Msgr. Vukšić led the Holy Mass celebration in co-celebration with the Provincial of the Franciscan Province of Bosna Srebrena, OFM Zdravko Dadić, the Secretary of the Apostolic Nunciature in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Msgr. Javier Camañes-Forés, and about 40 priests, including superiors and professors from the Vrhbosna Theological Seminary, the Archdiocesan Missionary International Seminary Redemptoris Mater, and the Catholic Faculty of Theology in Sarajevo.

The Holy Mass was attended by nuns from various congregations, as well as parents, brothers, sisters and relatives of the ordained, parishioners from their home parishes, as well as other faithful. The assistance at the altar and liturgical singing were led by the seminarians, colleagues of the ordained from the aforementioned theological seminaries, and the Holy Mass celebration was animated by a mixed choir under the direction of OFM Ivan Pilić, Jr., and the organ accompaniment of OFM Marko Spajić.

Introducing to the Holy Mass celebration, Msgr. Vukšić greeted the priests and faithful present and expressed gratitude to God for calling the newly ordained to ministry, to them for accepting this ministry, and to all who accompanied them on that journey.

After the proclamation of the Gospel, the rector of the Archdiocesan Missionary International Seminary Redemptoris Mater, OFM Michele Capasso and the master of Franciscan seminarians, OFM Danijel Nikolić, presented the candidates for priestly ordination and guaranteed that the Christian people, who are responsible and accountable, consider them worthy.

Role Models for Priests

In his homily on the occasion, Archbishop Tomo recalled the words of the entrance hymn that, according to the church missal, begins the Eucharistic celebration on the feast of St. Peter and St. Paul: “These two planted the Church with their blood; they drank the cup of the Lord and became friends of God.” He emphasized that these words summarize the entire historical truth about the role and mission of these two apostles – about their deep personal spirituality, fidelity to Christ and his teaching, and courageous preaching and strong witness for Christ.

Speaking about the special role of Peter and Paul among the apostles, Msgr. Vukšić recalled that Peter was “the first in confessing the faith”, and Paul in “interpreting its depths.” He referred to the incident at Caesarea Philippi, when Peter, on behalf of all the apostles, when asked by Jesus who they said He was, confessed his faith in the divinity of Christ with the words: "You are the Christ, the Anointed One, the Son of the living God." "After this, Peter became and forever remained the first in confessing faith, and Jesus therefore called him Peter-Rock and promised him that on this rock he would build his Church and that the gates of hell would not prevail against it", the archbishop emphasized.

He also recalled the farewell letter of the Apostle Paul to his disciple Timothy, in which Paul, aware that the time had come for his departure from this world, looks back on his work of proclamation and adds with gratitude: "The Lord stood by me, he strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all nations might hear it."

Fidelity to Christ

Furthermore, Msgr. Vukšić explained that in addition to the authority that came from the direct experience with Jesus that Peter had together with the other apostles, and from Jesus' apparition and the direct revelation that Paul was honoured with, the two of them also left their testimony of life and blood for Christ in the heritage of the Church. "They did much for the cause of God. In fact, they did everything that was possible for them. And they gave God everything they had. For the name of God, they gave not only their days, abilities and actions, but also their own lives", he emphasized.

He then referred to the contemporary way of life and thinking, which, as he said, often imposes a relationship towards truth through emphasized relativism, and every truth is seen at best only as one of the opinions. He noticed that in such an environment of a culture of thinking, which is becoming increasingly widespread, it is very demanding to be a witness to the truth, and especially a witness to God's eternal truth, its published imperishable articles and rules of morality. Also, another sign of the times, which is increasingly imposed in various areas of life and relationships between people and in society in general, as he said, "is recognized as populism in the way of communication and action and inflationary elitism in the arrogant imposition of the protagonists". "Both of these should be foreign to the priest because he, who follows the example of Christ and proclaims his teachings, should also be characterized by Christ's self-denial and humility in the way he proclaims", said Monsignor Vukšić.

Finally, he asked for the intercession of Saints Peter and Paul that the newly ordained be distinguished by fidelity to Christ's teachings and consistency in their personal lives, as well as humility in service and proclamation. "Let them, following the example of Saints Peter and Paul, preach the Gospel and plant the Church of God! And let them drink the cup of the Lord with Christ and thus become friends of God", concluded Archbishop Tomo.

After the sermon, the ordination ceremony followed, during which those present prayed the Litany of All Saints, and the Archbishop of Vrhbosna laid his hands on the heads of the ordained. After the newly ordained priests put on the stole and the chasuble, Archbishop Vukšić anointed their palms with holy oil and handed them a plate with the host and a chalice with wine, exchanging the kiss of peace with each of them.

At the end of the Holy Mass, Msgr. Vukšić congratulated the newly ordained priests and presented them with their ordination certificates. Finally, the newly ordained priests shared their newly ordained blessing with everyone in the Sarajevo Cathedral.