On Friday, March 1st, in the cathedral of St. Bonaventure in Banja Luka, Bishop of Banja Luka and Apostolic Administrator Msgr. Franjo Komarica led the thanksgiving Eucharistic celebration at the end of the service of the local ordinary.
He celebrated the Holy Mass together with the apostolic nuncio in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Archbishop Francis Assisi Chullikatto, the Bishop of Subotica, Msgr. Ferenc Fazekas, appointed bishop of Banja Luka, Msgr. Željko Majić and Bishop-in-Peace of the Norwegian Diocese of Tromsø, Msgr. Berislav Grgić, a local son.
About 10 priests concelebrated and two deacons assisted. Nuns also participated in the Holy Mass celebration, including the regional superior of the Sisters of the Adoration of the Blood of Christ, sister Zdravka Leutar, and the provincial superior of the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul Province of the Mother of God sister Vinka Bilješko as well as the believers from Banja Luka and other dioceses in Croatia and abroad.
Introducing in to the Holy Mass celebration, Bishop Franjo said that he thanked the good God for allowing him to experience this and such a moment in his life, especially in his episcopal service for the past 38 years in this diocese.
In the appropriate sermon, he pointed out that by celebrating the Eucharist, the faithful perform the most precious act that as God’s beloved creatures they may and can perform, which is also the greatest and most effective expression of human gratitude to God, the source of every good deed and gift they receive.
“Gratitude means recognizing and acknowledging everything that has been given to us – starting from the parts of our body to our mental and spiritual abilities and to the many concrete acts of love, support, and comfort that we have received from other people who have shown themselves to be our neighbours no matter how much we were physically distant from them. Gratitude is the memory of the heart (…) Today, in front of all of you and together with all of you, in my unworthiness and humility, I thank the good God who has been my constant help all this time, and especially during the dramatic war and post-war period (…) That’s why I invite you: thank the Lord with me because He is truly good and His love is eternal”, said, among other things, Bishop Komarica.
After the Holy Mass celebration in the cathedral, there was also a formal thanksgiving of the academy to him.
The opening speech was given by the auxiliary bishop of Banja Luka, Msgr. Marko Semren, and then those present had the opportunity to watch a half-hour documentary in which many people talk about Msgr. Komarica.
The apostolic nuncio Msgr. Chullikatt, saying that Bishop Franjo was a credible and courageous witness of Christ and his Church, especially in the very difficult days of the 1990s. “He always advocated the noble ideal that it is better to negotiate for a year than to fight for just one day, because war – every war – leaves as a legacy only great destruction, terrible tragedies and a trail of death that mostly affects the most vulnerable, helpless and innocent, such as the elderly, women and children (…) Bishop Komarica tried to reunite and gather his flock, to awaken in their hearts hope, enthusiasm and passion for the renewal of their lives, dioceses, parishes and their families (…) For all this great work, Bishop Franjo: thank you very much”, said Nuncio Chullikatt.
The parish priest and dean of Banja Luka, rev. Vladislav Žarko Ošap presented Bishop Franjo with a picture of the Banja Luka Cathedral and its long-time shepherd, and special gifts Msgr. Komarica also received from other believers.
At the end of the academy, Bishop Franjo gave a speech of thanks, noting, among other things, that everything “passes and will pass: joys and sorrows, worries, successes and failures” and that “everything that has been started must be finished”.
The program was animated by the singing of the choir of religious students from the Banja Luka parish of the Pilgrimage of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the suburban parishes of Petrićevac, Budžak and Presnače and the Catholic School Centre (KŠC) Bl. Ivan Merz under the direction of KŠC student Ivana Dugonjić and with the musical accompaniment of brother and sister Andreas and Ana Ivana Ćurić, also students of KŠC.
KT
