Holy Mass celebration in the church of St. Anthony of Padua in Žepče was led by the Archbishop of Vrhbosna cardinal Vinko Puljić, and was attended by 20 priests, including two provincials - the Croatian Salesian Province rev. Tihomir Šutalo and Bosna Srebrena OFM Jozo Marinčić, and director of KŠC in Žepče rev. Milan Ivančević and host parish priest venerable Predrag Stojčević.

At the end of the Holy Mass, rev. Milan, the director of the Catholic School Centre (KŠC) Sv. Ivan Bosco in Žepče, recommending everyone to obtain a monograph that has just been published, and is about the beginnings and life of the Salesians through a quarter of a century in this city.

A good seed that has fallen into good soil

The presentation of the monograph entitled To su ti salezijanci (These are the Salesians), authored by Brane Vrbić, a local son and a journalist, was held in the presence of a limited number of people due to epidemiological measures in the great hall of the KŠC.

The audience was first addressed by the Provincial, rev. Tihomir, who spent much of his religious life in Žepče. He briefly thanked everyone who was part of this story whose silver jubilee is being celebrated, and which could not have been told at all without the Providence of God.

On behalf of the co-publisher of HKD Napredak, Žepče branch, president Nikola Borovac said a few words of thanks and encouragement.

The first presenter was rev. Josip Vajdner, editor in chief of Katolički tjednik, who spoke about the structure of the book written on 254 pages in 20x20 cm format, published by the Salesian Community of St. John Bosco, while everything was prepared in Salesiana d.o.o.

He noted that through the monograph, the author wanted to tell a story that will be able to be remembered and which will be a pledge for the future.

“In achieving that, he mostly used the interview method. He found relevant interlocutors who witnessed how the seeds of the Salesian presence in this area were planted, how they matured and experienced the silver fruit of time - we can freely say: of golden content”, said rev. Vajdner revealing that the content consists of three units whose titles are part of the famous biblical story of the sower ( Lk 8: 5-15) with the obvious intention of showing how the Salesian presence in this region is: a good seed that fell into good land and brought good fruit.

The beauty of God’s work through the sons of don Bosco

Msgr. Ivica Božinović, economist of the Banja Luka diocese and parish priest in Presnače, spoke about the segment of the monograph that indicates that the KŠC in Žepče is part of the System of Catholic Schools for Europe. He emphasized that this was a lasting commemoration of the 25^th anniversary of the arrival of the Salesians, but also a reminder “of everything that had to be experienced and survived since what today seems far away date, September 13^th 1995., when three Salesians came close to Žepče after sixteen hours of travel from Zagreb to get to this day.”

On several occasions, he quoted the words of the bishop in peace, Pero Sudar, who in his monograph talked about the significance and role of this society in the educational system. “It is true that we named these schools for Europe. But not to teach in them about the values and skills that our students might find easier to go and cope with in the countries of the European Union, but to nurture and defend the true values of Europe in BiH”, quoted Msgr. Božinović and presented a series of statistical data in seven KŠC schools in BiH, which this school year are attended by 2 687 students in primary and 1 410 in high schools, with the total number of students who have been educated to date in the system of Catholic schools for Europe 16 765: of which 6 564 in primary and 10 201 in high schools. “2 462 students came out of the Žepče Centre”, stated Božinović and said: “This book has removed the dust of oblivion that falls over our past over time. It took off and revealed the beauty of God's work done through the sons of don Bosco that should not be hidden. We should admire her gratefully and draw strength from her in the future.”

A river that forks into several streams

Finally, the author Vrbić spoke about the monograph in which two years of work were invested. Emphasizing that “this Salesian work is the most valuable and beautiful thing that the Žepče region received after the war”, he noted that the book contains conversations, statements, messages of more than 80 people who talk about the events that took place from 1995. to 2020..

He then singled out five parts that were carved into his heart in a special way: first, the fact that the Salesians came to BiH in 1995. while the war was still going on and when so many were trying to leave from there; conversations with the first three Salesians who arrived to Žepče: the late rev. Ambrozije Matušić, rev. Stjepan Matijević and rev. Tihomir Šutalo; discovery that the first Archbishop of Vrhbosna, Dr. Josip Stadler, personally visited St. Don Bosco and that he wrote extensively about him in Vrhbosna, as well as that the Salesians in 1943. considered coming to BiH, to Bistrica near Žepče; then, the Don Bosco’s preventive system based on love, which sets this school apart from all other schools in BiH; then the simplicity and humility of the Žepče Salesians.

Thanking the Salesians who trusted him and allowed him do the monograph, he mentioned that it would always remind him of his late mother who cared when she noticed when it was not going well on collecting materials and writing as he wished, and that she felt relieved when he would say that he finished the text.

Thanks and acknowledgments

Finally, the director of the Žepče KŠC, rev. Milan, thanked the audience and invited the Provincial Šutalo to present thank you notes to those who contributed in an exceptional way to the life and work of this society and the construction of the school building in Žepče.

It should be mentioned that the program was led by former students of this Centre, and students associated with this KŠC were in charge of the musical moments during the presentation.

The 25^th anniversary of the arrival of the Salesians was supposed to be marked in September last year, but due to the well-known misfortunes caused by the coronavirus, it was commemorated in 2021., on the memorial day of their founder.