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The Week of Solidarity and Togetherness with the Church and People in Bosnia-Herzegovina - 2009

The third Lenten campaign by Caritas Croatia

Once again this year, in the week between the second and third Sundays of Lent, 9 – 15 March, Caritas Croatia (CC) is organising the “Week of Solidarity and Togetherness with the Church and People in Bosnia-Herzegovina”. The purpose of this Lenten campaign is to express solidarity and togetherness with the people and Church in B-H, collect concrete material assistance and financial support an also to raise awareness amongst the public in Croatia about the situation of the people and Church in B-H. 

This year’s campaign is being organised under the motto: "Agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought”. (1 Cor 1:10)

    Citizens can make their contibution
    to the Lenten Appeal by:

  • Calling our donation telephone: 060 9010 (price of a call: 6.10 kn)
  • Making a payment to account: PBZ 2340009 -1100080340, poziv na br. 09
  • Purchasing our products in Caritas Croatia’s Web Shop 
  • Giving a donation to the collection at Mass on the Third Sunday in Lent, Sunday 15 March 2009. All proceeds from Sunday Mass collection in all churches throughout Croatia will be directed to projects for social assistance, education and motivating family businesses in B-H.   

    •  

    Apart from offering material aid, you can help in other ways too, with your spiritual contribution by participating in special prayer groups and liturgical celebrations, the Way of the Cross and the pilgrimage of prayer during the Week which will be organised in your parish dedicating all your prayers and activities for the people in B-H.

In the two Lenten campaigns held in the previous two years, more than 6.6 million kuna was raised which was earmarked for 12 national projects prepared by Caritas B-H and 59 projects relating to social welfare, education and small social entrepreneurships in various regions of B-H. Caritas Croatia has sent all Croatian parishes a written Report of Funds Collected and Expended  (PDF, 3.68 MB).

During the Week the faithful can contribute spiritually too. Similar to last year, once again CC is organising a pilgrimage of prayer around Zagreb parishes motivating parishioners to joint prayer in a spirit of togetherness between the faithful in Croatia with their brothers and sisters in B-H. Fr. Antun Šuljić has prepared a special prayer book for the Way of the Cross (PDF, 3.84 MB) which has been sent to all parishes in Croatia to assist parishioners in organising their week of prayer. This year’s pilgrimage of prayer around Zagreb parishes is being organised in cooperation with the Zagreb Archdiocese Caritas. 

The main Mass will be held on Sunday, 15 March in the Varaždin cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. Mass will be celebrated by Varaždin Bishop and President of Caritas Croatia Josip Mrzljak together with Archbishop of Vrhbosna Cardinal Vinko Puljić. Mass starts at 11 a.m.
The “Week of Solidarity and Togetherness with the Church and People in Bosnia-Herzegovina” is being organised for the third time following a decision by the two bishops’ conferences of Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina adopted at their session in January 2007 when they discussed how the Catholic Church in Croatia could help its sister Church in B-H.

Once the funds are raised, CC and its partner – the national Caritas BK B-H – will advertise a public call for project proposals and programmes for education, social assistance and development of family business which can be submitted by all religious or civil society organisations from B-H. 

Pilgrimage of prayer around Zagreb parishes (PDF, 3.58 MB)

Your Caritas Croatia

Homily by Caritas President Bishop Josip Mrzljak for the Week of Solidarity with the Church and People in Bosnia-herzegovina

Zagreb, 22 January 2009

This year’s Week of Solidarity and Togetherness with the Church and People in Bosnia-Herzegovina occurs during the year of St. Paul. Having that in mind we took the words of St. Paul for the motto for this year’s Week of Solidarity, "Agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought”. (1 Cor 1:10)

Paul did not follow the Teacher during his earthly life but then he met him and his entire life changed. From then on with equally fervour, consistency and obedience, Paul sows the seed of Christianity throughout the Old World which was shaped by Hellenistic and Roman cultures and various pagan religions and sects. And so on his travels, legend has it, he reached our island of Mljet. 

