2015 Pilgrimage to Medjugorje

Monday 5th October - Monday 12th October

Our group departs from Gatwick on Monday 5th October for seven nights staying at the Santa Maria in Medjugorje. The price is £534 per person for a shared room on a half board basis. There is an additional £130 supplement for single room occupancy (limited availability). Transfer by coach from and to Split airport is included. Please email John Hoskins for further information.

Experiences from October 2014 Pilgrimage

• A big burden had been troubling me.  I prayed to the Holy Spirit, then walked over to Saint Leopold Maudic to send me to the priest right for me this time.  It worked and I gained an important insight that led to a radical decision.  God gave me also the courage to act straight away.  The salt: relief peace and joy.  And immense gratitude. (Anon) 

• I had heard of people smelling roses in and around Medjugorje, but I never expected to be one of those privileged to experience this and 4 times! Twice on Apparition Hill, once outside the church and once during the evening rosaries before Mass.  I know our Lady wanted to convince me that I wasn’t imagining things.  As during the last time, I could smell it on my rosary, my fingers and could taste it on my tongue.  I now know Our Lady is always with me even when I think she is not there.  (Catherine)

• Incredible to see the host over the sun flashing around 17:45. Had some lovely walks, met some lovely people – drawn into the peace and grace of this place.  Praise God! (Anon)

• I always regain my peace when I come to Medjugorje. I always feel this place is a foretaste of heaven.  (Monica)

• Thank you Mary and God for such an uplifting spiritual week surrounded by a wonderful bunch and committed fellow believers.(John and Freda)

• On our visit to the visionary, I was listening to her speaking.  I think I closed my eyes and in my mind I saw the outline of Mary in my mind and the words ‘child I am with you’  I had a great feeling of peace. When I reached the top of the small mountain, I saw the statue of Our Lady and began to cry.  I realized in that moment that I was there to say ‘Thank you’ to Mary for all the help she had given me over the years.  (Gerry)

• As always Medjugorje was a great blessing; not only the real peace and graces one experiences, but meeting beautiful people whom with you are able to connect and share in prayer and love in a very short time.  (Claudia)

• I have been thinking about the pilgrimage to Medjugorje this year and I think it has given me a foretaste of heaven.  We went as a group of 39 and were a very diverse group, but the love within our group was amazing.  We lived and prayed together and the bond of our shared beliefs and love of God seemed to provide a calm and tranquility that you do not get in the world today.  This extends to everyone you meet there.  How wonderful it is to be walking across the fields and hear people coming towards you praying openly. It is the most amazing experience.  If we can, in one week experience such love then Heaven must be the most incredible place and I pray that we all continue our praise of God so that we may one day be with our maker in heaven. (Tony)

• My Medugorje experience this year has been blessed in many ways.  I have met many pilgrims from various countries and forged friendships.  I have memorable pictures to remind me of my week in Medugorje, and I look forward to returning there again at Blessed Mother's invitation. (Anon)

• One morning, I went to the Parish Office in Medugorje to offer Mass for The Holy Souls as one would normally do.  That night, I had a dream about The Holy Souls ... I have not told anyone about it as I do not remember the dream in detail.  I am not sure if the Souls I 'saw' in my dream were The Holy Souls already in Purgatory or the ones who were destined to go into Purgatory; but in my dream, I saw a large group of Souls singing with happiness and making their way from the earth to heaven ... at least, I think it was earth, it did not look like Purgatory to me as I imagine it to be. This testimony may be nothing special to anyone else, but it is to me as it re-affirms the importance of praying for the Holy Souls. (Maria Luis) 

• Martin and myself had a wonderful peaceful and  pray full week as it was our first time to Medugorje as we go every year to Lourdes at the end of August as I had a healing in Lourdes some years ago I always go back to say thank you to Our Lady of Lourdes.   Both Medugorje and Lourdes are beautiful places and we love them both and Apparition hill was lovely and being able to make the climb to the top to Our Lady's statue was a great achievement for me.  We meet some lovely people on our pilgrimage and please God one year we will go again.  (Bridie & Martin)

• My Medjugjore experience: it's difficult to put into words, especially when one returns home to tell family and friends.   Words like 'an oasis of peace' and ‘stepping off the world for a week' springs to mind.  I climbed Apparition Hill with the parish on the Sunday we arrived and it was special to be amongst the local parishioners who have such a humble pure faith.  Seeing faith in action with pilgrims praying around the Cross at the top of Krizevac and the statue of Our Lady at the top of Apparition hill is very moving.  Young children joining in with the Rosary and the prayers and making the sign of the cross. Cenacolo to go and listen to the young men who are now part of the Community after struggling with a life of addiction.  They told their story with humor, honesty and love, and both young men knew that they could not come through without God and the prayers of their own mothers and family.  It was very humbling when they said at the end of their talk they would be taking our petitions and praying for us!  We were privileged to hear them and I hope more youth can go and hear their life changing testimonies. It is always moving to pray at the foot of Our Lady's statue in the church of St. James’ with others and to think of all the thousands of others who have offered their prayers to Our Lady there. When we kneel for Adoration in the evening prayer programme along with thousands of others, it really feels a taste of Heaven and one does not one the evening prayer to end. I come home just wanting others to come and experience the beauty and peace of Medjugjore, and this year I was struck by the words that Our Lady has called us to be there.  I pray that many more of our family and friends and parishioners from our own churches will be called there too. Thank you Our Lady Queen of Peace.  (Mary L)

