After a solemn procession around the cathedral, the Eucharist was celebrated by the Archbishop of Vrhbosna, Msgr. Tomo Vukšić, President of the BKBiH, in communion with: the Apostolic Nuncio Msgr. Francis Assisi Chullikatto, the Bishop of Banja Luka Msgr. Željko Majić, and the Bishop of Mostar-Duvno and Apostolic Administrator of Trebinje-Mrkan, Msgr. Petar Palić. About 30 priests concelebrated, led by the Provincial of Bosna Srebrena, OFM Zdravko Dadić, and the Vicar of the Franciscan Province of Herzegovina, OFM Miro Šego.

At the beginning, greeting those present, Msgr. Vukšić emphasized that "in order for us to be pilgrims of peace and hope, we must first find peace in our souls and lives, so that in this way we can bear witness to the greatest hope: Jesus Christ."

Consecration is a complete surrender to God

In his homily on the occasion, the Archbishop of Vrhbosna first spoke about the teaching of the Catholic Church regarding religious life. Along these lines, he cited certain parts of the Decree Perfectae caritatis on the adapted renewal of religious life and recalled the Ninth Ordinary Synod of Bishops from 1994, held on the topic To God consecrated life and its mission in the Church and in the world. He also mentioned the post-synod exhortation Vita consecrata of St. John Paul II from 1996, when all forms and communities of consecrated life, both monastic and religious, received a contemporary doctrinal beacon and practical compass.

He emphasized that the same Pope had announced February 2^nd in 1997, in a special message, as the Day of Consecrated Life, and explained "how the state of consecrated life is one of the ways of knowing consecration, which, like every other form of consecration, is rooted in the cross and primarily means complete surrender to God." He further reflected on the need to restore the authority of the saints to life, which is an “urgent requirement of religious life.” Following this, he reflected on the Holy Mass readings that proclaim “a ‘program of action’ for everyone who, following the example of Jesus, places himself at the service of Jesus’ collaborator.” “The permanent ‘program’ of all persons consecrated to God is to be humble evangelists, to proclaim liberation to the captives of evil, to restore sight to those morally blind due to pride, to heal broken hearts, to lead to spiritual freedom those oppressed by their own weaknesses or the malice of others, and to announce that with Jesus the time of God’s mercy has come”, said Msgr. Vukšić at the end, underlining that “to convey and bear witness to this content means to be Christian pilgrims of hope on the path of peace, which is also the program of the Jubilee Year.”

The liturgical celebration was broadcast live from the cathedral by BHT1.

Commemorative Academy at the KŠC

After the Holy Mass, the celebration continued with an academy at the Catholic School Centre Sv. Josip, located not far from the cathedral, with a commemorative program in the spirit of the jubilee motto. First, the Jubilee Hymn Pilgrims of Hope was sung, and then the attendees were greeted by the President of the Conference of Major Religious Superiors and the Superior of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Provincial Superior of the Franciscan School Sisters, sister M. Željka Dramac.

"Fragile, weak, sons and daughters, we want to expose ourselves together today to God's patient and tender gaze, to pray to Him to strengthen our faith that He is with us and that with His Spirit through us day by day He transforms this world and creates a new Earth, so that we may be joyful and active in hope", said, among other things, the Provincial Superior.

In his address, the Apostolic Nuncio recalled that on December 24^th 2024, Pope Francis began the Jubilee of 2025 by opening the Holy Doors, which thus "become a symbol of the necessary passage, exit, or spiritual transition that every Christian must undertake after conversion and penance towards the redemptive grace of Jesus, who told us: "I am the door. Whoever enters through me will be saved" (John 10:9).

This was followed by an academy in which the narrator-moderator was theologian Petar Kolak, and the first performance was the monologue Queen Catherine by Anela Križanac. Artistic expressions followed: first a conversation between two friars from Bosna Srebrena and Herzegovina, and then the song My Homeland performed by Marijana Šeremet.

