Međugorje in San Juan
By Stjepan Karačić

In San Juan, a sparsely populated Argentinian province (less than 7 inhabitants per square kilometer) I discovered something very surprising. At the foot of the great Andes where Argentina borders with Chile, in a little place named Pie de Palo (meaning the wooden leg), about 35 kms away from the capital of the province, in the wilderness which at first sight appears forgotten by man and God, and to the great joy of the residents, there stands a Chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Međugorje, Queen of Peace.

The Chapel was built in 1996 when a statue of Our Lady, one meter high, was brought from Međugorje. The statue came to the small town after a local resident J. Bustos had a ‘vision’ of sorts at the hill where the Chapel is now located. Bustos asked his acquaintance, Argentinian Croat Ante Dumandžić, who originated from the vicinity of Međugorje and who has a vineyard close to the place of the vision, to bring him a statue of Our Lady of Međugorje from Hercegovina. Bustos had heard of her messages of peace, miraculous deeds and love for man.

On his first visit to the homeland, Ante obtained a statue of Our Lady before starting back for Argentina. In Croatia, however, somewhere on the way between Karlovac and Zagreb, he had a car accident. Luckily, the passengers suffered only slight injuries and the statue remained almost intact.

As I, along with all of the participants of the story about the small Chapel in the wilderness, like to believe, Our Lady once again demonstrated her miraculous deeds and came among a people who wished for and needed her presence so strongly. Due to her presence, these simple people experience the joy that overwhelms the hearts of all who seek her motherly aid. They find the light of hope and comfort in her messages. Her voice calls in this wilderness also. Here too the Queen of Peace warns, prays and reminds her children that there can be no real peace without conversion of the heart.

The full article can be found on page 37 of Vol 3
2007 issue.