Macelj, (IKA) – On Sunday, June 1, at the Church of the Passion of Jesus in Donji Macelj (the parish of Đurmanec), a Requiem Mass was held for the victims of the 1945 death marches, concelebrated by the president of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, Auxiliary Bishop Vlado Košić of Zagreb, and approximately thirty priests. The Mass was attended by approximately 3,000 of the faithful. At the beginning of the Mass, those assembled were greeted by the host pastor of the parish of St. George in Đurmanec, Fr. Drago Brglez. The homily was delivered by Bishop Košić.
Approximately 130 caves in the Macelj forest contain the bodies of over 11,000 victims of the postwar death marches. Macelj is the largest gravesite of Croats executed after the Second World War. In the homily, Bishop Košić spoke of the necessity for a thorough investigation of the postwar persecutions and warned that it is our duty as a nation and as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, the first and greatest martyr, not to seek the truth in injustice or hatred but in justice and love. “His sacrifice is the best evidence and example for us all. To embark on His path frequently means to embark on our own Way of the Cross. This path is difficult, uncertain and painful. However, it is the only way that leads to the Resurrection. Therefore, we pray here for our loved ones, whom their descendents can still not mourn properly because they do not know where they fell or where their graves are located, for the Lord to receive them in his peace, to grant them eternal repose. They have become a blessing for our entire nation — like the martyred Blessed Alojzije Stepinac. We believe that not a single sacrifice was in vain,” said Bishop Košić, and also called for prayer for those who perpetrated the slaughter. “We pray that they will be touched by the grace of God, that they will confront the truth and be wise, and that they will receive blessing …We pray that the Holy Spirit will illuminate them with love and that they will repent and do their duty, to reveal the truth,” said Bishop Košić. He expressed astonishment that little has been done in our free country to shed light upon the greatest tragedy to befall our nation. “Those responsible must not be irresponsible. It is the duty of everyone in the institutions of authority to do everything to disclose the truth … It is the duty of the authorities to honor all the victims. It is the duty of everyone in institutions of authority to do everything to disclose the truth and provide consolation to those who mourn their dead. Without the whole truth, there can neither be mourning nor the final conclusion of the painful experience of the Second World War. Unfortunately, our nation also had to endure the Homeland War, and thus it seems that there are only wounds upon wounds. Who can heal them except the dear Lord,” said Bishop Košić. He completed his sermon by appealing for prayer to God and His Son Jesus Christ, for the power of the Spirit of Love to calm our restless hearts, for the seekers of truth to persevere, for due piety to be afforded to those who were executed and for their memory to be preserved so that our nation will never again be divided and we shall never again rise up against one another but build a future in peace.
The Mass was preceded by the Way of the Cross, led by the dean of the Krapina Deanery and pastor of the Parish of the Holy Cross in Začretje, the Most Rev. Dražen Karačić. Meditations for the individual Stations of the Cross were written by Fra Bonaventura Duda. A booklet entitled The Way of the Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ at the Commemoration of the Victims of Macelj and the Croatian Death Marches was published in May of this year by the parish of St. George of Đurmanec and the Macelj 1945 Association. The Stations of the Cross were erected around and behind the Church of the Passion of Jesus, and were painted by the academic painter Branimir Čilić.
Since 1991, the faithful have assembled on the first Sunday in June at this holy place, in the Macelj forest, and paid respects to all, especially the innocent military and civilian victims, including women and children, who in May and June 1945 were tortured and executed in this valley on their return from Bleiburg, as well as in many other places throughout Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. In this place, twenty-three mass graves containing a total of 1,163 victims were opened in 1992. Their earthly remains were buried on October 22, 2005 in a memorial grave at the Church of the Passion of Jesus. Among the victims were twenty-one diocesan priests, Franciscans and theology students who were brought here, bound with wire, from the Franciscan monastery and the parish office in Krapina. Their names are inscribed in the chronicles of the Franciscan monastery in Krapina. There are still several hundred mass graves that have been concealed for 63 years by the evils of silence and indifference. By coming to this place, pilgrims seek to express their gratitude and commend the Macelj martyrs and all the other martyrs of our death marches to Divine Mercy