A member of the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, sister Maristela Franjić sang the song Kopreno od snijega (Veil of snow), while the Friends of Little Jesus from Gromiljak treated the audience to a performance of the song Imaj srce (Have heart). Representatives of the KŠC Don Bosco from Žepče, led by the Salesians, presented a skit Ima nade za svakoga (There is Hope for Everyone), and Missionary of Love, sister Anđelka Pavliško performed Poruka nade (Message of Hope). Students of the KŠC Sv. Josip had a play about Benedict XVI. Zvijezda nade (Star of Hope), while the children's choir Ljiljani Sv. Ante from Žepče sang Pogledaj, o čudotvorna (Take a look, o miraculous).

Furthermore, the provincial choir of the Franciscan School Sisters in Herzegovina sang Dajte mi sladak pjev (Give me sweet song); Glas Bistrice from Livno, accompanied by the piano by OFM Marko Spajić, treated the audience to a performance of Dona nobis pacem; the children of the Little School from Vareš performed Pjesmu stvorova (Song of the Creatures); a student of the KŠC Petar Barbarić from Travnik performed the song Pobratimstvo lica u svemiru (The Blood-Brotherhood of Persons of the Universe) by Tin Ujević; Zrakice Milosrdnog Isusa from Novi Travnik presented themselves with the song Da mi je biti kao Ti (Wish to be like you); the Ursuline Sister Andreja Dujić  from Zenica recited Molitva (The prayer); the Poor Clares from Brestovsko participated with the video Pilgrims of Hope modelled after St. Clare of Assisi, as well as the Carmelites from Stup with the video Hoditi pod plaštem Marije (Walking under the Cloak of Mary).

The last two performances were: Franciscan Classical Gymnasium Isus čita novine (Jesus Reads the Newspaper), while OFM Ante Topić read the poem by Izidor Poljak Planite, bijeli ognjevi duše (Burn, white fires of the soul).

Statistics of religious men and women in BiH

Monsignor Vukšić then addressed the gathering and presented statistics showing that on December 31^st 2024, 805 religious men and women lived and worked in the territory of BiH (339 religious men, 466 religious women). He pointed out that the administrative headquarters of their provinces in BiH are: Franciscan Province of the Holy Cross Bosna Srebrena; Herzegovina Franciscan Province of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary; Franciscan School Sisters of the Bosnian-Croatian Province of the Immaculate Heart of Mary; Franciscan School Sisters of Christ the King - Province of the Holy Family; Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul - Province of the Divine Mother; Congregation of the Sisters Servants of the Little Jesus - Province of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The Archbishop stated that there are also religious members of four communities whose provincial headquarters are outside of BiH: the Croatian Province of the Society of Jesus in Zagreb; the Croatian Salesian Province of Saint John Bosco in Zagreb; the Croatian Carmelite Province of Saint Joseph in Zagreb and the Order of Reformed Cistercians.

There are also religious members in BiH whose communities have their administrative headquarters in another country: the Daughters of Divine Love - Zagreb; the Daughters of Mercy - Zagreb; the Adorers of the Blood of Christ - Zagreb; the Carmelites of the Divine Heart of Jesus - Zagreb; the Franciscan sisters Missionaries of Mary - Poland; the Franciscan sisters of the Immaculate Conception - Dubrovnik; the Missionaries of Charity - Central Europe Region; the Sisters of Mary - Osijek; the Ursulines - Zagreb; the Servants of the Little Jesus - Split; the Sisters of Mercy in Jesus - Poland and two cloistered communities: the Poor Clares - Brestovsko and the Carmelites - Sarajevo.

At the end, the Superior sister Željka invited everyone to socialize over snacks.

Let us remind you that, unlike previous years, the celebration in the Jubilee Year was held at the level of the entire Bosnia and Herzegovina and was attended by monks and nuns from the Archdiocese of Vrhbosna, who were joined by consecrated persons from the dioceses of Herzegovina and the Diocese of Banja Luka, which gave everything an additional dose of festivity and demonstrated the unity of the local Church.