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Global Men’s Rosary Crusade – Terrible as an Army in Battle Array

Published on: by KOFPB

Who is she that comes forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army in battle array? (Song of Solomon 6:10)

Brothers in Christ

Who is she, that the Song of Songs is referring to? A lady, as fair as the moon, as bright as the sun, and terrible as an army in battle array. It is Our Lady, the Blessed Virgin, the Mother of God, as attested to by many saints and Pope’s. While we admire the immaculate beauty of our sweet Mother, who comes forth as the morning rising, let us not forget that the same text goes on to describe her as an army arrayed in battle.

This year, the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary (7th of October, 2023) falls on the first Saturday of the month which is the day of the Men’s Global Rosary Crusade. As we know, the first Saturday is dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and part of this pious devotion is the faithful recitation and mediation on the rosary.

Last year was the first world-wide call, for the Men’s Rosary Crusade. It saw over 30 countries participating with men in multiple cities attending in formation, with rosary beads in hand, reciting the rosary. We have seen images of hundreds of men world-wide, on their knees, with their rosary weapons in their hands, lined up in battle array. Yes! As faithful sons of Our Lady, Our warrior Queen, we her children, line up behind her in battle array, to wage war with the ancient enemy, Satan, and fight alongside her and her son, Jesus.

In this vein, St Louis de Montfort wrote:

“ [Mary] must shine forth in grace, in order to animate and sustain the valiant soldiers and faithful servants of Jesus Christ, who shall do battle for his interests. Mary must be terrible as an army ranged in battle, principally in these latter times. It is principally of these last and cruel persecutions of the devil, which shall go on increasing daily till the reign of the Antichrist, that we ought to understand that first and celebrated prediction and curse of God, pronounced in the terrestrial paradise against the serpent; ‘I will put enmities between you and the woman, and your seed and her seed.’” (True Devotion to Mary, 50).

Men. The battle is waging!! In our present age, we find ourselves in the middle of the battle that rages between the Woman and the serpent, as violence against Christians escalates throughout the world; as nations reject the natural law regarding marriage; as countless unborn children are “legally” murdered; as religious rights are being systematically denied and Christians are persecuted world-wide. From the times of St Dominic who was given the Rosary from Our Lady, as a weapon to destroy the Albigensian heresy, to the Battle of Lepanto where Our Lady of the Rosary gave the Holy League of Nations a victorious defeat from the invading enemy, Our Lady and her rosary will once again, obtain all the graces necessary from Jesus to obtain victory in our present day battle.

What is important is that we are on the correct side of this battle. Jesus once declared the “he who is not with me, is against me” (Mt 12:30). In the language of St. Louis de Montfort, we need to choose whether we want to be the children and the servants of the Blessed Virgin, or the children and the instruments of Satan.

As stated at the outset, the text from the Canticle of Canticles (Song of Solomon), portrays Mary in military terms. Her strength is like that of an army in battle array. We are familiar with the fact that the Bible portrays Mary’s love, humility and serene contemplation as virtues often held up for imitation by the faithful. But her profound strength, equally evident in the Gospels, often remains unnoticed by commentators. Mary of Nazareth is a strong woman who faithfully and humbly serves the Lord in the most extreme situations, particularly when she accompanies her Son to His death. While it is difficult to imagine her as anything but prostrate on the ground in grief at the sight of her Son crucified, St. John explicitly states that Mary stood at the foot of the Cross (John 19:25). This poignant detail emphasizes her unwavering strength in uniting herself to His supreme sacrifice, accepting the will of the Father. At the foot of the Cross, she consummated her declaration of being “the handmaid of the Lord.” In this sense, Pope Pius XII extolled the strength of Mary:

“Mary is beautiful in herself as the moon, radiates her brilliance as the sun; but against “the enemy” she is formidable; terrible as an army arrayed for war. As we rejoice and exalt her today, God knows how we would like to forget the difficulties of the times in which we live….There is the “enemy” even at the very doors of the Church, threatening souls. And behold, another aspect of Mary: her power in combat….Mary, sinless, has crushed the head of the corrupting serpent. When Mary approaches, the demon flees – just as darkness dissipates when the sun rises. Where Mary is present, Satan is absent; where the sun shines, there is no darkness.” (Pope Pius XII, Talk given on December 8 1953)

It is not only in her being immaculately conceived that she is at enmity with the dragon. But it is also in her entire life being oriented to humble obedience that she contradicts the initial cry of mutiny from Lucifer and his minions: “I will not serve!” In exact opposition, Mary gives her Fiat and a perfect example of how the faithful can participate in her being as frightening as an army in battle array before the rebellious hosts of hell.

Bishop Robert Barron of Word on Fire, devoted two of his homilies to the image of the Virgin Mary as a Warrior Queen. He says:

“Mary is a warrior opposed by the dragon and she commands this impossibly powerful army of angels. That is very good news for us. She’s more powerful than the dragon…let’s join the struggle with her. We fight with love, justice, compassion, and forgiveness. We fight with the Rosary. The ‘Hail Mary’ calls upon the Warrior Queen, the Commander of the angels.”

Furthermore, Doctor of the Church, St. Alphonsus Ligouri, writes “Mary is an object of terror to the powers of hell. She is ‘terrible as an army set in battle array’ (Song 6:10), for, like a wise Commander, she well knows how to dispose her power, her mercy, and her prayers for the confusion of the enemy and for the benefit of her servants.”

While the language of armies and battle arrays and the portrayal of Mary as Army Commander, might seem a little intense for some, these ideas remind us of the great spiritual war in which the Church is engaged, and the disciplines and the grace needed, to be effective in this war of wars. Your holiness is needed! Your holy works are needed! And your devotion to Our Lady and your obedience to her command is needed!

