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Medjugorje

Marsy Meals in Medjugorje

Mary's Meals in Medjugorje

The work of Mary’s Meals grew out of the Marian shrine, Medjugorje, in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Our history in Medjugorje

In 1992, the MacFarlane-Barrow family launched an appeal to help the people of war-torn Bosnia-Herzegovina.

They did this from their home in Argyll, Scotland. Craig Lodge Family House of Prayer is a Catholic retreat centre that the MacFarlane-Barrow family were inspired to open after a family pilgrimage to Medjugorje in 1983.

Donations of food, clothing, blankets and medicine flooded in, and the first batch of aid was delivered to refugee camps near Medjugorje.

The family was overwhelmed by the generous response of the public, and what was meant to be a one-off delivery of aid developed into a rapidly-growing international charitable organisation. From feeding just 200 children in Malawi in 2002, Mary’s Meals is today reaching more than 2.4 million children every school day.

Those involved in the first Mary’s Meals projects were all people whose lives had been changed by pilgrimages to Medjugorje. They chose, therefore, to name the organisation in honour of Mary, the mother of Jesus.

We consist of, respect and reach out to people of all faiths and none.

Various images of Marys Meals supporters in Medjugorje

Articles

We hope you enjoy some of our most recent articles written by people from across the Mary’s Meals family. You can get these sent straight to your inbox by signing up to our prayer email Loaves and Fishes.

A young boy, Wissam, stands in a doorway smiling. He has dark hair and is wearing a striped top.

The gift of Christ’s peace

This month, Caoimhe McCann, supporter engagement officer for Northern Ireland, reflects on the joy of being able to share Christ's peace with others.
 Read more about The gift of Christ’s peace
Anna wearing a red Christmas jumper with reindeer on, standing in front of a blackboard smiling

A hopeful Christmas

This month, Anna Houghton, our supporter engagement officer for Liverpool, reflects on the message of love and hope shared by the shepherds at the birth of Jesus.
 Read more about A hopeful Christmas
child in kitchen holding a mug, they are smiling. A woman cooks in a large stove behind the child.

A special pilgrimage

This month, Sarah Mallon, supporter engagement officer, reflects on her recent pilgrimage to Medjugorje which brought together members of the Mary’s Meals family from all corners of the world.
 Read more about A special pilgrimage
Two children smiling sitting in a classroom

A river of hope

Karen Gray, director of communications at Mary’s Meals, reflects on her visit to Turkana in northern Kenya during a time of terrible drought.
 Read more about A river of hope
Children receive meals

Pray for Mary's Meals

Prayer is one of the most important ways you can support our mission.

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