According to tradition, the Prayer Day for the Homeland began with a gathering of pilgrims at the Bukovica River at the foot of Bobovac, after which a column was formed led by soldiers with flags of the Vatican, BiH, the Croatian people and the Croatian component of the BiH Armed Forces. With prayer, they set out together for the remains of a fort a few miles away.

After his arrival, the solemn Eucharist was led by the Archbishop Coadjutor of Vrhbosna and Apostolic Administrator of the Military Ordinariate in BiH, Msgr. Tomo Vukšić together with the Archbishop of Vrhbosna, cardinal Vinko Puljić and with the concelebration of about 20 priests.

Before the beginning of the Holy Mass, the Vicar General of the Vrhbosna Archdiocese, Msgr. Slađan Ćosić greeted the present.

Get to know Bobovac from the time of kings

At the beginning of the sermon, the Cardinal pointed out that he was especially touched by the cover of the new issue of Katolički tjednik, which reads “One should have a soul for the homeland” and emphasized “that we came here to pray with our souls”.

“Katolički tjednik for this Sunday brings a conversation with the historian prof. Valenta, who points out that Bobovac should be known from the time when it was a royal city and the centre of medieval Bosnia. With the marriage of Katarina Kosača, a native of Blagaj, to Stjepan Tomaš Kotromanić, Herzegovina and Bosnia are especially connected”, said cardinal Puljić who then spoke about the origin of Queen Katarina and the titles of her family, from which Herzegovina got its name. He also mentioned that the royal couple had two children: Sigismund (Žigmund) and Katarina.

Speaking about the life of the (before)last queen, he pointed out that she built churches and chapels throughout Bosnia and that after the Ottoman conquest of Bobovac she first hid in Bosnia, and then ended up in Rome via Dubrovnik, where she worked to liberate her children and the homeland.

After reading an emotional letter written by Queen Katarina to her children, whom she never saw again, he pointed out that “the goal of the sermon is to get to know at least a part of history, because whoever does not know how to appreciate his past cannot build the present or the future.”

He urged those present not to surrender to daily politics that reshapes the past for the interests of the present. He thanked people in the profession who are not afraid to research history and asked – “what is a man without a name, without roots and without faith?”

“We are standing in this royal city. We came here to get to know our past, pray for the dead and leave proud because we are still alive on our roots, although they persistently want to disgrace this place and graves of our ancestors”, said the Cardinal at the end and pointed out that this vow on Bobovac wants to “show that we have remained faithful to the baptismal vow and the faith of the fathers.”

At the end of the Holy Mass, the Prayer for the Synod of the Vrhbosna Archdiocese and the Prayer for the Homeland were said.

The Eucharist was animated by the choir of theologians of the Archdiocesan Missionary International Seminary Redemptoris Mater from Vogošća.

Unlike previous years, this year, for well-known epidemiological reasons, significantly fewer pilgrims participated, but it is nice that the tradition has not been interrupted and it can be stated that the Day of Prayer for the Homeland in Bobovac has really come to life.