The vision that touched a young man's life and soul

 By Patrick Langan

            Ivan Dragicevic first started seeing the apparitions when he was 16 years old.

Dragicevic, who was born on May 25, 1965 in Bijakovici, a village in the municipality of Citluk, Bosnia and Herzegovina was not a very religious child at the time but after experiencing the visions for a few days, it changed his life.

            “They changed my life. Before I was never a religious child. Once Our Lady came to me, it set my in a new direction,” Dragicevic said.  

            He said she came to him at a great time of suffering in the country. It was a time when communism was at its height causing earthquakes of nations and deprivation of human dignity.

Dragicevic said that Our Lady has appeared to him every day since June 24, 1981 when she visited his home in Bijakovici.

            Dragicevic is one of three visionaries, along with Marija and Vicka, who continue to have daily apparitions, according to the article on Tekton Ministries. They were given the nine secrets by Our Lady.

            The nine secrets reveal deeper messages revolved around their faith. Once Dragicevic has received the tenth secret, he will no longer see Our Lady on a daily basis.

            Although visionaries are not supposed to discuss the secrets, bits of information have come over the years through interviews.

            Our Lady told the visionaries that the third secret would be a lasting sign placed on the Hill of Apparation.

            It is said to be a “beautiful, indestructible, permanent sign and all those who go to Medjugorje will be able to see it” according to Medjugorje Miracles.

            Dragicevic said he was given the nine secrets when she first appeared to his home when he was 16 years old.

            At this time, he decided to move to Dubrovnik and in the following months enter the seminary after the apparitions began.

When he first started out at the seminary, he dealt with a lot of issues, including academically, spiritually, and emotionally. 

Those in the seminary did not believe Dragicevic and his claims he was seeing Our Lady. He was constantly mocked and scorned by his fellow peers.

“During the time I spent in Dubrovnik, I suffered much, truly, because of my relations with my colleagues and professors,” he said.

            “It was difficult, but I knew Our Lady had my future planned,” he said.

            As he dealt with problems at the seminary, he said that Our Lady came down and told him his future.

            He claims Our Lady told him, “Don’t worry. I will guide you through your life”.

            “She revealed my future to me until my death. My personal future is my secret. Only I know it. I’m content now and not afraid, because I know who guided me. Now, I look to the mother who guides me, and I live in complete contentment,” he said.

Dragicevic said Our Lady came to him to write a book with him on the disease of materialism. He said materialism is destroying the beauty of God’s people and the world that he created.

            The book is to be released “as soon as the Blessed Mother says,” he said.

            Dragicevic said he and his wife, Laureen, have now started a prayer group through the direction of Our Lady among young people in their hometown of Peabody.

            He still travels quite frequently back to his home country where he holds prayer groups. They met twice a week on Apparition Hill, located in Bosnia and Herzegovina, or Cross Mountain, located in Medjugorje.

            Although many refer to the group as “Ivan’s Prayer group,” He said that it is our lady who is the leader of the group.

            “To me, this is what I want to be doing. Being able to give back and help lead others on the same path is why Our Lady was sent to me,” he said.