Concelebrating with the Archbishop of Vrhbosna were: the retired Archbishop of Split and Makarska, Msgr. Marin Barišić, the custodian of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land, OFM Francesco Patton, the discreet of the Custody, OFM Sandro Tomašević, the secretary of the Apostolic Delegation for Jerusalem and Palestine, OFM Nicola Di Ponzio, the coordinator of the construction of the Chapel and the initiator of the entire project, OFM Tomislav Glavnik, and about 40 Croatian priests and Franciscan priests of the Custody of the Holy Land.

Among the more than 400 believers who participated in the Holy Mass were 260 Croatian pilgrims from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and abroad, and about a hundred Christians from Galilee and the Holy Land, connected to the Croatian people through Međugorje.

The state delegation of the Republic of Croatia, led by the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman and the Member of the Croatian Parliament Marijana Petir, as well as representatives of the local Palestinian authorities, were also present at the Holy Mass. An (ad hoc) choir of pilgrims sang under the direction of sister Katarina Penić Sirak, SMI.

May faith grow stronger in this place

Before the Holy Mass began, those present were greeted by OFM Tomislav and Minister Grlić Radman, expressing their gratitude to those responsible for the realization of the idea of building a Croatian chapel on the Shepherds' Fields in the Beit Sahur area.

After the introduction to the Holy Mass, Archbishop Tomo blessed the water with which he sprinkled and blessed the worship space and the faithful present.

In the homily (you can download the full text HERE), Msgr. Vukšić first recalled the history of Croatian pilgrimages to the Holy Land, mentioning the name of the priest Ivan, who in 843 "set out on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in a Venetian ship, 'in order to visit the holy tomb of Christ in order to fulfil his vow', and on his return to Dubrovnik, he brought relics that are still kept in the treasury of the cathedral there and are exhibited for public veneration once a year, on the feast of Saint Blaise, as a shroud, 'in which Christ was wrapped after his birth by his mother the Virgin Mary'".

He also highlighted two important merits of Croatian pilgrims and their contribution to the universal Church: the first Croatian saint and martyr, St. Nikola Tavelić and the Branković brothers – Pavle, Antun and Jakov – Croatian knights of the Holy Order of Jerusalem, originally from the area of the Vrhbosna Archdiocese, who in 1681 purchased the Garden of Old Gethsemane Olives and donated it to the Church, i.e. the Franciscan community, which is today managed by the Custody of the Holy Land.

"The solemn blessing of the chapel of Croatian saints and blessed ones is an excellent occasion in which, through their intercession, we should thank God's Providence for inspiring some people and giving them the idea to build the chapel. And may it be to the glory of God, to the honour of the saints and blessed ones, and a place of pilgrimage prayer for the Croatian people and their progress, and for peace and harmony among the people and nations in the Holy Land", said Msgr. Vukšić, thanking everyone who contributed to the realization of this idea, especially highlighting the Spanish architects who designed the chapel and the academic sculptor Ilija Skočibušić who designed its interior.

He noted that the shepherds who were told by an angel to go to Bethlehem because “in the city of David a Saviour was born, Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:1-20), were actually the first pilgrims who believed and “by their behaviour, conclusions and life, remained a model for imitation for all who come after them to holy places and want to find Jesus”.

He then emphasized that Christians build temples so that believers can gather in them for prayer in which they glorify and praise God and with which they pray for their own sanctification. “Therefore, because believers are gathered in it in the name of God, the temple is a holy place in which God is with them (cf. Mt 18:20). And because the temple is where God is, so is every person if God dwells in him”, said Archbishop Tomo, noting that from this fact arises the dignity of believers as well as the mission “to glorify God in our body”.

"Therefore, through the intercession of the Croatian saints and blessed ones, may this temple that we bless in their honour be a place where pilgrims will build themselves as temples of God and confess that Christ is Lord and Saviour. May they strengthen their faith here and may they return from this place, like the holy shepherds, to where they came from and continue to glorify and praise God with their lives, deeds, and words for all that they have experienced here", concluded Msgr. Vukšić.

Support of Croatians for Christians in the Holy Land

At the end of the Holy Mass, Curator Patton addressed the audience, expressing words of gratitude for the support that Croatians provide to Christians, especially the Catholic Church in the Holy Land. In this regard, he presented appropriate gifts to: Minister Grlić Radman and Member of Parliament Petir, as well as to the guide OFM Tomislav Glavnik, the director of the company that organized the pilgrimage Davor Ljubić, OFM Zlatko Vlahek, the sculptor Skočibušić, as well as to Archbishops Tomo and emeritus Barišić.

The fruit of Croatian unity

The Chapel of Croatian Saints and Blessed ones was built in the central part of Shepherd’s Field, between the Palestinian and Spanish chapels, and with 250 seats and a total of 350 m2, it is the largest in that area. The blessing of the beginning of the works on May 22^nd 2022 was performed by the then Archbishop of Split and Makarska, Msgr. Marin Barišić, and they were completed after two years – July 23^rd 2024. The academic sculptor Ilija Skočibušić is responsible for the arrangement of the worship space, who used Bosnian maple, Brač stone and Croatian oak when creating the relief.

Song at a joint lunch after the Holy Mass

Finally, it should be noted that the project leaders for the construction of the Chapel of Croatian Saints and Blessed ones were: the Franciscan Conventual Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Zagreb, the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia, and the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land. The construction part of the construction was financed by the Government of the Republic of Croatia, and the interior decoration is the result of the wholehearted support of private benefactors from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the world.