Kistanje, September 15, 2003 (IKA) — The Jubilee 700th Anniversary of the first mention of the parish of Janjevo, that has the motto “In the Cross is Life, in the Cross is Salvation!” and began last year with the celebration of a Mass at the Zagreb Cathedral on the feast of St. Nicholas, the heavenly protector of Janjevo, culminated with the celebration of the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross on Sunday, September 14, in Kistanje, a day that the people of Janjevo have celebrated for centuries as a feast for tradesmen. The Mass was celebrated in the Church of St. Nicholas by the archbishop emeritus of Zadar, Marijan Oblak. Hundreds of Janjevo natives coming from throughout Croatia and other countries attended this celebration, which was also attended by the speaker of the Croatian Parliament and patron of this commemoration, Zlatko Tomčić, and representatives of the municipal and county authorities.
At the beginning of the celebration of the Mass, Archbishop Oblak blessed the new Church of St. Nicholas, for which the cornerstone was laid in 1999 and after the homily, blessed the altar. During the homily, Archbishop Oblak said that the celebration of the Janjevo Jubilee “is an invitation and incentive to continue to preserve human and Christian virtues of the Catholic faith, Croatian patriotism, the Christian family, Christian values in marriage, families with many children and teaching young people to lead a moral life.” Speaking about the blessing of the new parish church, Archbishop Oblak said that it “unites the historical and current sufferings of Janjevo, but also the power of Jesus’ life, glory and victory.” He also said that the most beautiful reciprocation and expression of gratitude to the Church and archdiocese are the many priests and nuns from Janjevo.”
Today in Croatia and other countries, 37 priests and 22 nuns are of Janjevo origin. During the past ten years, people from Janjevo with a group of Croats from Letnica have left their birthplace due to the war and the pressures of Greater Serbian politics, so that for 300 families Kistanje has become their new home.