Let us remind ourselves of the words of Pope Pius XI and St Maximillian Kolbe who have said:

“If our age in its pride laughs at and rejects Our Lady’s Rosary, a countless legion of the most saintly men of every age and of every condition have not only held it most dear and have most piously recited it but have also used it at all times as a most powerful weapon to overcome the devil, to preserve the purity of their lives, to acquire virtue more zealously, in a word, to promote peace among men.” – Pope Pius XI

and

“The Immaculate alone has from God the promise of victory over Satan. She seeks souls that will consecrate themselves entirely to her, that will become in her hands forceful instruments for the defeat of Satan and the spread of God’s kingdom.” –St Maximilian Kolbe

We urge all men, of every parish in the world, to come out in force on the 7th of October. To line up under the banner of Our Lady of the Rosary. To line up with our rosaries in hand, on our knees, in battle array. To enter the public arena and join your brothers in arms. Nothing is more terrifying to Satan than the Rosary recited devoutly and nothing is stronger than thousands of men around the world coming together to do battle against the ancient serpent in this World Wide Rosary Crusade. In the words of the great Marian saint:

“Finally, when people say the Rosary together it is far more formidable to the devil than one said privately, because in this public prayer it is an army that is attacking him. He can often overcome the prayer of an individual, but if this prayer is joined to that of other Christians, the devil has much more trouble in getting the best of it.” — Saint Louis De Monfort

Let our confidence in the promises of Christ and the intercession of Our Lady be our consolation as she leads us into battle and victory. As Marist founder, St Marcellin Champagnat once wrote “Without Mary we are nothing and with Mary we have everything, because Mary always has her adorable Son within her arms or in her heart.”

Please Spread the word.

May our motto be: “All to Jesus through Mary, all to Mary for Jesus”.

Bog i Hrvati

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First Croatian emigrant that was assassinated and the first one that found eternal rest after 47 years in his homeland

Published on: by KOFPB

On January 31, 1946, the patriot Dr. Ivo Protulipac was assassinated – the first victim of Tito’s evil UDBA abroad

The bloodthirsty hate a person of integrity and seek to kill the upright. Prov 29:10

This January we mark one of many sad Croatian anniversaries. Namely, on the 31st of January 1946 in Trieste, one of the most significant members of the Croatian Catholic Action – the president of the Croatian Eagle Alliance (CEA), and then The Great Crusader Brotherhood was assassinated by the criminal hand of Tito’s Yugoslav UDBA, Dr. Ivan Protulipac. We mark the 75th anniversary of this sad and tragic event and the anniversary of the first victim from the ranks of Croatian political emigration. Dr. Ivan Protulipac was the first of 76 killed (from 1946 to 1989), along with many successful and unsuccessful kidnappings and good number of missing whose faiths are unknown, although it is known that UDBA agents played a role in their demise. Unfortunately, we still don’t have full answers for the fates of many known and unknown Croatian victims! Who was this notable Croatian man, patriot, and martyr?

Ivan Protulipac was born in Hrnetići, Karlovac on 4th of July, 1899. St. Martin’s Parish in Hrnetići, where he was born, is the oldest one in the Karlovac area. According to the census of the oldest parishes of the Archdiocese of Zagreb, it was mentioned in 1334, and today’s parish church of St. Martin was built in the middle of the 18th century. The church contains a sacristy in which are entombed members of the famous noble family Patačić.

Protulipac finished high school in his hometown. He graduated from the Faculty of Law and obtained his doctorate in legal sciences in Zagreb in 1923. From 1923 to 1927, he was a trainee lawyer in Karlovac, Bjelovar, and Zagreb. He was a trainee lawyer from April 24, 1923, to November 2, 1927, at Doctor Ćiril Brajša in Karlovac; then at Doctor Vladimir and Veljko Prebeg in Zagreb; Doctor Dražen Kvaternik in Bjelovar and Doctor Aleksander Horvat in Zagreb. Since 1927, he has been an independent lawyer in Zagreb. Among others, he defended Marko Hranilović, along with several other members of the Croatian Rights Party youth (CRPY), which the royal court declared a terrorist organization. Unfortunately, Hranilović was sentenced to death and hanged in 1931. In 1933, he was an attorney for Doctor Vlatko Maček and other dissidents. He was the first president of the newly founded Croatian Eagle Association (CEA) from December 1923 to 1929 and the Great Crusader Brotherhood (GCB), (after King Aleksandar Karađorđević banned all political parties and associations during the “6th January Dictatorship” in 1929) from 1931 to 1938. The Crusaders were new, allowed, and renamed Eagle Alliance. In 1936, he became the president of the Catholic Action (CA) of the Zagreb Archdiocese. He is the author of numerous texts and the book Croatian Eaglehood (1926). In May Tito’s partisan killers came into power, and he emigrated, first to Austria, Klagenfurt, and then to Italy, Rome.

He was a great supporter of the Croatian Catholic Action and, along with Ivan Merz, an ideologist of the Eagles and Crusaders.

The “Eaglehood” as a Slavic youth movement has its beginnings in the Czech Republic and Slovenia. Before Eaglehood, there was already an organization called Falcon, which along with exercise promoted liberal ideas among its members. For the Catholic youth to preserve the Catholic faith and its moral values, in the Czech Republic and Slovenia, from 1896 the Catholic physical exercise and educational societies were founded, which have been called Eagle societies since 1909, and their members Eagles. The first to introduce the Eaglehood methodology in working with young people was the priest of the Senj diocese, dr. Dragutin Kniewald, and as a youth educator in Senj he founded, in 1919, the first Eagle Society. In 1920, after “the great landing of all eagles” in Maribor, the eagle movement entered Croatia in a big way. In 1921, the Yugoslav Eagle Association was founded in Ljubljana as an umbrella organization in which Eagle sub-associations were founded in Ljubljana and Zagreb. In 1923, a singular organization of Catholic youth was founded in Croatia, which will unite the Eagle Movement and the Croatian Catholic Youth Association. This was done on December 16, 1923, in Zagreb – under the name Croatian Eagle League. Dr. Ivan Protulipac was elected president and Dr. Ivan Merz was elected educational officer.

In the common denominator of eagles, we note: “The participation of ecclesiastical universalism connected to the apostolic Church; the Eagles should wear emblems of the Holy Church – they must be unique, holy, Catholic, apostolic; The Eagle is neither a gymnastic nor a political society, but rather a Catholic, educational, religious-social organization; the Eaglehood is the vanguard of the Catholic Action and has best understood its meaning and fundamental purpose – the consecration of souls for the sake of the Catholic social apostolate.

