In the parish church of St. Elijah the prophet in Bosansko Grahovo, on July 28th, the annual prayer memorial for parish priest rev. Juraj Gospodnetić was held on the occasion of the 83rd anniversary of his martyrdom and the suffering of more than 200 Catholic Croats from Grahovo in the Second World War.
The Holy Mass was celebrated for the first time on this occasion by the new bishop of Banja Luka, Msgr. Željko Majić together with the administrator of the Grahovo parish, rev. Davor Klečina.
In his sermon, Bishop Majić referred to the Sunday Gospel about the multiplication of bred loaves and encouraged the faithful to be generous and selfless in living and sacrificing for others, and emphasized the importance of the Eucharist for Catholics, stressing that all Christians around the world felt humiliated and offended by the blasphemous display Jesus’ Last Supper at the opening of the Olympic Games in Paris. The bishop also referred to the World Grandparents’ Day, which was celebrated in the Church that Sunday at the instigation of Pope Francis, encouraging the faithful to nurture a culture of care for the elderly.
In his homily, he also mentioned the main reason for his arrival in Grahovo that day, which is the 83rd anniversary of the martyrdom of the unforgettable parish priest rev. Juraj Gospodnetić together with more than 200 local believers during the Second World War and its aftermath. Speaking about the life and suffering of the pastor Gospodnetić, the bishop emphasized that, by all accounts, rev. Juraj led a virtuous life, and his suffering has all the characteristics of martyrdom, which will be the task of the Church to prove in the beatification process, which should soon be officially launched for four priests of the Banja Luka diocese killed in odium fidei in the Second World War, among whom was rev. Juraj Gospodnetić.
In his sermon, the bishop cited other examples of suffering with the character of martyrdom in the Grahovo parish, among which stands out the “Mother Maccabe of Grahovo”, as they call the mother Anica Barać, who was brutally murdered on the same day as the parish priest rev. Juraj, together with her nine minor children.
At the end of Holy Mass pastor Klečina congratulated association day to all the members of the Association for the Preservation of Cultural and Historical Heritage Don Juraj Gospodnetić, and gave public recognition for their selfless efforts in promoting culture, peace and coexistence, and for their generous cooperation in the spiritual and material renewal of the parish of St. Elijah the prophet in Bosansko Grahovo.
After the Holy Mass, everyone went behind the church, where in front of the memorial to those who died in the Second World War and the Homeland War, the delegation of the local association and the Bleiburg honor platoon laid wreaths, and then Bishop Majić prayed the prayer for the dead for all those who died.
Bishop Majić will visit Bosansko Grahovo again on August 13th, when they will celebrate Holy Mass on the occasion of the Remembrance Day for the fallen Croatian veterans.
KT
