Zagreb, October 19, 1999 (IKA) — The Catholic Press Agency — IKA — Zagreb celebrated the feast of its patron saint, St. Luke and the agency’s sixth anniversary on October 18, 1999. On this occasion, a Mass was celebrated in thanksgiving by Auxiliary Bishop Vlado Košić of Zagreb, president of the Commission for the Media of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, in the Church of St. Mary at the Zagreb Dolac. Wishing the agency staff success in their work, Bishop Košić pointed out that St. Luke was an excellent author who not only reported objectively in his Gospel but was inspired by the Holy Spirit, as Church journalism should be. St. Luke showed an interest in little people. Women also occupied a significant place in his writing, which could be interpreted to mean that the Church should place a higher value upon the role and importance of women in its mission. In a certain way, this is evident at IKA, where the majority of the employees are women. In addition to the former and current editors-in-chief, Don Živko Kuštić and the Rev. Anton Šuljić, the concelebrants included editors and representatives of the leading Catholic media in Croatia. After the Mass, there was a festive reception at which representatives of the Croatian Conference of Bishops and IKA thanked Don Živko for his years of work and presented him with tokens of gratitude. On behalf of Croatian Catholic Radio, Dr. Mirko Mataušić thanked IKA for the two years when it ran the news department. Several speakers also emphasized IKA’s role in grooming young upcoming journalists.
Prior to the celebration, at the IKA office in the presence of the president of the Commission for Media of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, Vlado Košić; the general secreatary of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, the Rev. Vjekoslav Huzjak; and the director of IKA, Fra Ilija Živković, the new editor in chief, the Rev. Anton Šuljić, formally took over his duties from the former editor in chief, Don Živko Kustić.
The Catholic Press Agency — IKA — Zagreb was founded in 1993 by the Croatian Conference of Bishops. The agency covers news about the life of the Church among the Croats and the Church in the world. It has a daily and weekly service and also keeps the international public informed about the Church among the Croats. The agency publishes a weekly bulletin entitled IKA News, including articles, editorials, features and various documents. For several years, IKA’s weekly bulletin has been available on the web pages of the Croatian Conference of Bishops.