By the Manifesto of King Alexander I Karađorđević on January 6, 1929, the Vidovdan constitution was abolished, and the activity of all political parties and free associations, parties, and societies that were based on the so-called tribal and religious foundations. The names of the nations were abolished, and the names Yugoslav people and Yugoslavia were introduced, all except Jugosokol! In the conditions of the king’s dictatorship, the Domagoj discipleship continues to operate under the name Apostolate of St. Cyril and Methodius, and the Eagles under the name of the Crusader Brotherhood.

From 1930 Protulipac intensified the establishment of a crusading organization. Soon, the Belgrade regime arrested him on suspicion of restoring the abolished Eaglehood. In 1931, he was elected president of the Crusader organization, and he remained the president of the Eagle-Crusader organization for a full fifteen years, until 1938. Along with all his activity in these two organizations, he wrote numerous articles and the aforementioned book The Croatian Eaglehood. During his detention in 1930, his father visited him in prison, to whom he uttered prophetic words, “I have charted my path and I know why. No matter what happens, don’t let anyone grieve for me. God lives! In 1938, he was again brought before the District Court in Zagreb on charges of offenses under Art. 3. Of the State Protection Act. He was acquitted of the charges. In 1943, he married Nada Klemenčić, who in 1993, 47 years after parting, will meet his remains in the Homeland. During the war, he lived in seclusion and practiced his law practice. He was imprisoned twice for disagreeing with certain actions of the new authorities, but he was never convicted. Namely, he opposed the merging of the mass Catholic movement into the state movement, which would then be eminently political movement.

Worldview – Foundations of the Eaglehood and Crusaders

Ivan Protulipac and the blessed Ivan Merz are the key founders, organizers, and ideologists of the Croatian Eagle Alliance and the Crusaders, which replace the banned Eagle Alliance. In his last article from 1928, Merz wrote,

“The Catholic Church needs its attack force – associations in Croatia today. In the new pagan society of our homeland, we need associations full of idealism, high character, and courage, which will open the way for the Church and the priest to the indifferent or opposing masses. ” (Crusaders of the New Century, the Eagle’s Guard no. 5, 1928)

 

A year after that, Merz dies, and with him the Orlovstvo, but only in its external form. An even stronger organization for the youth was born from it – Crusading, the life’s work of Ivan Merz, in which his spirit and his ideas live today, as the best devotee of the Crusading organization, especially the works of Ivan Merz, Father Božidar Nagy, points out in his work Croatian Crusading. According to the provisions of the Statute from 1930, the Crusaders are a Roman Catholic, church, religious and educational association. They are established with the approval of the church authorities and belong to the Apostolate of Prayer. The purpose of the Crusaders is to gather and educate wholesome Catholic forces through the youth to work on their sanctification and the general religious and religious-educational renewal of national life according to the principles of the Gospel. Crusading is not a political organization. Its goal is not political and as such it doesn’t participate in any political ceremonies or events anywhere. It is primarily a youth organization. The credit for accepting the Crusader name for the new Catholic organization goes to Ivan Merz, who got acquainted with the French Eucharistic Crusaders during his studies in Paris and tried to spread its ideas. From them, he takes the slogan that he gives and the Crusade adopts: SACRIFICE – EUCHARIST – APOSTOLATE. GOD LIVES. Contrary to Nietzsche’s GOD IS DEAD. Sacrifice is a constant companion of human life and work. Not a single great work was created without sacrifices. Without the Eucharist, one cannot imagine a true spiritual life, let alone realize those ideas that permeate the spirit of the organization. The apostolate is our duty according to the sacrament of confirmation. Through that sacrament, we became soldiers of Christ and through it, we received the strength of the Holy Spirit. Crusading experienced its peak in 1938: 784 crusading fraternities with 26,689 crusaders and about 15,000 crusading women with 414 societies (sororities), so a total of about 40,000 members, and since 1923, about 100,000 members have passed through the eagle-crusading organization, with a solid Christian formation. It is important to mention the Crusader pilgrimage to Rome in 1933 to meet Pope Pius XI led by Sarajevo Archbishop Ivan Ev. Šarić and Assistant Bishop of Zagreb Salis Seewis. A former member of the Eagles, Zagreb Archbishop Alojzije Stepinac provided great help to the Crusaders. In the desire to arrange the Catholic Action in the Zagreb Archdiocese by the Church’s circumstances and needs at the time, archbishop coadjutor Stepinac with Archbishop Bauer issued the famous Christmas Epistle on the Catholic Action in 1934. The following year, Archbishop Stepinac appointed Dr. Ivan Protulipac, who remained at the head of the Crusader organization, as the president of the Catholic Action of the Zagreb Archdiocese.

The Serbian regime tried with all its might to destroy everything Croatian and Catholic, and especially the future of the nation – its youth. Among the first victims of persecution was Ivan Protulipac, after a programmatic article for the newly founded Crusade, entitled In the Sign of the Cross, who was accused by the Serbian-Yugoslav authorities of insulting the law on state security, and of having committed a criminal act, because it causes tribal strife and is directed against state security. Among other things, Protulipac stated the following in the article,

“The cross and the teaching of the Church must once again become the center of our people’s thoughts and views. (…) The cross will seek and do so that the bright heritage of our past, on which our entire national life is built, is known to current and future generations. The life of the Croats should be united to the full extent with the Catholic Church and the noble and beautiful characteristics of our people shall continue to develop on this basis. This kind of Catholic and national life should be achieved by the new generations who are coming and are already their debutantes in our society.”

Jesuit O. Josip Vrbanek, DI, spiritual leader and confessor to I. Merz in his biography of I.M. (Knight of Christ – Ivan Merz, Zagreb, 1943 claims that with the founding of the Crusades, the most ideal youth movement that the Croatian people ever had was preserved. Marica Stanković, president of the Great Crusade Sisterhood, in her book The Youth of Cheerfulness, from 1944, claims that “No one could break the idealism of our youth, God’s youth.” Furthermore, Marica Stanković writes “what I.M. meant for the Crusades, in the Crusade in her words, his life’s work was realized – it is the fruit of his work, the birth of his soul.”

