Translation: Ksenija Ninić

The ceremonial celebration and ceremony was led by Herzegovina’s provincial OFM Miljenko Šteko, and concelebrants were the master of the novices OFM Stanko Mabić, local monastery guardian OFM Dario Dodig and 30 other priests.

New hopes
At the beginning, the priests, the candidates, their families and the present were welcomed by Franciscan monastery guardian OFM Dario.

After a year spent at Humac in the novitiate, where they had a chance to become acquainted with the Franciscan way of life, their first religious vows were given by: Slavko Anđelić, parish of St. Kate - Grude; Fran Ćorić, parish of St. Anthony of Padua - Humac; Marko Galić, Parish Priest of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Široki Brijeg; Ivan Malić, Parish of Annunciation of Blessed Virgin Mary - Velika Gorica; Marin Mikulić, parish of St. Peter and Paul - Kočerin; Đuro Ravenšćak, parish of St. Martin - Dugo Selo; Ivan Tomić, parish of St. Mathew - Mostar; Slaven Tomić, parish of St. Anthony of Padua - Humac; Mate Zlomislić, Parish of Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary - Posušje; Ivan Crnogorac, parish of Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary - Posušje and Robert Radić, parish of St. Michael the Archangel - Drinovci.

God's calling
After reading the Bible readings and proclaiming the Word of God, the Provincial of Herzegovina gave a commemorative homily. At the beginning he emphasized that for every religious community it is a joyous event when it sees that it’s young forces are resolutely pursuing the realization of their religious call. "These 11 novices stand before us today with the desire to give their first vows and to continue to live in our Franciscan community. They have spent a year of temptation or novice here (...) Dear young brothers, I would like to put something to your heart tonight, which is particularly important to me: Religious monastery life is a spiritual call (...) On this occasion I would like to mention two short holly letter texts that can help you along that path. The first text is from Isaiah (12: 3): "With joy you will pump water from the source of salvation," and the other is from Psalm (87,7): "All my springs are in you!" As much as you fill in God's sources, we will never become independent sources, but tanks or conditional sources, depending on the connection with God's sources", reminded the provincial Šteko among other things and finally, pointing out that in every human heart there is an inescapable thirst for the fullness of life and the completeness of existence, wishing to the novices that their hearts get that fullness in this Franciscan order and this province, to which they surrender to with their first vows.

OFM Marin Karačić headed the liturgical rites with the assistance of the seminarians and the Postulants of the Province, and the Eucharistic Celebration was glorified by singing of the members of the Humac Grand Choir under the guidance of prof. Zdenko Vištica. After the mass, the celebration continued at the family table, in the monastery cloister.

KT/HFP