Translation: Ksenija Ninić

After the priest’s gathering, the encounter began, as it fits, with the Eucharist in the seminary church of St. Cyril and Methodius, which was led by the Archbishop of Vrhbosna, metropolit Vinko cardinal Puljić. 

At the beginning, the gathered were adressed by venerable Josip Knežević, Rector of the Vrhbosna Seminary. With greetings to cardinal Puljić and auxiliary  Bishop Dr. Pero Sudar and other priests, he emphasized that the Seminary has an open door and is always available to priests. 

After that, the Cardinal thanked the priests that came and who respond to annual meetings and encouraged them to pray for spiritual vocations.

"We pray brothers for today's priests to be firm and persistent in their calling, but also for all those who want to become priests and persist in their journey," Archbishop Puljić said, reminding that the Catholic Church celebrated the Korean martyrs St. Andrew Kim Taegon and the Companions on September 20th. He stressed the special commitment of Korean Catholics who worship their martyrs. 

In his homily, the Archbishop of Vrhbosna spoke about priesthood calling and identity, emphasizing that it is necessary to sincerely love and testify to that call.

He pointed out that without proclaiming the Gospel in the priestly life there can be no joy.

At the end of the Mass, Msgr. Luka Tunjić, General Vicar of the Vrhbosna Archdiocese, and Director of the Papal Missionary Workings in BiH, thanked the Archbishop and announced the working part of the meeting that followed in the Priesthood House. 

The moderator of the working part was Msgr. Tunjić, and the proceedings were written down by rev. Mladen Kalfić, Chancellor of the Vrhbosna Archdiocese, and rev. Marko Stipić, parish priest in Srednja Slatina.

First, Msgr. Dr. Pavo Jurišić, canon and professor at the KBF talked about the Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary - personal, parish and of the Archdiocese, and then Msgr. Dr. Niko Ikić on the topic of Searching for a way for more social equality among diocesan priests.

After the lecture, there were reports of: The Priest’s House of the Vrhbosna Archdiocese and the mutual help; The Vrhbosna Seminary, the Archdiocese Seminary Petar Barbarić and the Archdiocese Youth Pastoral center Ivan Pavao II.

In the final word cardinal Puljić encouraged priests for mutual togetherness and active participation in the life of the local Church, and in a special way, the commitment to the Synod of the Vrhbosna Archdiocese.

The encounter ended with a gathering in the Vrhbosna seminary.