Although January and February in Medjugorje are mostly quiet months, without large pilgrim groups, this year the start of the season came earlier than usual.
The first organized groups of pilgrims could already be seen last weekend, almost a month before the start of the first international spiritual retreat for leaders of peace centers, which otherwise marks the official start of the season in mid-March.
As they stated, pilgrims were noticed in the streets of Medjugorje and in the consecrated communities, and local guides confirmed the arrival of the announced groups.
In the past days, pilgrims from Poland, Spain, Korea, Croatia, and Italy visited Medjugorje, including a group of about twenty students from the Italian region of Marche, accompanied by three Conventual Franciscans.
Particular attention was drawn by a group of about fifteen pilgrims from Zimbabwe, who came accompanied by two priests.
When asked why they decided to visit Medjugorje in this still wintertime, the pilgrims answered that they deliberately came now so they could enjoy the peace, silence, and prayer sites that they had all to themselves.
