(ANS – Zagreb) – On 23 March, Easter Vigil, the relic of Don Bosco kept in a Casket, concluded its visit to St John Bosco Province, Croatia.

After visiting Zagreb and Salesian communities nearby, the Relic went north and south along the Adriatic coast. At Fiume, where the Salesians have three parishes, local participation by the people was huge. Also at Zara the people, who are very enthusiastic about Don Bosco, filled the city streets, and the parish church of Our Lady of Loreto.

At Split the Salesian parish priest, Fr Mihovil Kurkut got people involved in a range of liturgical celebrations and other activities, also involving Archbishop Marin Barišić. At Dubrovnik, on 17 March, there was a solemn procession from the seashore to the cathedral where Bishop Mate Uzinić celebrated Mass and presented the idea of Don Bosco the educator to the young people who were present.

At Zepče, in Bosnia-Herzegovina, on 19 March 4 Salesians, 50 lay people and around 600 young people were engaged in a full program of youthful spirituality which concluded with Mass celebrated by the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Luigi Pezzuto; there were two other bishops, 40 priests and very many faithful.

Back in Croatia, the Casket visited many other Salesian settings, finally arriving at the vocation centre in Podsused, where 7 young men are preparing to enter the novitiate.

The concluding ceremony was held on 23 March in Zagreb once again. The archbishop, Cardinal Josip Bozanić celebrated Mass, and emphasised the relevance of the Preventive System today and thanked Salesians and Sisters for their pastoral ministry.

“The two weeks we had Don Bosco in Croatia have been an unforgettable experience, a memory we need to keep, an extraordinary grace and a great reawakening of the Salesian charism”, said Fr Anto Stojić, social communications delegate for the province. “We need to recognise the closeness of the local Church and the sensitivity of the bishops who were part of the celebrations wherever the Casket went, expressing their esteem and affection for Don Bosco and the Salesians”.

The Casket was accompanied throughout by Fr Pejo Orkić, the provincial, and the Youth Ministry delegate, Fr Ivan Šibalić, and two lay persons, a journalist and a photographer. “The biggest surprise was the young people. Everywhere the Casket went they organised evening prayer vigils, hymns and readings from the life and spirituality of Don Bosco” concluded Fr Stojić.

This visit by the Don Bosco Casket, day after day, certainly won over many people and drew the attention of the Croatian media: radio, newspapers, TV programs, web pages, lay and religious news agencies.

Published 05/04/2013