.  She said to him, “Jakov I need you.  You are important to me!”  In front of her, he had beautiful reactions of a child.

In the first week of the apparitions, Fr. Jozo, wanted to verify the testimony of Jakov and the other five visionaries.  He interrogated Jakov, fearing the Communists had made up the apparitions to make fun of the Church. The recording of this dialogue is one of the masterpieces of Medjugorje!  Father asked Jakov, “When was your last confession?”  “When you did all of us last year, at school,” the child replied.  “Are you going to go more often, now?” asked Fr Jozo.  “Oh, you know, now that I have seen Our Lady, I will never make any sin again!” Later Father asked Jakov, “Do you think I will also see the Gospa if I go to the mountain?”  Jakov exclaimed, “Definitely! You are a priest! All priests and nuns are able to see her!  Also Iva, who is constantly in church praying, she is sure to see her too!” 

Fr Jozo

Jakov often made Our Lady smile: One day, he asked her what team would win at the soccer game that Sunday. Jakov would confide to his friends, “She is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my life!”  One day he asked what makes her so beautiful.  Our Lady answered, “I am beautiful because I love!  There is no one on earth who wouldn't want to be beautiful.  If you want to be beautiful, love!”

Ivan Dragicevic

Mirjana Dragicevic  Vicka Ivankovic  Ivanka Ivankovic  Jakov Colo  Ivan Dragicevic  Marija Pavlovic

Ivan Dragicevic married Laureen Murphy on October 23, 1994 and lives most of the time in the United States.  They have three children:  Kristina Marija, Mihayla, and Daniel. Thought to be both quiet and shy, the Gospa asked Ivan to make himself available to share her messages to the pilgrims.  Soon after the apparitions began, Ivan entered the Seminary but left after six months. 

Ivan (80's)

Today, Ivan travels the world in order to witness Our Lady’s words with depth. Our Lady gave him the special mission to spread her messages about family, young people, education of children, prayer, and of course Christian behavior in our world. Ivan has been the head of a prayer group for the young people in the village since 1982.  They gather every Monday and Friday on the mountains at night.  Our Lady appears to him then, and she gives him words to lead them. Many times, Our Lady invites the pilgrims to join the prayer group on the mountain. In summer, when Ivan is present in the village, thousands of pilgrims gather around the prayer group.  These public apparitions add to the richness of Medjugorje life, unique in the world!  The apparitions at night bring great graces to the participants - reconciliations, healings, inner lights, peace of the heart, conversions, and much more.  When asked if Our Lady speaks to him about chastisements, punishments and catastrophies, Ivan always underlines that “Our Lady hasn’t come to speak about darkness but about light!”

Marija Pavlovic 

Marija Pavlovic married Paolo Lunetti on September 8, 1993.  They live in Monza (Italy) with their four sons:  Michaele, Francesco Maria, Marco, and Giovanni.  She is known for her playful and gentle spirit.  She constantly serves others while having many friends around her.  Her life is devoted to prayer for priests and consecrated souls.  When they are with her, priests feel deeply encouraged by her simple and practical words of wisdom.  Pilgrims often comment that she communicates joy and purity of heart with each word.  In 1988, Marija gave one of her kidneys to her brother Andrija, saving his life.

Marija (80's)

She loved Pope John Paul II very much and offered her life to God for him. She would often say,“I want to see the Pope, I want to see the Pope!”  One day, during an apparition, Our Lady showed her Pope JPII.  Afterwards, she confided to a friend living in her house, “I've seen the Pope!  He was somewhere out of Europe, surrounded by thousands of people. He was talking to them from a platform. I am so happy!” When asked what the Pope said, Marija quoted a phrase and her friend wrote it down. The next day, when a pilgrim brought the local newspaper to her, it happened that the headline on the front page was about Pope John Paul II.  The article quoted the Pope's words to a crowd of hundreds of thousands of people in Brazil.  It was the very same quote Marija had heard in her vision of the Pope the day after the apparition! Among the six visionaries, Marija has been chosen by Our Lady to receive the monthly message for the world, on the 25th of each month.

Fr Slavko (80's)

One day, Marija was crying after the apparition of the 25th.  “Why are you crying, Marija?“ Fr. Slavko asked her.  In charge of  translating the message into several languages, Fr. Slavko was afraid that Our Lady had given her a very scary message.  “I will tell Our Lady to choose someone else to give away her messages,” Marija replied.  “Why?” Asked Fr Slavko.  “I am not able to convey what she shows me! Look at the message today!”

Fr Slavko 2000

Father Slavko read the message and was relieved to see how beautiful it was, all about love! He didn't see why Marija was so sad.  But she explained to him: “Our Lady said, ‘My love for you is unfathomable.’  But Father, if you had seen her while she said that!  She opened her arms and it was as if she embraced the whole word and reached each child of hers!  And what a tender-ness in her smile, in her eyes!  But now, Father, when I see these miserable words on a paper, I feel so bad!  These words are nothing comparing to what she expressed!  From this paper, people will never comprehend what love she has for them! I'm not good enough to convey her love.  She should get someone else!” Father Slavko comforted Marija the best he could, but her deep sorrow at not conveying well enough Mary's immense love never left her.

Marija 2000

In addition to the apparations, Our Lady gave two young girls from Medjugorje inner locutions from 1983 to 1986.  Follow this link to read more about these two friends, Jelena Vasilj and Marijana Vasilj, and the prayer groups our Blessed Mother inspired them to form.

Marijana Vasilj and her friend Jelena Vasilj