St. Paul’s contemporaries considered that in those times and human relations spreading Christ’s Joyful News was almost an impossible mission. However, it is not cultures and civilisations that make material power or prestige but human hearts, morality and God’s mercy. The first Christian communities set up by St. Paul in the pagan world featured two characteristics:

  1. they were formed within pagan surroundings,
  2. they were dispersed and mutually distanced however despite all this, St. Paul insisted on one aspect: togetherness! 

It all sounds so simple: togetherness. Maybe some of us today would say, “that was St. Paul, it was easy for him”. Far from it! Paul had to fight fiercely against division, provocation, misunderstanding from his brothers – Jewish Christians, who even though they were brothers by their baptism in Jesus Christ – looked at their brothers from other pagan lands with contempt and looked down upon them. Paul sharply opposed this perspective and way of thinking. He witnessed togetherness in his life, his work and his words and because of this he ended up being arrested in Jerusalem. Paul’s analogy of those days is so appropriate even today. If we look at our own people and faith each one of us should ask ourselves:

  • Are we of the same thoughts?
  • Is there division between us?
  • Can we nurture the same feelings and thoughts?
  • Do we realise that a nation that lives in harmony is a strong nation?
  • Does my life, actions and thought lead to division or togetherness?
  • Do I allow geographical boundaries to raise barriers between my brothers and sisters in faith in Bosnia-Herzegovina and other areas of the world?
  • What am I doing to witness togetherness that Paul calls us to?

Paul sets us his example and encourages us to find the light in our lives that will lead us to Christ. He inspires us to deepen our faith through concrete acts of love towards our neighbours – in our families, at our workplace, amongst our own people. 

I call on all the faithful to fight against division, contempt and insolence. Inspire togetherness, help, encounters, mutual visits and concrete aid. St. Paul calls on us to set up and nurture healthy relations, to care for one another, to live together like Christ taught us to.

Togetherness is a gift from the Holy Spirit but it is also a reality that the faithful are called upon to build, mind and nurture. That is what we will strive to do during this year’s Week of Solidarity and Togetherness with the Church and People in Bosnia-Herzegovina on which is manifested on this third Sunday of Lent. 

We thank you for all your help and call upon our blessing for you all! 

President Caritas Croatia
Josip Mrzljak, Bishop of Varaždin

Bishop Mrzljak’s letter to fellow Ordinaries

Zagreb, 22 January 2009.

Dear brothers in the episcopacy!
At the regular meeting of the conferences of bishops of Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina we discussed wider, all-encompassing help from the Catholic Church in Croatia to the Catholic Church in Bosnia-Herzegovina which is organised and collected by the Caritases of our two countries. We wish to help the community in B-H so that it may remain on its hearths. 

I take this opportunity to call on you, brothers, to motivate the priests in your diocese and to call on your faithful and all people of good will in your Diocese to respond to our campaign – The Week of Solidarity and Togetherness with the Church and People in Bosnia-Herzegovina.” 

Some of the ways that may animate your priests and the community of faithful during the Week of Solidarity and Togetherness with the Church and People in Bosnia-Herzegovina, 9 – 15 March 2009 may include:

  1. The Way of the Cross - in the week leading up to the 3rd Sunday in Lent.  The text prepared for this special Way of the Cross starts from the existential situation and arrives at Biblical themes. The stations are written in light of solidarity with a somewhat universal nature. In that light it is written interestingly so that each station has a new title. Apart from that, the text is written in relation to song and prose even though it is neither song or prose. It may be advisable to suggest that the text be read interchanging readers starting with an announcement of each station and its traditional title. This would add dynamics to the reading and giving it a sense of dialogue – as is seen when the Pope leads the procession during the Way of the Cross in the Coliseum in Rome. 
  2. Organising pilgrimages of prayer through parishes or in Your ordinariat. The Liturgical celebration, Holy Mass each day in a different parish. During the Week or on particular days, the Prayer of the Faithful or parts of the Epistle may be dedicated to motivate the harmony of goods – non-material and material.
  3. Organising support events – forums, lectures, etc. – with the aim of raising awareness of the needs of Croats in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Enclosed is a documentary report created by Caritas B-H which shows the types of projects that this campaign funds.
  4. Organising special events directed towards raising awareness and to raise funds.
  5. Setting up a stall with Cartias products usually promoted on Caritas’ Web site shop. The proceeds from sales will be earmarked to support project for B-H. 

