Medjugorje - What It Means to Me is a collection of testimonies from Irish people - some well known, some not so well known - about how they came to find out about the village of Medjugorje in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The deeply personal stories detail how they found themselves visiting the holy place, their experiences and encounters with God whilst there and the impact it has had on their lives today. It is for both those who already know of Medjugorje and those who have never heard about the village or the alleged apparitions which have been happening there for the past over thirty years.
The village of Medjugorje has seen over 40 million visitors pass through since the apparitions first began in 1981. The people who have opened their hearts to share their testimonies with the reader range from a recovering heroin addict to a wealthy businessman. Daniel O'Donnell, Mary Kennedy and Liam Lawton are also amongst the contributors.
My mother brought the first group of Irish pilgrims over to Medjugorje back in the 80's and is still bring groups there today. She brought each one of her five children to the village over the years and so it was inevitable that I would return for the 30th anniversary of the apparitions even though I hadn't visited the place for over twenty years. Whilst there, I was commissioned to write a feature which was published in the Living section of the Sunday Independent. I also wrote a two-page feature for Women's Way and the Medjugorje Herald. During my time there, I spoke to many people who shared their testimonies with me about what the village means to them - it was then that the idea for this book was born. - Louise Hall, Editor
