Medjugorje, a parish located in Herzegovina, and 25 km southwest of Mostar, is an area characterized by its two mounts - a feature captured in its Slavic name. It encompasses the villages of Bijakovići, Vionica, Miletina, and Šurmanci, forming a Roman-Catholic parish that is home to roughly 5000 individuals. The pastoral care of this region is overseen by the priests of the Herzegovinian Franciscan Province of the Assumption of Mary. The district is predominantly populated by Croats (Bosnian Croats) who have a 13-century history of Christianity. This village, first documented in 1599, established its current parish in 1892 which honors St. James the Apostle, the pilgrims’ guardian. Prior to June 24, 1981, the lifestyle in Medjugorje resembled that of any other local villages: residents tilled the land, cultivated tobacco and vineyards, manufactured wine and vegetables, merely to ensure a basic livelihood for their households.