Mirjana Dragičević Soldo= edit
Mirjana Dragičević Soldo was born on 18 March 1965, in Sarajevo. She was 15 at the time of the alleged apparitions. She lived in Sarajevo for a long time, where she has also finished her education. She claims to have had regular apparitions between 24 June 1981, and 25 December 1982. She claims that she became depressed and prayed for the apparition to see her again. According to her claims, Gospa left her "a gift" that she could see her on her birthday. As Međugorje became more and more popular, Soldo later said that as of 2 August 1987, the apparition would appear every 2nd day of every month. As of 2 January 1997, Soldo knew the exact hour of the apparition (10 to 11 AM).[1]
She claims that the apparition told her ten secrets, which are intended "for humanity in general, for the world, then for Međugorje, Yugoslavia, and some other areas". Soldo also said that every seer has a special mission. She was given those who do not know the love of God, Vicka Ivanković and Jakov Čolo for the sick, Ivan Dragičević for the young and the priests, Marija Pavlović for the souls in purgatory, and Ivanka Ivanković for families.[2]
Soldo is married to Marko Soldo since 1989 and they have two children. They live in Međugorje,[3] where they own a hotel.[4] They also own a mansion at the Croatian island of Hvar in Sućuraj, which they rent for 25,000 Croatian kunas (equivalent to 3,300 Euros or 3,850 United States dollars) a week.[5] One of her daughters, Veronika, studied at the University of Mostar, and is remembered by her colleagues for arriving at classes in a luxury Range Rover.[4]
Soldo wrote several books, including an autobiography titled Moje srce će pobijediti (My heart will win).[4]
Marija Pavlović edit
Marija Pavlović was born on April 1, 1965, in Bijakovići near Međugorje. She was 15 at the time of the alleged apparitions. She finished secondary school in Mostar.[6]
She was once asked why she didn't become a nun, to which she replied: "Through all those years I thought I'm gonna be a nun. I started visiting a monastery; my desire to go there was very strong. But the abbess told me: "Marija, if you tend to join, you can, but if Bishop decides that you cannot talk about Međugorje, you must listen to him." In that moment, I started to think that my calling is perhaps that I witness to what I saw and felt, and that I will seek my sainthood outside the monastery."[6] She also claims to have daily apparitions and that she keeps nine secrets from Gospa. She claims that Gospa sends her monthly messages for the world. These messages were at first made public by fra Tomislav Vlašić, then after him by fra Slavko Barbarić.[7]
Later, in February 1988, she joined fra Tomislav Vlašić,[8] a New Age promoter,[9] and his group of 15 young men and women in the community "Queen of Peace, - totally yours – Through Mary to Jesus" in Parma, Italy. Together they participated in spiritual exercises for five months. Vlašić was an ex-friar since 1987 who with his German assistant Agnes Heupel founded a mystic community. Heupel also claimed to receive messages from Gospa. Vlašić claimed that through Pavlović's testimony the community was a work of Gospa herself, and that Pavloviće had delivered him an answer in March 1987 to his question to Gospa about the community, which, among other things, stated: "This is God's plan" and that "Gospa leads the group through father Tomislav and Agnes, through which she sends her messages for the community".[10] She left the group in July 1988 denied any messages from Gospa regarding the community.[11]
She married an Italian, Paolo Lunetti, in Milan in 1993. They live in a six-story mansion in Monza,[12] but spent most of the time in Milan.[13]
Vicka Ivanković edit
Vicka Ivanković is the oldest of the alleged seers, born on September 3, 1964, in Bijakovići, a village near Međugorje. She was 16 at the time of the alleged apparitions. She claims to have had daily apparitions, and on occasions two, three, four or five times a day. According to her claims, the apparition told her her biography from January 1983 to April 1985.[14]
One of the major controversies of the Međugorje phenomenon was her diary about the apparitions, which went public with or without her consent. She claimed that the copying of her diaries occurred without her knowledge or consent.[14] She married Marijo Mijatović in 2002.[1]
She claims to have prayed and talked with Our Lady and to have been given nine "secrets". Her "prayer mission", given by the Blessed Virgin Mary, is to pray for the sick. Vicka says that her daily apparitions have not yet stopped. Vicka claims to have received a biography of Mary's life, contained in two handwritten notebooks, which Vicka has said will be published when the Blessed Virgin Mary tells her to do so.[citation needed]