Article I is extremely important. Protulipac’s From the First Days of the Crusades, published in the Crusader’s weekly magazine Sundays in 1936. In it, he warns,

“Not a step back! behind us is the abyss, ahead of us is only honesty and truth, even if it is covered with thorns.”

In the text, he is determined to resist the dictatorial intentions of the regime to abolish the new crusader organization, and especially the orders of the head of government, Pera Živković. He points to the brutal attacks of Freemasonry, especially through the press. Protulipac is imprisoned and completely isolated in a prison cell. After the criminal proceedings, against him and other leaders of the Crusader organization, for example, Avelin Ćepulić, they were convicted of a crime against the people and the state with the payment of a fine, or seven days in prison. According to Serbian Prime Minister P. Živković, “Tribal and religious organization is unnecessary!” It is interesting that the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Korošec, was against Crusaders, who already in 1935 issued unfavorable provisions on the rights of church societies.

In the Homeland, again, in 1993 – after 47 years

At the end of the war, on May 6, 1945, he left his homeland and went, first to Austria, and then to Rome, where he was in a safe place! However, after hearing about the difficult life of Croatian refugees in Trieste, who needed all kinds of help, he returned to Trieste. He was a victim of an assassination on January 31, 1946, as the first in a series of murdered Croatian martyrs. Already in July 1945, Archbishop Stepinac dissolved all organizations of the Catholic Action, in order to protect the members from persecution, imprisonment, trials, staged trials, murders… The UDBA confiscated about 50 boxes of documents from the Crusader organization. After the assassination of Protulipac in 1946, in the following 1947, the third president of Crusaders, Feliks Niedzielski, was sentenced to death and shot in Banja Luka. Numerous members perished at Bleiburg and at the Ways of the Cross throughout the country at the time.

Photo: krizari.hr

Dr. Ivan Protulipac was assassinated by the Yugoslav secret service. He was killed by a confidant of the UDBA, a certain Đino (Gino) Benčić, from the Rijeka area, who was arrested by the Italian authorities. However, his commanders soon arrested two English officers at the border, who allegedly crossed into Yugoslav territory. According to the good old pattern, there was an exchange of arrestees, so the murderer escaped the hand of justice. During his exile in Trieste, together with Rev. Stanislav Golik, he helped Croatian refugees. He even intended to found a transport company whose profits would finance the needs of Croatian political refugees.

During the former Tito’s Yugoslavia, the name Protulipac was strictly forbidden, and any mention of it entailed sanctions by the regime. Two examples: in 1972, the Society of St. Jerome published the Danica calendar in which, together with Marica Stanković, his short biography was published. The magazine was confiscated. In 1986, The Voice of Koncil published a small ad – a call to pray for the late Protulipac. This was followed by a wicked article in the Journal under the title: The Crusader’s Call from the Grave. Even before the definitive collapse, the communist authorities were still afraid of his mention. After the murder, Rev. Golik took care to find a suitable grave for Dr. Protulipac, where he will rest until his return to his Homeland.

On June 25, 1993, the body of Dr. I. Protulipac was transported from Trieste to his homeland. The body of the first assassinated Croatian emigrant and the first to find his eternal home in Croatia. He was buried with full honors on June 26, 1993, at Mirogoj cemetery in Zagreb. The organization of the transfer of the remains was organized by the renewed Crusader organization. Namely, the exhumation at the cemetery of St. Anne in Trieste took place on Thursday, June 24, 1993. The body was well preserved. Two gunshot wounds were found on the skull – traces of Tito’s evil deeds. On the second day, June 25, in the Jesuit Church of the Heart of Jesus in Trieste, the funeral service of St. Mass, after which the coffin with the remains headed for the homeland. The exhumation and transfer were attended by Fr. Božidar Nagy.

Upon arrival in the homeland, the deceased was honored in the Basilica of the Heart of Jesus. The mass was led by Fr. B. Nagy, and the deceased was greeted by the fourth successor at the top of the organization, dr. Lav Znidarčić (1918 – 2001). With a welcome and greeting in the Basilica of the Heart of Jesus, the meeting of Protulipac with his associate Dr. Ivan Merz was arranged in that manner. Protulipac was laid in the same grave at Mirogoj cemetery where the body of Dr. Ivan Merz was laid previously as well, which was laid to rest in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in 1977. The funeral ceremony was led by Zagreb’s auxiliary bishop Msgr. Marko Culej, who among other things said, “Dr. Protulipac, a great man and martyr of the Croatian people, is not among us to multiply the graves with another fresh one (there are too many of them) but to show how the soul and the Motherland are united through sacrifice and the Eucharist. On behalf of The Great Crusader Brotherhood, Dr. L. Znidarčić and others said goodbye to the deceased men.

Post-war Crusaders and reconstruction

The post-war Crusaders have nothing to do with the former organization of the Crusaders – as part of the Croatian Catholic movement. They were mainly soldiers, non-commissioned officers, and officers of the defeated ISC military forces. They fought against communist authorities and Yugoslavia, communist repression, and for an independent and free Croatian state. They founded guerilla groups that mainly operated in rural areas. They were not a religious movement; religion was only a symbol under which they fought against Tito’s communist authorities. In the period of their activity from 1945 to 1950, there were between 3,500 and 4,000 members in total, and they performed and acted in groups of up to ten guerrillas. Caught guerrillas from the top of the organization were mostly sentenced to death or long prison terms. The official Catholic Church did not influence their activities. They greeted each other with a greeting or slogan: For Croatia and Christ – against the communists! For Christ against the communists!

The Crusaders were restored in Croatia on May 10, 1993, in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Zagreb under the hand of Zagreb Archbishop Franjo Kuharić. In 1994, the song of Fr. Petar Perica “Crusaders, forward!” composed by him, as a member of the Crusader organization, way back in 1933. It was determined to be the new anthem for the Crusader movement, which was acknowledged as his gift from Heaven to the renewed Crusader movement. Father Petar Perica was killed on the island of Daksa in October 1944 without trial by Tito’s yugo-communists, as well as two years later in Trieste, Dr. Protulipac.

