Bjelovar, (IKA) – On Saturday, March 20, the solemn celebration of the Mass at which the first bishop of Bjelovar-Križevci was ordained and assumed his new office was held on the square in front of the Cathedral of St. Teresa of Avilla in Bjelovar.
Together with 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, the Mass was concelebrated by the archbishop of Vrbosna and metropolitan, Cardinal Vinko Puljić; the president of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, Archbishop Marin Srakić of Đakovo-Osijek, Croatian archbishops and bishops, and bishops from other countries.
In addition to a multitude of religious, seminarians, religious novices and the lay faithful, the ceremony was attended by representatives of sister Churches and other religious communities as well as representatives of the state, county, city, municipal and military authorities.
The ceremony was conducted on the square in front of the Church of St. Teresa in Bjelovar, which is now the cathedral of the new diocese. On December 5, 2009, this part of Croatia, surrounded by Kalničko gorje, Bilogora and Moslavačka gora, was established as the Diocese of Bjelovar-Križevci by the bull De maiore spirituali bono issued by Pope Benedict XVI. The new diocese incorporates all the deaconries of the Archdeaconry of Bjelovar-Kalnick and two deaconries from the Archdeaconry of Čazma, said Cardinal Bozanić in his introductory remarks and noted that Christ established the Church as a community of faith, hope and love, and gave it a visible organism through the establishment of the apostolic congregation with Peter at the helm. The Church has been renewing itself, growing and progressing on its path of pilgrimage over time. Today this congregation of the faithful is celebrating the birth of a new diocese in the Church and confirms that it is a truly joyful and festive day, because the contents of this ceremony are so important that they will be recorded in history for the ages. Then Archdeacon Stjepan Kožul of the Archdeaconry of Bjelovar-Kalnick read the bull on the establishment of the Diocese of Bjelovar-Križevci.