• My Medugorje experience, as assisted passengers there were 4 of us left on the plane to await the personal transport to land side.While waiting Mary was approached by the cabin director, who asked her if she was on a pilgrimage with a religious group and of course she said yes (unbeknown to me).The cabin director then spoke to me and asked where Medugorje was I conveyed to her that it was where The Blessed Virgin Mary has been appearing every day for 33 years and that more information was available via the internet.  She was very interested and asked for the spelling. Our family of 39 inspired by The Holy Spirit must have awakened her interest, I hope this seed bears much fruit. (Leo)

• On the way out from Gatwick, a retired man sitting beside us said he travels a lot and was full of questions about Medjugorje. He and his wife then moved up to the front seats and before getting of the plane, came back  to ask me to write down the name of the pilgrimage place as they would like to go there sometime -  similar experience coming home on the plane. Arriving in Medjugorje was like going home, like last year too, visiting Our Lady's statue, in the grounds and up on Apparition Hill, moved me to tears.  It’s 5 years on Wednesday since our 31 year old daughter, Lorraine, died (lungs collapse with Cystic Fibrosis, had a double lung transplant and died just over 6 months later).  We miss her so much, but while in Medjugorje, I feel close to her.  Especially at Our Lady's statues and during Adoration. So, for me, Medjugorje, is a big bit of Heaven.  (Mary)

Experiences from 2013 Pilgrimage to Medjugorje

Climbing Apparition Hill, one rock at a time, is made easier by the support of all those other pilgrims around.  May the next hill to climb, with your prayer support and that or our Blessed Virgin Mary, be to set up a prayer group in the parish of St. Thomas (Canterbury).  That others may hear Mary’s call and respond to it. (Mary McGillie)

We had a great experience.  There is a special grace of peace here.

I was greatly blessed to see my children fall more in love with Our Lady and Jesus.  The children want us to pray the rosary as a family.  The children loved praying, adoration and daily Mass.  (It is something they will never forget).  The children loved hearing about how Our Lady appearing to the young Croatian children and got to meet a visionary (Vicka).  They listened to the main messages of Our Lady and want to live them.  They went to confession and were full of joy afterwards. (Cathy Fava)

In my first pilgrimage to Medjugorje I received a conversion of mind and heart and was strengthened me in my faith.  I was not expecting to receive anything further from this pilgrimage.  How wrong I was.  I have received further blessings and now feel determined to encourage others to visit Medjugorje and to assist the set up of an RCIA program in my parish. 

For me this is a very big change as I have never been one to evangelize so with God's blessings I will be successful. (Tony Holt)

This trip to Medjugorje was my second, I was so excited to go on this one and I was not disappointed.  I am closer to God and to my prayers.  Please God when our parish receives our new priest I will be able to set up a prayer group.  I am so excited to be able to do this.

The people that were on this trip were lovely people.  Some that I met on my first trip and others that were new.  We all come for different reasons and it is so lovely to be able to share these reasons. I will be going again next year, please God.

God Bless Gwennie. Xx

This was my 16th trip to Medjugorje ... as the bus pulled into the village the guide said “welcome home” and that is exactly what I felt, and feel every time I visit Medjugorje ... home ... where Our Lady is waiting for me and welcoming me. Whilst all around the physicality of Medjugorje  changes Our Lady never changes.  Her love like her welcome and her messages are certain and strong.  I thank God daily for that certainty, strength, and consistency. (Yvonne Fitzpatrick-Grimes)

With my reduced mobility due to surgery climbing mountains was out of the question, but I did visit the foot of apparition hill taking a taxi there and back.  I very carefully got myself up a few paces holding on the rail, and sat on a rock with the statue of Mary by the Blue Cross in view and prayed the Joyful Mysteries aloud. I felt really very happy and joyful to be there again remembering my first visit to Medjugorje (2002) when I had trouble with my right knee.  I took a taxi up and sat a bit nearer in the same area praying the rosary while waiting for those of our group who were walking. I took a photograph (before the digital age) of the Blue Cross and the Statue of Mary before joining our Group.  The developed and enlarged photo shows a shaft of light beaming on to the head of Mary, sparkling ... and a smaller shaft on the head of a man in the crowd moving away. I bought a lot of peace rosaries and want to give them away in my prayer group encouraging them all to pray for peace in our hearts, families and the world.  Tonight I gave the mothers who come to Mothers Prayers a Peace rosary each and we prayed it at the end, which we will do from now on. (Ruth Kamalagharan)

This was my first journey to Medugorje, in celebration for having set up a new group in our parish.  By going to St. James church and the apparition hill, just to be there where Our Blessed Mother had appeared was out of this world.  Equally our visit to hear testimony from Vicka was just awesome.  The first thing on our return was to fly back to Medugorje on wings of prayer. My heartfelt thanks to John and the organisers for this momentous occasion. (Leo Willig)