Memories of Protulipac in his Hrnetići

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the martyrdom of Dr. Ivan Protulipac, parishioners of Hrnetić parish, in Drežnik district, erected a memorial plaque in his honor on the elementary school building. They wrote, “In honor of a student of this school from 1906 to 1910 and a man who dedicated his whole life to work with Croatian Catholic youth, assassinated on January 31, 1946, on the streets of Trieste.”

In 2019, parishioners of Hrnetić and admirers of the works of Dr. Protulipac marked the 120th anniversary of his birth and the 73rd anniversary of his death. On that occasion, the parishioners were reminded of his words from 1938, which are relevant today and always,

„It is undoubtedly the right of every nation to be able to develop freely on its territory and decide its destiny. It belongs to the sovereign rights of every living nation to determine its internal and external policy and to take care of the best possible conditions for its progress. However, one must never forget that all theoretical rights of the people are valid in real life only to the extent that the people are strong and powerful in themselves, to bring their rights to reality and put them into practice.

Bog i Hrvati – “Bog Živi”

Source in Croatian

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U duhu svetog sjećanja i nacionalnog ohrabrenja, izrađen je ograničen broj jubilarne „Hrvatske Zavjetne Krunice“ kako bi se proslavila 125. obljetnica posvete 160.000 mladih Hrvata Presvetom Srcu Isusovu 1900. godine. Ova jubilarna krunica ima dvostruku misiju: sjećanje i ohrabrenje.  SJEĆANJE Sjećati se svete prošlosti našeg naroda, našeg saveza s Kristom i Njegovom svetom Katoličkom Crkvom...Continue reading→

Croatian Covenant Rosary – 125th Anniversary Jubilee Limited Edition

In the spirit of sacred remembrance and national encouragement, the “Hrvatska Zavjetna Krunica” (Croatian Covenant Rosary) 125th Anniversary Jubilee Limited Edition has been created to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the consecration of 160 000 young Croatians to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in AD 1900. This Jubilee edition rosary bears a twofold mission: to...Continue reading→

PENTECOST NOVENA

Published on: by KOFPB

“The Pentecost Novena is the first of all novenas, nine days of prayer. After Jesus’ Ascension into heaven, He commanded His disciples to come together in the upper room to devote themselves to constant prayer (Acts 1:14). They prayed for nine days before receiving the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.”

On May 9, 1897, Pope Leo XIII proclaimed: “We decree and command that throughout the whole Catholic Church, this year and in every subsequent year, a novena shall take place before Whit-Sunday (Pentecost), in all parish churches.” (Encyclical Pope Leo XIII On the Holy Spirit, DIVINUM ILLUD MUNUS )

NOVENA TO THE HOLY SPIRIT FOR THE SEVEN GIFTS

DAY ONE

DAY TWO

DAY THREE

DAY FOUR

DAY FIVE

DAY SIX

DAY SEVEN

DAY EIGHT

DAY NINE

 

ADVENT NOVENA TO THE CHILD JESUS – Day 3

The 18th of December: Day 3 OPENING PRAYER Most gracious GOD of infinite charity, You gave your only begotten Son as an unparalleled sign of your love for man. By this love He was made Flesh within a Virgin Mother’s Womb and was born in a manger for our salvation. Let our prayer come before...Continue reading→

The Blessing of St. Michael’s Statue in Pločice

The most important thing is to leave a legacy for our children, to know who their ancestors were. Konavle, 18th September 2025. Parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Plocice. Dubrovnik Bishop Roko Glasnovic blessed the monumental statue of St. Michael the Archangel. The statue is a gift, erected on the occasion of the 1100th...Continue reading→

Hrvatska Zavjetna Krunica – Jubilarno ograničeno izdanje za 125. obljetnicu

U duhu svetog sjećanja i nacionalnog ohrabrenja, izrađen je ograničen broj jubilarne „Hrvatske Zavjetne Krunice“ kako bi se proslavila 125. obljetnica posvete 160.000 mladih Hrvata Presvetom Srcu Isusovu 1900. godine. Ova jubilarna krunica ima dvostruku misiju: sjećanje i ohrabrenje.  SJEĆANJE Sjećati se svete prošlosti našeg naroda, našeg saveza s Kristom i Njegovom svetom Katoličkom Crkvom...Continue reading→

Croatian Covenant Rosary – 125th Anniversary Jubilee Limited Edition

In the spirit of sacred remembrance and national encouragement, the “Hrvatska Zavjetna Krunica” (Croatian Covenant Rosary) 125th Anniversary Jubilee Limited Edition has been created to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the consecration of 160 000 young Croatians to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in AD 1900. This Jubilee edition rosary bears a twofold mission: to...Continue reading→

A BROTHERHOOD BREAKING BREAD TOGETHER

Published on: by KOFPB

8th Anniversary of Croatian Men’s Breakfast

How great and good is our God! Who would have thought or believed that from mere humble beginnings such an abundance of good fruit would come from our monthly Croatian Men’s Group? What an honour it has been to watch this unfold, to meet amazing people, to see the hand of God working in people’s lives and to help others along the way.

It all began in early 2015 when the Knights decided to host monthly men’s breakfast’s aimed at bringing like-minded men together to develop friendships, grow in their Catholic faith and in turn create a positive impact in our families and society. This idea came to fruition in April of that same year, with the first meeting held in Zoki’s home. Subsequent meetings centred on a particular theme would then be held every last Sunday of each month. Starting off with breakfast together (the chef was really good back then) and prayer, we listened to inspirational talks and then held a group discussion. We had a collection every month where proceeds went to apostolic works and were distributed to those in dire need. After the meeting concluded with prayer, we would then leave to go to Sunday Holy Mass with our families in our own parishes.

1st Men’s Breakfast Flyer April 2015

The topic of that very first meeting was ‘Integrity’. At our second meeting, we raised $1,200 which went towards buying a cow for a very poor family in Croatia. This was one of the more memorable families that we have helped along the way. The theme of virtues then continued for almost another 3 years, well into 2018. We were averaging about 15 men per breakfast for those first fledgling years.

The year 2016 saw technology make its way into the group with the establishment of the first Whatsapp group to share information, prayers, good articles and inspirational stories. With a steady number of attendees, the time was ripe for making a change that would usher in the next step of growth for the group . After much prayer and discernment, it was decided to move the breakfast from “Zoki’s place” and bring it to the Croatian Church at Blacktown – “Fra Josip’s place”. The first meeting at the church was in Sept 2017. The number of attendees grew gradually over the next couple of years.

