In 1983 a family from the Highlands of Scotland visited Medjugorje in Bosnia. They went because they had heard that Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, was appearing to a group of children. Their visit affected their lives in many ways. On their return they decided to turn their guest house into a house of prayer – a retreat centre. Craig Lodge Family House of Prayer began to take shape. Very soon a group of young people inspired by the messages of Our Lady Queen of Peace formed a community at Craig Lodge. Over the next 10 years xx young people came and devoted a year to living out Our Lady’s call to holiness through prayer, fasting and service. Today, Craig Lodge Community is made up of families as well as single people. The same desire unites us; to journey along the road to holiness together by listening to Our Lady and doing our best to put her messages into practice.

In 1992 when war had engulfed Bosnia, many refugees ended up in the area around Medjugorje. Their suffering could not be ignored. Craig Lodge Community responded by collecting and delivering aid to Medjugorje. This was intended to be a one-off delivery but the scale of the suffering and the level of response to our appeal at home gave rise to further deliveries. Before long an overseas aid charity, Scottish International Relief (SIR), was set up. The work of SIR and Craig Lodge Community are inextricably linked as they share the same root – Medjugorje. The community is continually blessed by the privilege of being able to reach out to the poorest of the poor around the world through helping in the work of SIR. Recently the growth of the Mary’s Meals campaign, a work placed under the patronage of Our Lady, has brought even more blessings to us all.

Craig Lodge Community is now poised to take a new step, establishing an outreach community in Medjugorje itself where they will work in a café/information point to share the good news about Mary’s Meals. There is a sense of homecoming about this move as we return to the place where it all began. Praise God!