In concelebration with the Archbishop was the Provincial of the Croatian Dominican Province of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, father Slavko Slišković and about 30 other priests.

At the beginning of the Holy Mass, Archbishop Puljić greeted the celebrants, relatives of the ordained, parish priests and parishioners from the parishes from which the new deacons came, the gathered faithful and all those who followed the Holy Mass on the radio waves of Radio Marija BiH.

After the candidates for the order of deacons were presented, and the believers expressed gratitude to God for the act, Cardinal Vinko sent a homily in which he connected this important event with the celebration of the First Sunday of Advent, saying that Advent is a period in which people meet the birth of Jesus, but that ordination also has its symbolism because it is also a walk towards the Lord.

The Cardinal added that in this Year of the Word of God, he invites everyone to more often and more thoroughly consider the word of God in their hearts.

In the continuation of the sermon, he explained that the vocation is not a privilege, but a gift. “You are starting a special test today, with this ordination - a test of your faith, your commitment to Jesus. The test of your love for the Church, the test of your fidelity, so the word you said to Jesus today, will be strong if you feed it with the Word of God, if you pray the prayers of the Church diligently because you know that today you make a commitment that the Church prays on your mouth, honorably”, the Archbishop said in his sermon.

After the sermon, the candidates for ordination expressed their readiness to accept the consecrated celibacy, to conduct the worship of the hours, and to respect and obey the diocesan bishop and the legitimate religious leader. Cardinal Puljić gave the sacrament of the Holy Order of Deacons to the candidates by laying hands and consecration prayer. Then the newly ordained deacons, with the help of their parish priests, put on their official liturgical clothes and at the end of the rite received the evangeliary from the archbishop's hands, exchanged peace (according to epidemiological measures), and then began serving at the altar.

By this ordination they accepted, as entrusted to them by the competent authority, the tasks of deacons: solemnly administering baptism, keeping and sharing the Eucharist, attending marriage and blessing in the name of the Church, giving last communion to the dying, reading the Scriptures to the faithful, teaching and encouraging the people, presiding over the faithful and prayer, to share the sacraments, to preside over the funeral and burial rites.

The following were ordained deacons: Domagoj Matijević (Globarica), Ivan Matijević (Globarica), Ivan Mijać (Zenica) and Saša Stjepan Bukvić (Subotica).

After the Holy Mass, there was a joint photo shoot with the Archbishop and the Provincial.

We remind you that deacon ordination on the First Sunday of Advent is a long-standing tradition in the Vrhbosna Archdiocese and the Sarajevo Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.