The Holy Mass was led by the Provincial of the Herzegovina Franciscan Province of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, OFM Jozo Grbeš, with the concelebration of the rector of this monastery church, OFM Darko Endrich, the parish priest of the cathedral, on whose territory the church in Banjski Brijeg is located, Msgr. Ivo Tomašević, and 11 other priests.

Introducing the Holy Mass, OFM Jozo said that Christians turn to holy people, including sister Jula and her sisters, in whom they find an example of holiness, but also perseverance and principles that make life worth living. "I believe that man lives for what is longer than life itself", the celebrant of the Holy Mass emphasized in the introduction.

Christian Values

In his sermon on the occasion, OFM Jozo spoke about five sisters who show the way, become teachers, and become an inspiration with their lives. In his homily, he emphasized the power of truth, the importance of choice, what it means to be a Christian, important changes, and life examples.

Referring to the biblical readings, he first spoke about faithfulness. "Today's remembrance of the venerable souls of the Drina martyrs tells us about this great dimension of existence: to be faithful! Oh, how the Christianity of our time needs such witnesses, witnesses of fidelity, people of authentic lives and principles of truth. Let us know that people who speak the truth: suffer, are harmed, are attacked and even killed. And in our time, it seems that the truth is most under attack. Tell the truth and you will have problems! 'You see, the thing is that the strongest man in the world is the one who stands most alone. (Henrik Ibsen, An Enemy of the People). When this reality becomes clear to us, then we understand that it is better to travel alone in honesty, than with many in copying nonsense", said OFM Jozo.

He further emphasized that it is better to choose death than a life without principles and fidelity. "Freedom is a divine dimension. We choose. We constantly choose. If we choose the divine side, and that means values that are greater than ourselves, then we choose wisdom", Provincial Grbeš reminded us.

He then quoted the Epistle to Diogenes about who Christians are, emphasizing how Christians “are in the world as in a prison, but they hold the world together” and how they “live in this world as strangers in corruptible bodies and await the heavenly incorruption.”

"The Great Turnaround"

OFM Jozo then spoke about God's "great turnaround": "what humans call 'great' is humbled; what humans call 'small' is exalted".

"This God's turnaround counts on humble souls because He makes the small great. 'For God loves to enclose the great in the small: the universe in an atom, a tree in a seed, a man in an embryo, a butterfly in a worm, eternity in a moment, love in a heart, Himself in us.' (Alberto Grandi) He is the one who turns: the life of ordinary, simple sisters of mercy into holiness, and the river Drina into a place of exaltation", explained OFM Jozo, emphasizing that these sisters of mercy teach the faithful simplicity, teach how love is gained by giving, not by taking, and how a person should share what he has.

"We are taught this by the wisdom that says: 'If you bring what is within you, what is within you will save you! If you do not bring what is within you, what you do not bring will destroy you.' (J. Peterson, We Who Wrestle with God)", concluded Provincial Grbeš, calling: "Let what is within us be God's. And then everything around us will be good."

Towards the end of the celebration, OFM Endrich sent greetings and thanks, sharing the messages that the Blessed Drina Martyrs send to the faithful, which are: to put God first, to do everything out of love for God, to patiently and faithfully endure the current difficulties that will one day bear fruit, and to be a brother and sister to every person who suffers.

At the end of the Holy Mass, the priests present in the procession headed to the image of the Blessed, where they prayed for their canonization.

The Holy Mass celebration was animated by the choir of theologians from the Vrhbosna Theological Seminary, Stjepan Hadrović, under the direction of rev. Ivan Rako.

The celebration was preceded by a three-day celebration with Holy Masses and occasional sermons led in the evening hours by rev. Hrvoje Kalem, rev. Ivan Rako and rev. Vlatko Rosić.

Before each Holy Mass, the rosary and litany to the Blessed Drina Martyrs were prayed.

Let us recall that on December 15^th, 1941, five martyred sisters, members of the Congregation of the Daughters of God's Love from the monastery in Pale near Sarajevo, were kidnapped by Chetniks and taken to Goražde. The sisters were killed between December 15^th and 23^rd "out of hatred for the faith" in the area of eastern Bosnia.

Word of their martyrdom spread quickly. The archdiocesan process for their beatification was opened in Sarajevo in December 1999, and in January 2011 Pope Benedict XVI approved their beatification. The solemn act of beatification took place on September 24^th 2011 in Sarajevo, when the then Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Cardinal Angelo Amato, led the celebration of a Holy Mass in the Zetra Hall.