 

First Men’s Breakfast at Croatian Church Hall Blacktown – Sept 2017
Men’s Breakfast April 2018
Men’s Breakfast Aug 2018 – World Cup
Men’s Breakfast Christmas 2018

In the latter part of 2018, the Knights conceived another plan and brought their idea to the men attending the breakfast. The notion was put forward to the men that we hold a Croatian Men’s Conference, the first of its kind. The consensus was unanimous and the planning began for the first conference which was held in April 2019. This conference was clearly blessed by the Lord and each subsequent conference continues to be a source of much grace – we recently attended the fifth such conference – MC2023 “All in for Jesus”.

5th National Croatian Men’s Conference – Closing Mass

Since the advent of Croatian Men’s Conference, the number of people attending the breakfast has doubled. Men of all ages have been set on fire for the Lord and there was a lot of buzz going around about the gatherings. How great it was to have Our Lord in the centre of all our actions! The breakfast meeting room was getting too small so the group moved to the larger hall. Later that year we hosted special guests, notably General Glasnovic in October and some Vukovarski branitelji in November.

When the lock-downs hit, we did not allow them to stop us. We had to move three of our meetings to Zoom, which was somewhat unfortunate, but that quickly ended and we continued having our meetings in person. Before you knew it, it was 2020 and another great year was to be had. We launched the first Croatian Men’s EXODUS 90 initiative from 15 May 2020 – 13 Aug 2020, another blessing which has continued as a Lenten program each year since.

As a group, we consecrated ourselves to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in August 2020. We also launched the ‘Soldier of Christ Award’ and called for nominations for men who were living in Christ’s likeness. Svetko was our first recipient in 2020 for his gentleness and the inspirational manner in which he carries himself, followed in 2021 by father and son duo, Josip & Marko Furjanic, for their service to our Croatian Catholic Centre, and finally to Eddie Borovnjak in 2022, for always putting others first, especially in the final moments of his life on earth before he made his way towards Heaven. May he rest in eternal peace.

Into the Breach Program Jan 2021 – Jan 2022

In January 2021 we launched the ‘Into the Breach – Knights of Colombus’ program which concluded in January 2022. In the September meeting, a picture was shown of men in Poland praying the rosary on their knees in public. Many posed the question – why don’t we do something similar?

The picture of Polish Men praying Rosary in Public on their knees that inspired us.

The planning began and on Saturday 18th December 2021 the first Men’s Rosary Crusade was held outside of St Mary’s Cathedral. This prayer campaign has now continued to be held on the first Saturday of every month and the attendance numbers have been rising dramatically, with the largest one seeing approximately 400 men praying in formation on their knees. We had the joy of our Lord showering his blessings upon us with such great force that there was a torrential downpour that lasted the whole hour. The rain was so heavy at times that you could not hear the man next to you praying. The video of that day went viral around the world and inspired many more men to join us since.

2022 was a year of growth and further formation. The Rosary Crusade continued to flourish and the Men’s Breakfasts were seeing new members coming in, old and young alike. We had a memorable start with Charbel Raish as a guest speaker in Jan 2023 , and in Feb 2023 Father Damonn Sypher spoke on the theme ‘Carrying our Cross with Christ’. The funds raised from that day were to help a needy family in Croatia, Obitelj Krznarevic, and we managed to raise $2,105 at the breakfast. In addition, further donations were received after the breakfast, with the total raised AUD $4,025. This was sent directly to assist the family. At the time of writing this article, we humbly announce that we just received an anonymous donation in the amount of $10,000 which will also be sent to Obitelj Krznarevic and will assist them more than we could ever imagine.

This is the true meaning of what it means to be growing closer to Christ. It means nourishing ourselves with the Word of God, growing in our faith, being leaders in our communities, sharing with others what it means to be a man of God, and living this example in our daily lives. Helping others in whatever way we can, giving to the needy and poor, and providing spiritual guidance to all are also important elements of our witness as Catholic men. We do this not of ourselves, or for our own glory, but with the humility and docility that allow the Holy Spirit to work within us, for the love of God and the intention of both the material and spiritual good of our neighbour. Our Lord taught us that “where two or three are gathered together for my sake, there am I in the midst of them” (Matt 18: 20) – as a group with Christ at our centre, anything is possible and indeed, hope lives and miracles do happen. We just need to be open, trusting and willing. All we need is to say ‘yes’ when God calls us.

All praise and glory to God for our Men’s groups – see you at the next one!

Check out our Events Calendar to see details of the upcoming Men’s Events.

Bog i Hrvati

ADVENT NOVENA TO THE CHILD JESUS – Day 3

The 18th of December: Day 3 OPENING PRAYER Most gracious GOD of infinite charity, You gave your only begotten Son as an unparalleled sign of your love for man. By this love He was made Flesh within a Virgin Mother’s Womb and was born in a manger for our salvation. Let our prayer come before...Continue reading→

National Croatian Catholic Men’s Conference – Miles Christi 2026

“From couch to Christ” 27th February – 1st March 2026 ““Jesus saith to him: Arise, take up thy bed, and walk.” John 5:8  Dear Brothers. The time has come for our 8th Annual Croatian Men’s Catholic Conference, a gathering of Croatian Catholic men from across Australia. Join like-minded men for a powerful and inspiring weekend with...Continue reading→

The Blessing of St. Michael’s Statue in Pločice

The most important thing is to leave a legacy for our children, to know who their ancestors were. Konavle, 18th September 2025. Parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Plocice. Dubrovnik Bishop Roko Glasnovic blessed the monumental statue of St. Michael the Archangel. The statue is a gift, erected on the occasion of the 1100th...Continue reading→

Hrvatska Zavjetna Krunica – Jubilarno ograničeno izdanje za 125. obljetnicu

U duhu svetog sjećanja i nacionalnog ohrabrenja, izrađen je ograničen broj jubilarne „Hrvatske Zavjetne Krunice“ kako bi se proslavila 125. obljetnica posvete 160.000 mladih Hrvata Presvetom Srcu Isusovu 1900. godine. Ova jubilarna krunica ima dvostruku misiju: sjećanje i ohrabrenje.  SJEĆANJE Sjećati se svete prošlosti našeg naroda, našeg saveza s Kristom i Njegovom svetom Katoličkom Crkvom...Continue reading→

CROATIAN MEN’S CONFERENCE – ‘ALL IN FOR JESUS’

Published on: by KOFPB

Mieles Christi 2023

Like many men, I was reluctant to attend my first annual Croatian Men’s Conference. I’m a busy husband and father, with many conflicting priorities to juggle each weekend. Attending a 2.5 day weekend retreat with a group of Catholic men was very low on my list of priorities in life. After a lot of mental debate and discussion with my wife about managing the kids activities, I decided to make it work and attend. It was clearly the correct decision and 2023 marks my 4th annual attendance.

