Marija Bistrica, (IKA) – The National Encounter of Men and Women Religious, Consecrated Lay Persons, and Lay Persons Connected with Religious Orders through Secular Orders and Fraternities was held on Saturday, March 14, on the occasion of the Year of Consecrated Life, at the Croatian National Shrine of Our Lady of Bistrica. The organizers of the encounter, which had the motto “I Chose You” (Jn 15,16), were the Croatian Conference of Bishops and the Croatian Conference of Religious Superiors (CCRS/HKVRPP).
The open-air celebration of the Eucharist on the premises of the Church of the Blessed Alojzije Stepinac was led by the Archbishop of Zagreb, Cardinal Josip Bozanić, in concelebration with the Apostolic Nuncio in the Republic of Croatia, Archbishop Alessandro D’Errico; the President of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, Archbishop Želimir Puljić of Zadar, Archbishop Đuro Hranić of Đakovo-Osijek; the President of the Council of the Croatian Conference of Bishops for Institutions of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, Bishop Mate Uzinić of Dubrovnik; Bishop Ante Ivas of Šibenik, Bishop Josip Mrzljak of Varaždin, Vladika Nikola Kekić of Križevci, Bishop Vlado Košić of Sisak, Bishop Vjekoslav Huzjak of Bjelovar-Križevci, Bishop Dražen Kutleša of Poreč-Pula, Auxiliary Bishops Valentin Pozaić and Mijo Gorski of Zagreb; the newly appointed Bishop of Krk, Friar Ivica Petanjak; the General Secretary of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, Msgr. Enco Rodinis; provincials from Croatia and from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and approximately two hundred priests and religious. In the entrance procession, in addition to the (arch)bishops and male provincials, female provincials also entered the area of the celebration of the Eucharist.
Before the beginning of the Mass, those assembled, the main celebrant and the Nuncio were welcomed by the President of the Croatian Conference of Religious Superiors, Friar Jure Šarčević, O.F.M.Cap.
“In addition to all our prayers to God in gratitude for the multitude of gifts that he bestows upon us in his infinite love, today we thank Pope Francis for this Year of Consecrated Life, which we pray will truly be a year of the Lord’s grace for the whole Church in our Croatian society. At this time, we also pray that we shall be able to welcome the moment of the canonization of the Blessed Alojzije Stepinac as soon as possible, who despite the difficult conditions endured by the Church during his time was a pillar and sign of confident hope and freedom,” said Friar Šarčević.
Among those present, he particularly welcomed the men and women religious who had come by bus from Sarajevo and Mostar, and promised them that men and women religious from Croatia would return their visit on June 6 for the Apostolic Visit of Pope Francis. He also informed those assembled that Pope Francis had sent a special blessing on this occasion.
The letter signed on behalf of the Pope by the Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, was read aloud by Nuncio D’Errico. In the letter, among other things, it was emphasized that the Holy Father with all his heart wants this celebration to be an opportunity for the renewal of passion and love for Christ, so that all persons consecrated to God with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit will be able to live their own charisms to the glory of God and the good of their neighbors.
In the homily, Cardinal Bozanić pointed out that this pilgrimage to the National Marian Shrine in Marija Bistrica is in thanks to God for the beauty of the gift of consecrated life in the Church. “From this place, I send special greetings to you, dear men and women religious, and to all of you persons consecrated to God.”
“I thank God for the grace of this encounter with you, as well as for the gift of your lives and vocations, and express joy that in the Church in Croatia we can witness the wealth of various charisms and communities of consecrated life. May the Holy Spirit move you, as spiritual sons and daughters of your founders, to continue to keep their charisms alive, through the power of the same Sprit that aroused them. Enrich and adapt these charisms to be in the service of the Church and our time,” said the cardinal. He recalled that Pope Francis emphasizes that consecrated life is a gift to the Church, is born in the Church, grows in the Church and is entirely directed to the Church, and thus belongs to the life and holiness of the Church: “When it comes to your consecrated lives, independently of and prior to any kind of your apostolate in the Church, it is necessary to stress the gift of your lives and the meaning and value of your consecration to God, the Mystery of Trinitarian Love, consecration that is bound to vows of chastity, poverty and obedience. Consecration to God speaks of your relationship with God, which lives in the concreteness and radicalism of the triple vow that reflects the joy and beauty of living the gospel and following Christ. The vow of chastity is your faithfulness to God in the Church. The vow of poverty is your detachment in order to remain free for God in the Church. The vow of obedience is your total dedication to God in the Church. This is evangelical radicalism, which is not unique to men and women religious but is present in religious life in a prophetic manner,” said the cardinal.
Particularly addressing men and women religious candidates, the cardinal said: “You are capable of the radicalism of life according to the gospel. Do not settle for mediocrity. With the generosity of your commitment and the freshness of your youthful enthusiasm, seek new ways of living the gospel. You live the alternative offerings of this world. Today, at a time marked by numerous difficulties, the Church and Croatian nation need you.”
