A 6-year old girl from Bellevue, WA, is named Medjugorje. She is pictured here with Bishop Kenneth Steiner, presider at the Annual Peace Mass presented by Center for Peace-West, Inc. The Mass was held June 27, 2016 at St. Cecilia Catholic Church in Beaverton, OR. The event celebrated the 35th anniversary of Our Lady’s presence in Medjugorje, a small town in Bosnia-Herzegovina. A reception followed the Mass, encouraging guests to reunite with their fellow pilgrims and meet new friends.
Medjugorje’s mom, Sarah, grew up in a devout Catholic family and was about five years old when her parents made a pilgrimage to Medjugorje in 1987. Over the years she heard all about their experiences there, plus many stories about personal conversions from them and from priests who had gone there. The experiences forever ingrained in her head, Sarah felt a deep connection to our Blessed Mother and her call to daily conversion and giving your life to Christ.
When contemplating a name for her daughter, she considered her love and respect for Our Lady, her messages about grace and peace, that she is a wonderful role model for women to prioritize what’s important in life, and was compelled to name her Medjugorje. She would be an inspiration to them both to engage in discussion about who Christ is and who Mary is to them and to the world.
Her daughter knows that Medjugorje is a place where Mary has been appearing and she knows many of the stories about conversions there. Born on Christmas Day, 2009, she could spell her name at two years old. At six, she is happy to share her thoughts about the Virgin Mary with all who inquire about her unusual name.