The Benedict XVI Retreat Centre is an awesome place to experience the tranquility of nature and a contrast to what our lives generally contain. Despite an extensive conference program on offer, spending time away from the pressures of our daily lives in a place where mobile reception is limited provides for a priceless recharge from the usual weekend.

This year’s theme was ‘All in for Jesus’. This sounds quite intimidating and is a statement that many of us struggle to get our heads around, with initial thoughts being ‘Isn’t that what the life of a priest is?’ Through the many different talks we had the privilege of listening to, it became apparent that being ‘All in for Jesus’ is something that all men are called to do. Being a men’s conference we learned that being “All in for Jesus” is a way of life that men cannot strive to achieve on their own – we need our fellow brothers to support us on our journey toward this end goal.

Check-in commenced at 17:00, and gave us an opportunity to catch up with old friends from previous conferences as well as to meet some new faces from outside our local parishes and groups. This year we were blessed with a group from Victoria, a man from Adelaide, as well as 5 men from outside the Croatian community.

Rob Zrilic again did a great job of MC’ing, and got the conference off to a fun start with an interesting ice breaker. Our first speaker for the conference was Dr Andrew Wood, who I think is the most intelligent man I’ve ever come across. He spoke to us on the topic ‘What a man is called to’, and went into depth about ‘what is God’s plan for me’. Dr Wood explained to us that we were made for eternal life, and provided us with a number of tools to include in our daily lives to help us achieve God’s plan for us. Dr Wood has a special way of articulating the Catholic faith, and one line in his presentation that had a deep impact on me and many other men was “life is a waste of time if we don’t get to heaven”. For me, this set the theme for the rest of the weekend, as I wanted to know more about ensuring my life is not a waste of time.

Day 2 started with a group rosary, prayer and Mass. This was followed by a great breakfast, which filled us all up for the big program ahead. If anyone is unsure about attending the conference due to not being fed physically you have nothing to be concerned about. We had an awesome menu across the weekend, and our stomachs were adequately filled to ensure we had energy for the days ahead.

Jakov Perisa presented the topic “You were made to hear his voice”. I always enjoy listening to Jakov who poses challenging questions to us men about how we live our lives. Jakov talked about how to hear God’s voice in our lives, and discerning between the different voices we hear in our heads. Jakov also gave us some important “governing principals” for living our lives as men of God.

The next speaker for the day was Marinko Crnjac, who gave a powerful testimony on the story of his life and his conversion to the faith. I won’t say much about his story, but it had a deep impact on many of the men in attendance. I had the pleasure of spending a few minutes with Marinko at the end of the conference and it was a conversation I will never forget. The testimonies delivered at the conference each year are an important part of the program and show the importance of opening up and sharing our stories with one another as we strive together to build our fraternity of men in our community.

Next up was Mijo Ticinovic. Mijo has a unique style of presenting and his talks go straight to the heart. Like Jakov, Mijo poses many powerful questions to get us men to think about where we are at in our various relationships – with God, our families and our jobs. This year Mijo focused on distractions in our relationships, in particular our relationship with God. Mijo talked about how distractions are like idols, and that as men we fill our lives with these and we don’t know how to rest. Mijo also gave us a great acronym for BUSY – Be Under Satan’s Yoke, which is quite accurate when you break down what we busy ourselves with.

Saturday afternoon saw us have a couple of hours of free time, in which men could look to Fr Davor for some spiritual guidance or further build the fraternity among the men through socialising. It’s a great opportunity to get to know the men we meet across the weekend. Being the Feast of the Annunciation, it gave the Exodus90 men an opportunity to break from their fasting and enjoy a small treat to celebrate the feast day.

In between the presentations we broke out into small groups to give the men an opportunity to discuss their thoughts and feelings on the topics that were presented. It’s an important part of the weekend, as different men form a different understanding of the talks and working through some of their challenges with other like-minded men in small groups is an important part of their spiritual growth and development. For me, it’s a highlight of the weekend, and these small groups can form strong bonds that are taken away from the weekend and can turn into lasting friendships.

Our late afternoon presentation was from Jakov again on the topic of ‘Are you in or out or sitting on the bench’. It was a fascinating talk about being an authentic Catholic man in the world. Jakov used many football analogies which made it easy for Croatian men to understand. My summary of the talk was that we cannot be lukewarm with our faith, and Jakov posed 7 challenges for us men as take-aways from the conference. These included ‘must carry his cross and face persecution’, ‘must make Jesus known to others’, ‘must spend time with Jesus’ and ‘must strive to live an authentic Catholic life’. It posed some good questions to me that I am working on implementing in my life.

Our next speaker was Fr Greg Morgan, who talked about what it means to be all in for Jesus as a man living today. Like the other speakers, Fr Greg posed some challenging points to us men in how we live our faith in the world – “let God’s work continue to be done through you – live your vocation” and “we fail in our vocation when we put other things in front of our vocation”. As a husband and father, I have seen how I struggle with this vocation when I put other things in front of what I am called to put first. Fr Greg has an amazing way of getting us to think about how we live our lives and how to live them better to fulfil our vocation. With the many distractions and mental storms in our lives, Fr Greg said that what God calls you to be will give you peace. Fr Greg finished with a fantastic Q and A, and there were many challenging questions posed during Q and A. A great session.

