Mirjana
“…if you were able to see just once the tears on Our Lady’s face because of unbelievers, I am so certain that you would pray from the bottom of your heart.” 1 – Mirjana
Mirjana Dragicevic-Soldo was 16 years old at the time the apparitions began (born on March 18, 1965). Her home was in Sarajevo, where she lived with her parents, but she would spend her summers in Medjugorje visiting her grandparents who were from there. It was she, along with Ivanka Ivankovic, on June 24, 1981, who first saw Our Lady.
In September 1981, several of the visionaries left Medjugorje because of school (though they still returned to the village frequently). Mirjana, with an above average intelligence, pursued a college degree in Sarajevo and became the only visionary to complete such an education. However, it was when she fully decided on this course to take in her life that her daily apparitions ceased. She relayed that had she not chosen college, Our Lady perhaps would have still continued to appear to her daily. In an interview with Fr. Tomislav Vlasic on January 10, 1983, Mirjana said:
“I asked Her (Our Lady) why She would no longer appear to me, after such a long time, and She explained that because I had decided to continue my schooling, I must learn to live my life without Her direct help and advice. She told me that I’m no different from any other young person, any other girl, and that I must live accordingly.” 2
Mirjana was referring to the meeting of December 24, 1982, when Our Lady announced to her that the following day would be her last apparition, though she would see Our Lady on her birthday each year, on March 18th, until her death. Mirjana was devastated to receive, not only this news, but it was in this apparition that she was given the 10th and last secret. Our Lady encouraged her to be courageous and assured her that whenever she was in a crisis, Our Lady would come to her.
Mirjana went into a deep depression, but in time, gradually learned to accept and live her life without the consolation of seeing Our Lady every day. It was to Mirjana that Our Lady first entrusted all 10 secrets, some of which involve chastisements for the world. She was told to choose a priest to whom, when the time came, she would confide the secrets. It is up to the priest to make the secrets public. Mirjana was so afraid that she would not be able to remember all the dates and times that are contained in the secrets, and so Our Lady gave her a parchment-type material upon which all the secrets were written. Only Mirjana is able to read what is written there. A priest friend once questioned Mirjana as to why Our Lady would afford her the grace to appear to her when she was in trouble or a crisis, when all other people must go through difficulties without such a grace. Mirjana replied, Ten Secrets Click Here
“Father, I am not speaking of the ordinary problems of my life. My difficult moments stem from the secrets concerning the future of the world, which Our Lady revealed to me. At times, I can hardly cope with it when I seriously think of it. In those moments, Our Lady appears and gives me strength and courage to go on with my life.” 3
Shortly after the ending of her daily apparitions, Mirjana began to experience Our Lady in her prayers in a very different way. She began hearing and seeing Our Lady interiorly. Through these interior locutions, Our Lady would have Mirjana pray with Her for non-believers. It is to Mirjana that Our Lady entrusted all non-believers in her prayer as well as the responsibility to reveal, at the chosen time, the ten secrets. Our Lady taught a prayer to Mirjana (as well as to Vicka), to be prayed for non-believers. Our Lady defined a non-believer as someone who has yet to know or experience the love of God. Mirjana and Vicka are the only two visionaries who were given knowledge of this secret prayer. When Our Lady gives permission for these prayers to be released, we, as believers will also have the grace to learn and pray them. Mirjana said that this prayer is something like the Rosary, meaning that there are beads that one holds in their hand and follow with their fingers. It is a gift from Heaven that will release a great outpouring of mercy upon non-believers around the world. Mirjana already prays this prayer with Our Lady in their visits together. Click Here to download the booklet, Medjugorje, Mirjana, A Mystery Revealed, to learn more about these special prayers
On August 2, 1987, the interior locutions turned into apparitions, on the second of every month. These apparitions were private and not known until Mirjana announced that Our Lady wanted these apparitions to be made public. February 2, 1997 was Mirjana’s first public apparition and since this time, every month on the 2nd, several thousand pilgrims gather with Mirjana to be with Our Lady and to pray for non-believers. Anyone who is in Medjugorje on the second of the month can be present with Our Lady in the apparitions, which are currently held at the Blue Cross on the base of Apparition Hill. To see Mirjana’s face during the apparitions is to bring to reality the times in which we live, the seriousness of these apparitions and the tremendous burden that rests upon this one woman’s shoulders. In fact, it truly is the weight of a sinful and unbelieving world.Mirjana is now married, with two daughters. She married Marco Soldo, nephew of Fr. Slavko Barbaric, on September 16, 1989, whom she had known since childhood.
With the Love of Our Lady,
Click on the link below to read talks or interviews given by Mirjana:
10-17-2007 “Transform My Messages Into Life”
- Mirjana speaks to pilgrims in Medjugorje, 10-8-2007, transcribed by Caritas of Birmingham
- Interview with Fr. Tomislav Vlasic, OFM, on Jan. 10, 1983, as recorded in What They Say About Medjugorje, ed. Andrew Thul
- “Medjugorje, Where the Cock Crows and The Birds Sing,” by Fr. John O’Connor, OSA
