About 15 priests concelebrated, including the provincial of the Franciscan province of Bosna Srebrena, OFM Zdravko Dadić, and the vicar general of the Vrhbosna archdiocese, Msgr. Slađan Ćosić. At the beginning of the Eucharist, a candle blessing ceremony was held.

Introducing the Holy Mass, Archbishop Vukšić greeted the congregation and at the beginning of his sermon, entitled Light for the Enlightenment of the People, reminded that Saint John Paul II. in a message dated January 6^th, 1997, announced that on the following February 2^nd of that year, on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the temple, the Day of Life Consecrated to God would be held for the first time, and said that with this he wanted to help the entire Church to increasingly value the testimony of persons who chose to follow Jesus closely by following the evangelical counsels and thus consecrate their lives to God. At the same time, he wanted, the preacher added, that for all people dedicated to God this would be a precious opportunity to renew their own intentions and revive the feelings that inspire their giving to the Lord.

A history yet to be made

"His message resonated particularly strongly, which", encouraged Msgr. Vukšić, "is useful to repeat on this occasion: 'You do not only have a glorious history that needs to be remembered and narrated, but you have a great history that you have yet to create. Look to the future to which the Spirit directs you in order to do great things with you" (Vita consecrata, 110)'". Then Archbishop Tomo said that the purpose of the Day of Life Consecrated to God is threefold. "First of all, this commemoration responds to the need to glorify the Lord in a more solemn way and to thank him for the great gift of a life dedicated to God, which enriches and delights the Christian community with the multitude of its charisma and the fruits of dedication to the kingdom of God.

And it must not be forgotten that a life consecrated to God, rather than a choice and effort of man, is a gift that comes from above, that it is the initiative of the eternal Father, who draws one of his creatures to himself with special love for his special mission", explained the archbishop and added secondly, the purpose of this Day in the entire people of God is to promote better knowledge and respect for a life dedicated to God, which, by its way of conducting and existence in the Church, vividly reminds and in its own way presents Jesus' form of life.

The preacher went on to say that the third reason directly relates to persons consecrated to God, who are called together to solemnly celebrate the miracles that the Lord has done in them, so that with an even clearer view of faith they can discover the rays of God's beauty, which the Spirit has imprinted in their way of life and to become even more aware of their mission in the Church and in the world.

We are messengers of his goodness

"The basic message of today's holiday is that Jesus is the light for the enlightenment of the people. And, enlightened by their faith in Jesus, Christians are witnesses to this. And we are messengers of his goodness. We are all sent, especially persons dedicated to God, to illuminate with the light of our lives, consistently and faithfully, in word and deed, and thus prepare the way on which the meeting of God and other people will also take place (cf. Mal 3:1)", concluded the archbishop of Vrhbosna.

After the homily, Archbishop Tomo encouraged the monks and nuns with a short speech, who then prayed together and renewed their vows. During the Eucharistic celebration, OFM Emanuel Josić animated the playing and singing with the participation of the Franciscan theological choir, Fra Nenad Dujić, and the assembled monks and nuns.