June 25
Kraljice Mira, Medjugorje, Citluk, Herzegovina-Neretva, Bosnia and
Herzegovina
After Fatima, this remote spot, formerly in Yugoslavia and Croatia, is
perhaps the most famous and visited Marian apparition site of the 20th
century, although the Catholic Church has withheld approval. "Kraljice
Mira," Queen of Peace, first appeared to six young people of
Medjugorje on June 24, 1981, radiant and holding a child; but they ran
away in fear. By the next day, four of them longed for another
encounter, so they returned to the same place, on what soon came to be
called the "hill of apparitions," along with two friends. They
saw the same woman, without the child this time. She prayed with them and
left saying, "God
be with you my angels!" The seers of June 25, which is
celebrated as the anniversary in Medjugorge, were Ivanka Ivankovic,
Mirjana Dragicevic, Vicka Ivankovic, Ivan Dragicevic, Marija Pavlovic, and
Jakov Colo, all of whom still, over 40 years later, receive regular visits
from the "Gospa," Our Lady. Her message of peace, faith, and
prayer, repeated over the years, changed the town into a pilgrim's mecca,
as pilgrims changed in turn went home to found prayer groups and spread
the word around the globe. The Queen of Peace in marble, by Italian
sculptor Dino Felici, stands outside the parish church where many of the
apparitions occurred, a focus for petitions and gatherings (picture from www.206tours.com).
Official site: www.medjugorje.hr.
Also celebrated this date:
 | Notre-Dame de Clairvaux, Aube, France. St. Bernard founded monastery, 1115. |
| Maria Brünnlein, Wemding, Donau-Ries, Bavaria, Germany (Mary Brook). Statue seen to move eyes, 1735. |
| Gua Mawar Maria, Musuk, Boyolali, Central Java, Indonesia. Grotto dedicated, 1982. |
| Beata Vergine delle Grazie, Montegridolfo, Rimini, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Apparition, 1548. |
| Regina di Tutti i Santi, Ancona, Marche, Italy (Queen of All Saints). Virgin wept in picture, 1786. |
| Virgen del Mar, Santander, Cantabria, Spain, San Román de la Llanilla district (Virgin of the Sea). Statue crowned, 2005; fiesta day after Pentecost. City patron. |
| Virgen del Henar, Cuéllar, Segovia, Castile and León, Spain. 1100s statue crowned, 1972. Fiesta Sun. before St. Matthew (Sept. 21). |