The cardinal also noted that the Croatian ecclesial and national past was poorer in all the areas without religious orders. Therefore, “our present needs you, your love and imagination in order for you, at the invitation of Pope Francis, to embrace the future with hope, as the fruit of faith in the Lord of History, who constantly tells us: ‘Do not be afraid because I am with you'” (Jer 1,8).
The cardinal also spoke about the importance of prayer and asked whether we pray enough. “First of all, I ask myself this question, also wanting each of you to respond from the depths of your heart. It is easy to perceive commitment, courage and passion in our apostolate. However, the same attitude should be had in prayer: commitment and persistence. Ordained and persons consecrated to God must not be indifferent to the life in their communities. It is necessary to pray and intercede. This is tedious. Prayerful intercession is not for the weak,” emphasized Cardinal Bozanić, and said “let us not indulge in illusions. Today it is necessary to battle Satan and sin. It is not for us to battle against human power but against the forces of darkness” (cf. Eph 6,12), because “the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for [someone] to devour (1 Pt 5,9), and in this task prayer is the most effective. This is not the time of gathering and harvesting. This is the time of hard work and persevering prayer. We can say that prayer, although it brings peace and confidence, at the same time tires the heart. This is the fatigue of those who do not deceive themselves, who in apostolic responsibility intercede before God from day to day to save their people.”
At the end of the homily, the cardinal called for prayer to the Lord Jesus “to make all of us people of prayer to a greater extent, as He was when he walked this earth. Let us look to the Blessed Virgin Mary, a woman of prayer, and to St. John Paul II and the Blessed Alojzije Stepinac, who in their apostolates were constantly immersed in prayer. On this journey, may they intercede for us before the throne of the Most High. May the measure of our apostolic activity be that the more our work multiplies, the stronger should be our prayers. The Church and our Croatian nation need and await your and our prayers.”
Following the prayer after Communion, all the religious and consecrated lay faithful renewed their vows. Then the Vice President of the CCRS, the Rev. Mother Miroslava Bradica, thanked the main celebrant of the Mass, Cardinal Bozanić, as well as Nuncio D’Errico, the archbishops and bishops, provincials and religious for their fellowship at this main celebration of the Year of Consecrated Life.
She expressed her greatest gratitude to the Heavenly Father for this day and the moment of grace when it was once again possible to recognize the immensity of God’s love and the sublimity of the religious vocation. “Let us live it joyfully and enthusiastically for the glory of God under the protection of our dear Heavenly Mother,” said the Rev. Mother Bradica.
Before the blessing, a letter of gratitude to Pope Francis was read aloud by Bishop Mate Uzinić.
“Gathered together in the Year of Consecrated Life under the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Bistrica, we recall with gratitude our glorious past that in these territories of ours was fraught with great challenges to life in the enduring testimony of the evangelical counsels. Meanwhile, giving thanks for the shining examples of many persons, of whom we particularly single out the Blessed Alojzije Cardinal Stepinac, who was beatified here on October 3, 1998, as well as many men and women religious and consecrated lay people, we have succeeded in good and bad times to preserve our fidelity to the Church, love and respect for the Roman Pontiff, and perseverance in living our own charisms and vocations. This gathering and our fellowship are incentives for us to look to the future with hope and joy, and also as a new opportunity to follow Jesus and witness his joyful news,” states the letter to the Pope, which concludes as follows: “Holy Father, in gratitude for your words of encouragement, we joyfully express our devotion while we again pledge our perseverant prayer for your service in the Universal Church. In prayer for you, we greet you with filial respect and devotion.” The letter was signed by the main celebrant of the Mass, Cardinal Bozanić; the President of the Council of the Croatian Conference of Bishops for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, Bishop Uzinić; and the President of the CCRS, Friar Jure Šarčević, while those assembled expressed their approval of the letter with applause.
Before Cardinal Bozanić gave the blessing, he said: “It is beautiful to see so many religious, these people consecrated to God. You are a blessing for the Church and nation in Croatia and in Bosnia and Herzegovina. God is counting on you and the people need you.”
The singing during the celebration of the Eucharist was enhanced by the Religious Band Aid, conducted by Maestro Vinko Karmelić, and the organ playing of Don Ivan Urlić.
Immediately prior to the Mass was a one-hour program that provided an opportunity to become acquainted with various orders, primarily through the joyful testimonies of their members about what had attracted them to religious life and why they had decided on a particular charism.
Those interviewed by Tanja Popec were members of large orders such as the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent, contemplative orders such as the Poor Clares, as well as those who according to their charisms share their daily lives with the needy such as the Little Sisters of Jesus.
Friars Ivan Matić and Filip Čeliković participated in the musical part of the program.