The Church in Croatia

Fra Pavle Ivić led a Mass celebrating the feast of the stigmata of St. Francis at the Church of St. Francis in Zadar on Thursday, September 17. Ivić serves as the vicar of the St. Francis monastery.

During the celebration, Ivić spoke about St. Francis receiving the wounds of Christ at La Verna in 1224. He noted that the saint received these wounds after a fast in honor of St. Michael. Ivić described the experience as a moment where the saint felt both the joy of God's presence and the pain of Christ's suffering.

Ivić encouraged the faithful to follow the example of St. Francis by using fasting as a way to seek God's guidance before making important decisions. He suggested that offering such sacrifices can help people navigate difficulties in their families and other areas of life.

The Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Mrkopalj will celebrate its traditional feast day on September 20, 2026. The Diocese of Rijeka announced a schedule of masses and prayer services to mark the occasion.

The feast day masses include an 8:00 mass led by parish priest Josip Mijoč, a 9:00 mass led by Gerovo parish priest Ivan Marković, and an 11:00 mass led by Antun Mate Antunović. A 16:00 mass will be led by a priest from the Bakar deanery.

Preparations begin on September 11 with daily Rosary prayers and litanies. A novena will take place from September 17 to September 19, featuring 18:00 masses led by Antun Mate Antunović, a student chaplain in Split. During the novena, confessions are available daily at 16:30. The novena period includes adoration on September 17 from 16:30 to 17:15, and an all night adoration on September 19 following the mass and continuing until the 8:00 mass the next morning.

Goran Žan Lebović Casalonga, the diocesan dean, led a Mass celebrating the feast of Saint Marcian at the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary parish in Rijeka on Wednesday, September 16. A large group of pilgrims and parishioners gathered at the city's oldest parish church to honor the saint whose relics the church preserves. Casalonga celebrated the Mass alongside the parish priest, Sanjina Francetić.

During his homily, Casalonga stated that honoring relics should move beyond physical or historical appreciation to become a spiritual motivation for understanding Christian faith and the communion of saints. He explained that relics are not merely remains of the deceased but signs through which God manifests his grace. Casalonga noted that while the bodies of saints are placed in graves, their souls belong to the heavenly kingdom, emphasizing that death is a transition rather than an end.