Zagreb, (IKA) – November 27, 2008 – A richly illustrated, dual-language monograph on the St. Leopold Bogdan Mandić Church in the Australian city of Melbourne, entitled An Oasis of Sanctity and Light, was presented today at the Mimara Museum in Zagreb by the Rev. Anton Šuljić; the editor-in-chief of the monograph, Dr. Kruno Martinac; the art historian, Željka Čorak, and the pastor of the St. Leopold Bogdan Mandić Church, the Rev. Josip Vranješ. It was published by the Croatian Catholic Mission in Sunshine, Australia, and includes essays by Auxiliary Bishop Pero Sudar of Sarajevo, the Rev. Josip Vranješ, Kenneth Wach and Kruno Martinac. The book was designed by Studio Račić and the photography is by Fedor Vučemilović.

The St. Leopold Bogdan Mandić Church was formally opened and blessed on November 17, 2001, and occupies an area of approximately 1,400 square meters. The imposing structure, designed by the DC Group Pty. Ltd., Jon Mikulić and Smith and Tracey Architects, is enhanced by outstanding works by the Croatian artists Josip Botteri Dini, Petar Barišić, Anto Mamuša, Charles Billich, Kuzma Kovačić and Vatroslav Kuliš.

In the introduction to the monograph, Bishop Sudar writes: “The church presented in this book is not just a holy place and a one-of-a kind gallery of religious art. It was born as an idea and built … because the Croats wanted it as a monument of their presence in Australia … The … especial value of this book is in the testimonies of the personal faith by the artists in the interpretation of their works. The monograph presents what is clearly the finest and most valuable Croatian church outside the homeland …”