Nova Gradiška, (IKA) – On May 29 at Strmac near Nova Gradiška, the St. Raphael Catholic Psychiatric Hospital built by the Hospitaller Order of St. John of God was opened and blessed. The ceremony was attended by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, Jadranka Kosor; the Apostolic Nuncio in the Republic of Croatia, Archbishop Mario Roberto Cassari, the Bishop of Požega, Msgr. Antun Škvorčević, brothers of the Hospitaller Order of St. John of God led by their Prior General, Brother Donatus Forkan, members of parliament, mayors, representatives of the contractors, designers and the faithful.

The celebration began with a procession from the monastery next to the hospital to the chapel, where Bishop Škvorčević together with Apostolic Nuncio Cassari and the priests conducted the blessing and first Mass. During the Bishop’s greetings, he said: “This is a joyful and significant day for the Catholic Church in Croatia, especially for the Diocese of Požega! The initiative started in 2004 by the Croatian brothers from the Hospitaller Order of St. John, primarily the Lombardo-Venetian Province headed by Brother Kristijan Sinković, has been realized today: We hereby open the St. Raphel Catholic Psychiatric Hospital, the first Catholic hospital in the free, democratic Republic of Croatia. It was necessary to overcome numerous obstacles, from the Letter of Intent sent by the Bishop of Požega to the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in 2005, the acceptance of the initiative by this ministry in 2006, permission from the local bishop for the Hospitaller Order of St. John of God in 2006 to establish a monastery in Šumetlica, the purchase of the building and land of the old hospital at Strmac, project development and construction, in order to arrive ultimately at the goal. In this institution, intended for the mentally ill, the Catholic Church, through the works of the Hospitaller Brothers, bears witness on the soil of the young Diocese of Požega to the evangelic approach to the person and human dignity.”
In the sermon, the bishop said that “Catholic” in the name of the hospital is not ideological but indicates that the Hospitaller Brothers, faithful to Jesus Christ, will serve through his love those who are the most seriously ill and bring Jesus’ healing love to every patient, approaching him, above all, with a noble human heart.
Prime Minister Kosor also expressed deep gratitude to the Order for the project of opening one of the most modern hospitals for mental patients in the region, which will have 143 beds, of which 40 are intended for palliative care. “I am particularly pleased that the most severely ill patients will be treated here, those who are mentally ill and who are sometimes even abandoned by their families. I want this to be a place for many Croatian veterans who are suffering from PTSD and severe illness, indicating that many people in Croatia are still at war, to find shelter, hope and peace,” said the Prime Minister. She also noted that a contract will soon be signed between the Croatian Institute for Health Insurance (HZZO) and the Catholic Hospital in order for it to enter the Croatian health care system.