It is in the nature of our mission that any funds raised be entirely utilised for the intention set and that they be expended in keeping with Church/Caritas principles subject to public control. As such, enclosed is a report of how funds raised for the Week were raised and how they were distributed to various projects over the past two years that the campaign has existed. 

In this way, we wish to contribute to transparency because that is the only way that we can justify our actions to the public and preserve our dignity and credibility. 

So that our joint efforts may bring forth fruit, let us be mutual support and encouragement for each other. I ask you therefore, my brothers, that you personally motivate the priests in your dioceses and you personally t o offer your support to this campaign. 
Brotherly greetings in Christ!

President Caritas Croatia
Josip Mrzljak, Bishop of Varaždin

Bishop Mrzljak’s letter to the directors of diocesan Caritases

Zagreb, 22 January 2009

Dear Messrs,
In the week preceding the third Sunday in Lent which the bishops of Croatia determined that the collection at Sunday Mass be earmarked for the “Week of Solidarity and Togetherness with the Church and People in Bosnia-Herzegovina”, last year Caritas Croatia organised a pilgrimage of prayer in Zagreb parishes. The aim of collecting the faithful is to pray together and motivating a spirit of togetherness with our brothers and sisters in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Encouraged with last year’s experience and motivated by the words of our bishops in B-H, we ask that you organise prayer groups and liturgical celebrations in your dioceses to be held in the week – 9 - 15 March 2009 – which will be permeated with prayer for the people in
Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Based on our experiences so far we can suggest that you can organise events as follows:

  1. The Way of the Cross - in the week leading up to the 3rd Sunday in Lent.  The text prepared for this special Way of the Cross starts from the existential situation and arrives at Biblical themes. The stations are written in light of solidarity with a somewhat universal nature. In that light it is written interestingly so that each station has a new title. Apart from that, the text is written in relation to song and prose even though it is neither song or prose. It may be advisable to suggest that the text be read interchanging readers starting with an announcement of each station and its traditional title. This would add dynamics to the reading and giving it a sense of dialogue – as is seen when the Pope leads the procession during the Way of the Cross in the Coliseum in Rome. 
  2. Organising pilgrimages of prayer through parishes or in Your ordinariat. The Liturgical celebration, Holy Mass each day in a different parish. During the Week or on particular days, the Prayer of the Faithful or parts of the Epistle may be dedicated to motivate the harmony of goods – non-material and material.
  3. Organising support events – forums, lectures, etc. – with the aim of raising awareness of the needs of Croats in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Enclosed is a documentary report created by Caritas B-H which shows the types of projects that this campaign funds.
  4. Organising special events directed towards raising awareness and to raise funds.
  5. Setting up a stall with Cartias products usually promoted on Caritas’ Web site shop. The proceeds from sales will be earmarked to support project for B-H. 

In keeping with its mission Caritas Croatia is striving to be a uniting power the will tie institutions and individuals. With joint forces we can create ideas and then plans for concrete actions in response to actually needs in the field. 

In the non-material and quality sense, I remind you that this idea has: 

  • Continued to systematically express solidarity of the Catholic Church in Croatia to the Church in Bosnia-Herzegovina ever since the Homeland War. 
  • Turned attention of the Croatian public to the burning issues of the Church and Croats in neighbouring Bosnia-Herzegovina.
  • Initiated the process to raise awareness about the people who have come from Bosnia-Herzegovina and who contribute to a huge share of the human, material and spiritual life of current-day Croatia.
  • Connected and created a space where people can meet and network their resources. 

