Bjelovar, (IKA) – After the reading of the Apostolic Letter from the Holy See on the ordination of Bishop Vjekoslav Huzjak by the apostolic nuncio in the Republic of Croatia, Archbishop Mario Roberto Cassari, Archbishop Cardinal Josip Bozanić of Zagreb delivered a homily. He first congratulated Bjelovar, which, as he said, became a diocesan city on that day, and Križevci, which obtained a co-cathedral see and gave the new diocese the heavenly protector of St. Mark of Križevci.
Dear brother Vjekoslav, in a few moments, after we pilgrims of the Church pray to the entire heavenly Church for intercession and protection, we shall lay our hands on you. According to apostolic tradition, this sacrament is divided into the laying on of the hands and prayer. The laying on of the hands is performed in silence. Human words are silenced. In silence the soul opens to God, in order for God to touch the person with his hand, accept him and take him under his wing so that he completely becomes God’s property, and thus belongs to God and is able to lead people to God, said the cardinal to the new bishop
Emphasizing the symbolism of the open Evangelistarium held over the head of the bishop-elect, the cardinal pointed out that the Holy Gospel explains what we do and calls upon us to fix our eyes upon Christ, the Great Shepherd of our souls, the Shepherd of all shepherds. A bishop, by the power of the fullness of the Holy Order, is a visible image of Jesus among believers. To this special modeling after Jesus, which is the work of the Holy Spirit, it is necessary to respond with living faith from day to day in order for the face of Christ to be reflected to the greatest extent by those whom he chooses. Therefore, in the root of the office of bishop we find prayer, that sustained intimate relationship with Christ who fills a bishop’s heart and models it on the Heart of Jesus, giving it that fatherly dimension which is necessary for pastoral ministry.
You, my dear Vjekoslav, are receiving the fullness of the Holy Order in the Year of the Priest and the year of the 150th anniversary of the death of St. Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney. The episcopate is the fullness of the priesthood and today, through the intercession of the Curé d’Ars, we pray to the Holy Spirit that in you he will complete a modeling after Christ, the priest and shepherd, in order for you to be able to be a bishop after the Heart of Christ. Our model and teacher of fidelity to God and the Church is our Blessed Alojzije Stepinac. Dear Vjekoslav, you will be ordained a bishop in the year in which we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the martyred death of the Blessed Alojzije Stepinac. In him is reflected the motto of the Year of the Priest: Faithfulness of Christ – faithfulness of priests. Through his witness and spiritual strength, you will be strengthened in your given calling, which requires the whole person, in the dedication that lives from trust in God and which gives itself unselfishly to others. Dear Bishop-Elect, the Holy Spirit will mark you with the Episcopal Order for you to be a successor of the Apostles and a witness for Jesus Christ. This living Church, gathered around you here in Bjelovar, believes this and with this belief accompanies you today and receives you as the representative of Jesus Christ with all the authorizations that Christ entrusts to you, said the cardinal, and continued: Dear Vjekoslav, today many of us are with you, beginning with your parents, relatives and native Jalžabet. We pray, rejoice and congratulate you on your ordination and the confidence that the Holy Father has shown in you. Through the Church, Christ sent you to Bjelovar to perform your pastoral ministry here in the new Diocese of Bjelovar-Križevci. Your episcopal motto is Love God and neighbor, Like Christ who loved us and gave himself for us.
Addressing the Church of Bjelovar-Kreževci, the cardinal thanked it for its faithful cooperation in the Archdiocese of Zagreb, including all the presbyters, deacons, religious, seminarians and lay faithful. He urged them to receive their new Shepherd, whom the Pope sent to them and through whom the Lord Jesus will be among them, the Supreme Priest, with respect and love, and to help him with their prayers and Christian obedience, in order for us to be Christ’s holy Church together.
At the end of the homily, Cardinal Bozanić commended Bishop Huzjak to the protection of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, to be the joy of the Church, to be a refuge for those who suffer, to be a blessing for all, because he is Christ’s representative and chosen one.

This was followed by the ceremony of the ordination of Msgr. Huzjak as first bishop of Bjelovar-Križevci, the laying on of the hands by the principal consecrator, the archbishop of Zagreb and metropolitan, Cardinal Josip Bozanić, and the co-consecrators, the apostolic nuncio in the Republic of Croatia, Archbishop Mario Roberto Cassari; and the bishop of Varaždin, Msgr. Josip Mrzljak.
Following the ordination ceremony, Cardinal Bozanić, accompanied by the co-consecrators, escorted Bishop Huzjak into the cathedral to the cathedra. By symbolically sitting upon the bishop’s throne, Bishop Huzjak assumed the pastoral ministry for the Church of Bjelovar-Križevci.
At the end of the celebration of the Mass, congratulations were extended to the newly ordained Bishop Vjekoslav Huzjak and the newly established diocese on behalf of the Croatian Conference of Bishops by the president of the CCB, Archbishop Marin Srakić of Đakovo-Osijek.
You have expressed your episcopal program with the motto Love God and neighbor. For us bishops and priests, this is the ideal For us bishops and priests, this ideal is matchless and binding for all and forever: the ideal of the servant and shepherd, i.e., the humble and faithful servant of the Good Shepherd Christ, who has testified to the supreme love of God and neighbor. Every bishop and every priest in his particular circumstances is called upon to strive with effort to seek the extent of his pastoral ministry. To love your neighbor according to the model of the Good Shepherd means to share a mentality, culture, experience of your own nation, your time and your region with him. It means simply to be present, to be a friend, to be silent and to listen. It also means to be close to people, always in contact with them, to pray with them and pray for them, to spend days with others and for others. It means to live, according to the model of Christ, with your nation, to share joy and hope with all people of good will in anticipation of liberating salvation and to pass through all the difficult paths of human life, said Archbishop Srakić.
The Most Rev. Josip Stipančević, deacon of Bjelovar, expressed congratulations on behalf of the priests and religious of the newly established diocese.
Through your office, may Our Lord Jesus be present amidst those who follow him and believe in him in our Diocese of Bjelovar-Križevci, amidst us who accept you as the ordinary of our local Church. We rejoice with you, the steward of God’s mysteries, because our mission in the Church depends upon the office of the bishop, by whose ordination we become his first associates, said the Most Rev. Stipančević and pointed out that the priests in their communion with the bishop want to share the gift of the cathedra from which fatherly words will come. Dr. Sjepan Kožul has prepared a chalice, an edition of the Holy Scriptures and an Evangelistarium.
On behalf of the laity, Bishop Huzjak was congratulated by Marijan Radoš from the parish of St. Anne in Bjelovar. We welcome you to our city, open our hearts to you and our homes, we want to help you with our knowledge and abilities, give you our time and share responsibility with you, said Mr. Radoš.
Prior to the blessing, Bishop Huzjak expressed his gratitude. He thanked the attending archbishop and bishops, priests, and in a special way those who had come from foreign countries. He invited the priests to work together to build an awareness of the diocesan community, the local Church in which God sends us to build a community of love with Him and among us, in order that we may become the salt of the earth and light of the world. About the first Christians it was said: “Look how they love one another,” and that was their witness to the faith. I wish for all of us that they recognize us for our mutual love and communion in Christ the Lord. From this well, together we shall draw the pastoral programs and plans necessary for the pastoral ministry to the people of God entrusted to us and, thereby, we shall make our contribution to general social progress and the development of a more just and better world for which we all try to give our best, said Bishop Huzjak.
The celebration of the Mass was enhanced by the choirs of the Bjelovar parishes.