Regarding her alleged visions, Vicka Ivanković once stated:
Before, I prayed from pure habit. Now I've turned completely to prayer. I commit my life completely to God. I feel sorry for those who do not believe in God, because Our Lady wants no one to be lost. We can help each other find the right way to God. It's up to the people to obey the messages and be converted. Great things are happening here – Our Lady is among us. She wishes to attract everyone to Her Son. That's the reason She has been coming so long and so often. Here everyone feels the nearness and the love of God. As role model and example, Gospa (Mary) began, in January 1983, to tell me Her life story, which took over two years.[15]
Ivanković lives in a mansion in Krehin Gradac near Medjugorje.[4] On March 18, 2020 Mirjana Dragićević announced that the Blessed Mother would no longer appear to her at that time, the second of each month.[16][17]
Ivan Dragičević edit
Ivan Dragičević was born in Mostar on May 25, 1965. He was 15 at the time of the alleged apparitions. After graduating from elementary school, he enrolled at a secondary school in Čitluk, but failed to pass the first class. In August 1981 he applied to the seminary of the Herzegovinian Franciscan Province, where he was already known for the alleged apparitions. He was sent to a seminary in Visoko. In the seminary, he also claimed to have daily apparitions. Again he failed to pass the first class and was sent to the gymnasium in Dubrovnik, where it was thought he would pass the class more easily. Thus, in autumn 1982, he was transferred from the Franciscan seminary to the humanist gymnasium in Dubrovnik. He was unsuccessful there as well and left the school altogether in January 1983.[18]
He himself also appeared to the rest of the seers on 12 November 1981 sending them his regards.[19]
While in the Franciscan seminary, he claimed that Gospa came to an image of Jesus and said: "Angel, this is your Father", which was never taught by any Christian denomination. He also claimed, like Vicka Dragičević, that Gospa told him her biography from December 1982 to May 1983.[20]
Dragičević married Laureen Murphy, a former Miss Massachusetts, in 1994. They have four children and live in Boston and then resides in the other half the year in the parish of Medjugorje.[21][20] His wife owns a tourist agency for pilgrims to Medjugorje. Dragičević owns a hotel in Medjugorje and a mansion worth a million of the United States dollars.[4]
In October 2013, Archbishop Gerhard Müller of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith wished the U.S. bishops to be aware that Dragicevic was scheduled to give presentations at parishes across the country and was anticipated to have more apparitions during these talks. The Apostolic Nunciature to the United States advised the bishops that the 1991 Zadar declaration that Catholics, whether clergy or laypeople, "are not permitted to participate in meetings, conferences or public celebrations during which the credibility of such 'apparitions' would be taken for granted".[22] The letter was sent to every diocese in the U.S. as the CDF determined that the judgment of the Yugoslavian bishops which precluded such gatherings remained in force.[23]
Jakov Čolo edit
Jakov Čolo was born in Bijakovići on March 6, 1971. He was 10 at the time of the alleged apparitions. He claimed to have had daily apparitions from June 25, 1981, to September 12, 1998. As of then, he claims that he has one apparition a year on Christmas Day. He claims that Gospa told him the tenth secret.[24]
He married Anna-Lisa Barozzi, an Italian, in 1993. They have three children and live in Međugorje.[24]
- ^ a b Kutleša 2001, p. 23.
- ^ Kutleša 2001, p. 25.
- ^ Kutleša 2001, p. 26.
- ^ a b c d e Rašeta & Mahmutović 2019.
- ^ Jutarnji list (a) 2019.
- ^ a b Kutleša 2001, p. 28.
- ^ Kutleša 2001, p. 30–31.
- ^ Kutleša 2001, p. 29.
- ^ Niles 2017.
- ^ Kutleša 2001, p. 28–29.
- ^ Kutleša 2001, p. 29–30.
- ^ Kutleša 2001, p. 31.
- ^ Garrison (b) 2012.
- ^ a b Kutleša 2001, p. 21.
- ^ "Medjugorje website". Medjugorje.org. Retrieved 2013-04-01.
- ^ "Medjugorje 'visionary' says monthly apparitions have come to an end". Catholic News Agency. 2020-03-18. Retrieved 2020-11-30.
- ^ "Medjugorje 'visionary' says monthly apparitions have come to an end". Angelus News. 2020-03-18. Retrieved 2020-10-05.
- ^ Kutleša 2001, p. 33.
- ^ Kutleša 2001, p. 113.
- ^ a b Kutleša 2001, p. 34.
- ^ "The Visionaries of Medjugorje". Retrieved 2020-11-04.
- ^ "Vatican Advises U.S. Bishops About Medjugorje Apparitions", National Catholic Register/ Catholic News Agency, 6 November 2013
- ^ Symonds, Kevin. "Medjugorje: A Clarification and Disobedience", Catholic Stand, February 18, 2015
- ^ a b Kutleša 2001, p. 37.