I call upon you to once again become involved in our campaign to raise funds and to awareness amongst the public of the needs of our brothers and sisters in Bosnia-Herzegovina. 
I thank you in advance for your unselfishness, advocacy and support and I call for my blessing upon you all!

 

President Caritas Croatia
Josip Mrzljak, Bishop of Varaždin

Letter by Caritas Croatia’s Director

Zagreb, 22 January 2009

Dear brothers in the priesthood!
As you may know, this is the third year that Caritas Croatia is organising its Lenten campaign – The Week of Solidarity and Togetherness with the Church and People in B-H. Last year’s campaign was able to be a success thanks to your efforts and involvement. Of all the project that we assisted last year, I draw particular attention to those that added stimulus to enhance small family businesses, projects offering special assistance to the needy, scholarships for students and many more. Funds were also directed to assist the national and diocesan Caritas offices and their projects such as the family counselling centre, home-care and so on.

The projects were selected by the Project Committee and then approved by the Steering Committee and then confirmed by the Croatian and Bosnian bishops’ conferences. In Caritas Croatia we are currently preparing an evaluation and monitoring of the projects.

Caritas Croatia has taken on the public responsibility of collecting funds which means taking responsibility that these funds be expended as intended. It is in our mission that funds collected in this way be earmarked exclusively for the purpose raised and expenditure of these funds succumbs to inspection by Church and public authorities. Included in the promotional material for this year’s campaign is a report of the expenditure of funds raised in the past two years. We hope that in this way we are contributing to the transparency of our work as this is the only way we can illustrate our credibility to the public. 

In the name of the good of the Church I call on you to do your best not only in collecting funds to help those in B-H but to monitor how these funds are directed for their rightful intention. Caritas Croatia together with Caritas Bosnia-Herzegovina guarantees just that. Please send the collection from Sunday masses on the third Sunday in Lent to your ordinaries who will then redirect these funds to our special account in Caritas Croatia in keeping with the decision brought by the Croatian Conference on Bishops. 

I propose that during the Week of Solidarity during Liturgical celebrations and worship and particularly with the Way of the Cross, you dedicated your prayers for the people and Church in B-H. The material enclosed may be of assistance in this regard: 

  • poster which needs to be placed in a visible spot 
  • booklet with the Epistle for the 3rd Sunday in Lent and the Prayer of the Faithful   
  • booklet for the Way of Cross 
  • CD with a brief presentation of the campaign over the past two years showing some of the projects that were assisted. 

I ask that you do what you can to make the Epistle available to your parishioners and that you advertise our donation telephone no. 060 9010.
I thank you for your involvement and assistance over the past two years to help our campaign aimed at helping those at home and in the world in the hope that you will do what you can for this campaign to once again be a success and I send you my sincerest greetings. 

Ivan Milovčić, Director Caritas Croatia

Pilgrimage of prayer through Zagreb parishes

Caritas Croatia together with the Zagreb Archdiocesan Caritas again for this year’s Week of Solidarity and Togetherness with the Church and People in Bosnia-Herzegovina organised a Pilgrimage of Prayer in Zagreb parishes in the week leading up to the 3rd Sunday in Lent. In this way, staff at Caritas Croatia and Zagreb Caritas showed their solidarity in a non-material way expressing their harmony with their brothers and sisters in the faith in neighbouring Bosnia-Herzegovina. 

After joint prayers in each parish, sometimes in the Way of the Cross and in other parishes with the Rosary followed by Mass, the evening was enhanced with a presentation of a brief film portraying some the projects that were able to be supported as a result of the funds raised over the past tow years. 

The timetable for the Pilgrimage of Prayer in Zagreb parishes is presented below: