“A person’s worth lies not in what they have, but in the values they carry within,” said Archbishop of Split-Makarska Zdenko Križić at the celebration of the feast of St Francis of Assisi on 4 October in Imotski. The feast was solemnly celebrated in Franciscan churches, and the eve of the feast marked the anniversary of Francis’ death.
Imotski: Renewal of the Church begins in the heart
Archbishop Križić stressed that although St Francis died eight centuries ago, his life still speaks powerfully to people today. He said Francis’ life was marked not by grand words, but by radical simplicity, poverty and humility, all of which flowed from a deep connection with Christ. He also described it as a gradual dying to his own ego so that Christ might live ever more fully within him. That is why, he added, Francis was also able to accept bodily death as “sister,” leading him into the Father’s embrace.
Recalling Christ’s call to Francis, “Go and rebuild my Church,” the archbishop emphasised that the saint soon understood that this was not primarily about restoring walls, but about the living Church, whose renewal begins in the human heart. “The Church is not renewed through strategies, documents or criticism from outside, but through holiness of life, humility and inner conversion,” he said, adding that everyone contributes to building it through their own life.
He interpreted Francis’ choice of poverty as freedom from attachment to material goods, not as destitution and want. He also highlighted Francis’ call to fraternity, especially relevant in a world marked by wars, divisions, polarisation and intolerance. Peace, he said, begins in a heart that does not exalt itself above another, and living fraternity means making a daily effort to forgive, listen, serve and foster communion. The archbishop’s words were reported by IKA.
Marija Bistrica: 34th pilgrimage of the military, police and veterans
The 34th national pilgrimage of the Croatian Armed Forces, police and veterans was held on 4 October at the Croatian National Marian Shrine in Marija Bistrica. The principal Mass was celebrated by Bishop Jure Bogdan, Military Ordinary in the Republic of Croatia, together with Bishop Miro Relota, Military Bishop in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and numerous priests and military chaplains.
The pilgrimage traditionally takes place on the first Sunday of October, on the eve of the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. Those gathered gave thanks for the gift of freedom and entrusted their families, homeland and peace in the world to the intercession of Our Lady of Bistrica.
Participants included Catholic members of the Croatian Armed Forces and police, Croatian veterans and their families, firefighters, members of the Directorate for Civil Protection and the Croatian Red Cross, disabled veterans of the Homeland War, and family members of Croatian veterans who were killed or went missing. Among the pilgrims were also members of historical military units, representatives of the Ministry of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation, members of the judicial police, staff of the Customs Administration, and members of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Bishop Bogdan recalled the trials and sacrifices endured over the centuries by members of the Catholic Church and the Croatian people, up to the Homeland War at the end of the last century. “We endured, survived and persevered on our path!” he said. He stressed that at the shrine in Bistrica, all veterans, all those who defended the homeland and those who gave their lives for its freedom are remembered in prayer with respect and gratitude.
He said that during the difficult days of war, it was necessary to preserve what war especially puts at risk: humanity, conscience and faith. He compared Moses’ call to the Israelites to choose life with the call of the late Cardinal Franjo Kuharić for the Croatian people to remain faithful to God and his commandments even amid the horrors of war.
“If my enemy has burned down my house, I will not burn down his!” was the message that Kuharić, Bogdan recalled, delivered in the wartime year of 1991 and repeated in Marija Bistrica.
Mošćenica: First Mass after the restoration of St James’ Chapel
On 4 October, Bishop of Sisak Vlado Košić celebrated the first Mass in St James’ Chapel in Mošćenica since the restoration of the severely damaged sacred building was completed. On that occasion, he blessed the restored altar, the diocesan Public Relations Office reported.
Parish priest Damir Ceković said that he had wanted Bishop Košić, who had served in the area during the war years, to be the first to celebrate Mass in the restored chapel. He had also wanted him to bless the altar so that the Eucharist could once again be celebrated there.
Turanj: Foundation stone laid for the church of Blessed Miroslav Bulešić
On 3 October, Archbishop of Zadar Milan Zgrablić blessed the construction site and the foundation stone of the new church of Blessed Miroslav Bulešić in the Parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Turanj. According to the Media Office of the Archdiocese of Zadar, it will be the first church in Croatia dedicated to the blessed.
Speaking about the connection between Bulešić’s devotion to Mary and the parish’s dedication to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the archbishop said: “In his life we recognise how to honour and love Mary rightly. His diary is imbued with addresses to Our Lady: he entrusts his concerns to her, asks her for help and, in the closeness of her motherly presence, learns to remain faithful to God. Mary teaches us to listen to the Lord and to respond to him with our lives.”
He added that Bulešić’s love for Our Lady calls people to draw close to Mary not only in prayer, but also by imitating her faith, humility and readiness to accept God’s will.
Trogir: Ten new knights and four ladies of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre
Ten knights and four ladies were admitted to the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem at St Lawrence Cathedral in Trogir on 3 October. The investiture ceremony and Mass were presided over by Cardinal Josip Bozanić, Archbishop Emeritus of Zagreb and Grand Prior of the Croatian Lieutenancy of the Order, the Press Office of the Archdiocese of Split-Makarska reported. Archbishop Zdenko Križić, Apostolic Nuncio to the Republic of Croatia Archbishop Leopold Girelli, and priests concelebrated the Mass with him.
Archbishop Križić wished the Order’s new members growth in holiness and every good. He stressed that, in the Christian sense, a knight is not someone who bears honour or prestige, but a disciple of the Crucified and Risen One: a person of evangelical virtues who defends the truth without violence, serves without seeking recognition and strives to be a builder of peace and bridges in a divided world.
In his homily, Cardinal Bozanić described the Holy Sepulchre, after which the Order is named, as one of Christianity’s greatest paradoxes: it speaks of death, yet proclaims life; it speaks of an ending, yet becomes a new beginning. “Christ’s tomb is empty. That is why Christ does not need guardians of his past. He needs witnesses to his resurrection,” he said, stressing that this is the first and deepest task of every knight and lady of the Holy Sepulchre.
Sisak: Book on St Francis and Blessed Stepinac presented
On 2 October, the book by Fr Ivan Bradarić, OFM Conv., MSc, “The Poor Man of Assisi and the Poor Cardinal. Following Christ – St Francis of Assisi and Blessed Alojzije Stepinac in the School of the Gospel,” was presented at the parish church of St Joseph the Worker in Sisak.
The speakers about the book were Bishop of Sisak Vlado Košić; Prof. Fr Ivan Karlić, PhD, head of the Department of Dogmatic Theology at the Catholic Faculty of Theology in Zagreb; Sr Marta Radoš, national minister of the Secular Franciscan Order (OFS); and the author.
Đakovo: Fr Stjepan Starešina buried
On 5 October 2026, retired priest of the Archdiocese of Đakovo-Osijek Fr Stjepan Starešina, who died in his 90th year, was buried at the City Cemetery in Đakovo.
