COMMEMORATED THE 80TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SUFFERING OF THE PARISH PRIESTS GOSPODNETIĆ AND BARIŠIĆ AND THEIR PARISHIONERS
These days, 80 years are marked, since the suffering of Croatian Catholics in Bosansko Grahovo and Krnjeuša in the Second World War, as well as the martyrdom of the parish priests there, rev. Juraj Gospodnetić and rev. Krešimir Barišić.
After the bishop’s commemoration of the Day of Prayer Remembrance of the Martyrs and Victims of the Banja Luka Diocese was held in Drvar on July 27th, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the suffering of Drvar parish priest Waldemar Maximilian Nestor and Catholics of Drvar, individual commemorations were held in Bosansko Grahovo and Krnjeuša last weekend.
Commemoration in Bosansko Grahovo
First in the parish church of St. Elijah the prophet in Bosansko Grahovo, on August 7th, a commemoration for the parish priest of Grahovo, rev. Juraj Gospodnetić, and more than 200 Catholic Croats from Grahovo, whose suffering began on July 27th, 1941, and continued during the month of August and the following months and years of the Second World War, was held.
The Holy Mass was led by the Bishop of Banja Luka, Msgr. Franjo Komarica together with rev. Ante Vidović, Secretary of the Apostolic Nunciature in Mexico and the local parish priest rev. Davor Klečina, and was served by Deacon rev. Pero Vladić. In addition to local believers, the Holy Mass was attended by believers from the Livno region, from Knin, Šibenik, and representatives of the Croatian Diaspora from Canada.
The liturgical singing was led by tenor from Knin Hrvoje Marić, and as the official representative of the City of Knin at the commemoration was the President of the City Council Dragan Miličević.
At the end of the Holy Mass, the bishop prayed a prayer of absolution for the souls of all the killed parishioners, and later blessed the stained glass windows, the work of the academic painter Svetislav Cvetković from Široki Brijeg, which were placed on the windows of the church.
Commemoration in Krnjeuša
The next day, Sunday, August 8th, bishop Komarica led a prayer commemoration at the cemetery “by the Cross” in Krnjeuša for the Krnjeuša parish priest Krešimir Barišić and more than 240 local Catholic Croats who were killed in the massacre on August 9th and 10th 1941. At the altar, with the Bishop, concelebrated rev. Ante Vidović, Secretary of the Apostolic Nunciature in Mexico, rev. Davor Klečina, Administrator of the Parish of Krnjeuša, and served by Deacon rev. Pero Vidović. Believers from Drvar, Bosanski Petrovac, Banja Luka and representatives of the Croatian diaspora from Canada, arrived at the Holy Mass in Krnjeuša.
The keynote speaker at both commemorations was the local parish priest, rev. Davor Klečina, who reminded of the enormous scale of the suffering of Croatian Catholics at the beginning of the Second World War in these two parishes. In Bosansko Grahovo, along with the sacrifice of the parish priest rev. Juraj Gospodnetić, who was brutally tortured before his death, the most significant sacrifice is the one of a mother Anica Barać, who was tortured by Chetniks and then killed together with her nine minor children, so she can justifiably be called “Croatian mother Maccabees”, modelled on the biblical Old Testament suffering of Mother Maccabees and her seven sons.
By far the greatest suffering was experienced by the parish of Krnjeuša, which in two days, August 9th and 10th, 1941, was literally wiped off the face of the earth and to this day life has not returned there. Of the more than 240 parishioners killed (women, children and the elderly), 40% were children under the age of 18. Parish priest Krešimir Barišić was brutally tortured, killed, and then thrown into a burning church, along with three seminary-trainee priests: Ivan Skender (14), Jura Tomičić (17) and Ilija Poplašen (18).
Pastor Klečina emphasized that after that crime, the communist government systematically carried out the crime of “memoricide” in the former state, because it didn’t allow the survivors of Krnjeuša returning to the burned hearths, and these tragic events were not allowed to be spoken or written about for 50 years so it doesn’t throw a shadow on July 27th (and the following days) which was celebrated as the Day of the Uprising of the People of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Bishop Komarica reminded both prayer groups of the meaning of Christian commemorations – they “are not and must not be a call to hatred or revenge, but a prayer for the rest of the souls of these victims and the preservation of the memory of their life and death. The same refrain is repeated almost everywhere: no one has ever been held accountable for crimes. Prosecution of crimes and criminals is the responsibility of the state and those institutions that exist for that purpose. As Christians, we pray for the perpetrators of evil for God’s mercy and conversion. At the same time, we want and pray that the day will be accelerated when we will see at least some of these victims, who are true Christian martyrs, killed out of hatred for the faith – in odium fidei – on the altars as – officially proclaimed by the Church – models of love for God and neighbours, who sacrificed their own lives for these ideals.”
Bishop Komarica then prayed prayer for the dead in front of the memorial cross for the soul of the late pastor Barišić and his believers, and then they all prayed for the beatification of four priests of the Banja Luka diocese for whom the beatification process began, who were killed in World War II: parish priest of Drvar Waldemar Maximilian Nestor, the parish priest of Grahovo Juraj Gospodnetić, the parish priest of Krnjeuša Krešimir Barišić and the parish priest of Gumjera Anto Dujlović.
At the end of the Eucharist, Bishop Komarica, on the occasion of 35 years of Episcopal service and 75 years of life, gave thanks to some associations and individuals who contributed to the preservation of the memory of the parish of Krnjeuša, as well as religious life in Bosanski Petrovac. The following were awarded: Association Krnjeuša – August 1941 – Krnjeuša / Zagreb, Ana Došen – Krnjeuša / Zagreb, Milan Bajtek – Krnjeuša / Zagreb, Jakov and Ankica Jungić – Bosanski Petrovac, Jozefina Pavlić – Drvar, Ognjen Krivošić – Drvar and posthumously Josip Jurjević- Krnjeuša / Zagreb and Dr. Branko Despot – Bos. Petrovac.
KT
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Bihać – August 8, 2021
GRAHOVO
KRNJEUŠA
