The home, built on the foundations of a school destroyed in the last war, was built and equipped with his own funds in just 13 months, according to the highest European standards, by Ivan Šokčević, a resident of Donja Tramošnica who lives in Austria with his family for 20 years. The cardinal first blessed the statue of Mother Teresa, the work of academic sculptor Antun Jurkić, a local son. Then, accompanied by the Šokčević family, he blessed the premises of the Home, which has 150 beds.

In his speech, the Cardinal stressed that the event has a strong message. “I am glad that you love your Tramošnica, that, even though you left it, you carry it in your heart. I hope that Mother Teresa will motherly embrace everyone who comes here, that we truly know how to love God and man”, he said congratulating the Šokčević family for the love and effort they invested in the building.

Sister Kata Karadža, Provincial Superior of the Franciscan Sisters of the Bosnian-Croatian Province, who assisted the Šokčević family in the construction of this project, also addressed the occasion; as well as Simo Stakić, Mayor of Pelagićevo, and Vjekoslav Jeleč, envoy of Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandić.

In his welcome speech, the owner Šokčević emphasized that with this home built on the ruins of a former primary school, which he himself attended, they wanted to show the world that love wins everything.

Then, as a token of gratitude, his three children and their mother Ivanka presented special gifts to the Cardinal and sister Kata.

The program ended with an address by the parish priest OFM Marko Lovrić, who quoted St. Mother Teresa who said that “love means nothing if we do not share it (...) If you expect something for compensation, then it is not love because true love is to love without any conditions and expectations”.

The celebration was animated by Ivana Lazar, opera diva of the Croatian National Theatre, with piano accompaniment by Darjana Blaće-Šojat.

This home will have both an ecumenical and inter-religious dimension, and that was evident from the fact that a large number of Posavina people of all nationalities gathered.

The blessing was followed by a folk festivity at which various KUDs performed with traditional dance and singing.