Saturday night is always a beautiful night where the Blessed Sacrament is exposed and reconciliation is offered (and the take up on this opportunity is very big). It is the pinnacle and summit of the weekend. It is a night where men, some for the first time in years, have allowed themselves to hear the Lord speak to them and they are moved to a thorough reconciliation or a deep conversation with the Lord in adoration. I have heard many moving experiences over the years and it brings great joy to the whole group to see the change in some of the men from this experience.

The evening is also a great time for getting to know our brothers even better, and some great conversations were had and friendships formed. Even with the curfew we had a wonderful night of discussion and laughter.

Sunday morning is where the conference organisers wrap up what we have been through and give us some useful information to help us continue on our spiritual journey. Ivica Kovac gave us an overview of the wonderful work he is undertaking in the Men’s Ministry within the Archdiocese of Sydney and how we can “tap in” to the numerous resources available to continue on from what we have learned at the conference.

The penultimate highlight for weekend was the concluding Mass celebrated by Fr Davor. We started with a procession into the Church with incense, candles, the Croatian Men’s Cross, Banner of Christ the King and many other banners. Fr Davor gave us another great homily to wrap up the weekend, and the men’s Masses are always made special through the sound of a church full of men praying and singing together – something truly amazing.

Overall, the weekend was outstanding! I highly recommend this conference to any man who wants to grow in his faith and discern what God’s plan is for him. If you have concerns about anything I’m sure the event organisers or your mates can put them at ease. There are a large supply of ear plugs available (to block out the snorers), plenty of food, coffee and water throughout the weekend to keep you fed, hydrated and awake. Single rooms are also available if you don’t wish to share with anyone.

Bog i Hrvati
Steve F

Some Feedback from Men that Attended

Really enjoyed my first conference. The pace was outlined really well. The sessions were valuable and provided insight to areas that helped close out open end questions and have key take away’s from the event.

 

Helpful & beneficial, I firmly believe that all Croatian men, young and old should attend. My experience while I know people I was somewhat shy. Yet my group helped me open up and I loved it, great people & I’ve benefited. God Bless.

 

Thanks for a great weekend mate. I really enjoyed it. A great bunch of blokes all fighting their own battles in life but with the same eye on the one prize. God bless

 

Praise God for the beautiful weekend, all the talks were amazing. Father Greg’s talk is what hit home with me. I had a thought and it was to have all the talks recorded so we can have the opportunity to listen to again with our family/ wife’s at home. 

 

God bless you and the work you do. Thanks be to God for people like you in this world. I have enjoyed this weekend.

 

Keep it up. Speakers are awesome. Confession is awesome.

ADVENT NOVENA TO THE CHILD JESUS – Day 3

The 18th of December: Day 3 OPENING PRAYER Most gracious GOD of infinite charity, You gave your only begotten Son as an unparalleled sign of your love for man. By this love He was made Flesh within a Virgin Mother’s Womb and was born in a manger for our salvation. Let our prayer come before...Continue reading→

National Croatian Catholic Men’s Conference – Miles Christi 2026

“From couch to Christ” 27th February – 1st March 2026 ““Jesus saith to him: Arise, take up thy bed, and walk.” John 5:8  Dear Brothers. The time has come for our 8th Annual Croatian Men’s Catholic Conference, a gathering of Croatian Catholic men from across Australia. Join like-minded men for a powerful and inspiring weekend with...Continue reading→

Knight’s Annual – Fundraiser Zabava 2025

The annual Knights fundraiser is on again – Saturday November 29th. Great night for a great cause, and this year all funds raised will be going towards helping two war veteran families in need, one located near Glina and the other from Knin. As always, this event is a Sell out so get in early,...Continue reading→

The Blessing of St. Michael’s Statue in Pločice

The most important thing is to leave a legacy for our children, to know who their ancestors were. Konavle, 18th September 2025. Parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Plocice. Dubrovnik Bishop Roko Glasnovic blessed the monumental statue of St. Michael the Archangel. The statue is a gift, erected on the occasion of the 1100th...Continue reading→

CROATIAN PILGRIMAGE CRUISE 2023

Published on: by KOFPB

A few months ago, the Knights of the Precious Blood gathered a few men in our catholic church along with our parish Priest, an idea was born to unite our community in a different way, to bring men and their families closer to Christ, closer to our church. And it did not take long for the idea to manifest into what was soon to become a huge success, an annual event that will continue to grow. 

Photo: Pilgrimage Cruise committee led by Parish priest Fra Davor from Croatian Catholic Centre at Summer Hill

The first annual Croatian Catholic Pilgrimage Cruise was held on Saturday 11th February 2023. In total over 120 cars and motorbikes were registered, with over 270 pilgrims in attendance. All funds raised on the day are going to a Catholic charity in Croatia ‘Kap Dobrote’ (Drop of Goodness) to assist in helping the most needy people in one of our homelands, Croatia. Whilst majority of the cars were exotic in nature, ‘muscle cars’ and Harley Davidsons, there were also people with the everyday family cars too. All age groups, some travelling on their own and others with their whole family, the youngest being 5 months old in a baby seat inside his parent’s muscle car.

Photo: One of many muscle cars that lined the streets (proudly owned by Tony & Ruza)

The cruise commenced at the Croatian Catholic Centre at Blacktown where the pilgrims were given a wonderful Blessing by two of our priests, Fra Davor and Fra Ivica. There was merchandise available to purchase and a coffee cart to satisfy the morning urge. A quick briefing followed and then we were off. A parade of cars and bikes rolled down the highway towards the first stop, the town of Wilton. We were welcomed by the locals and we had the opportunity to meet them, get a taste of their coffee and sandwiches and catch up with others in good conversation. It was also the meeting point for the pilgrims coming from Canberra who joined us from this point on wards.

Photo: A large display of cars and motorbikes awaiting the blessing from the Priests

After a good hour and half coffee rest break, we commenced the final leg to the Croatian Catholic Church at Figtree. The locals at this parish welcomed us with open arms. Mass was held in full attendance, filling the church to the brim. But what followed Mass was something extremely beautiful, never seen before, in my time anyway. In the hot sun, about 32 degrees at that point, a large procession began from within the church to the carpark outside where all the cars and bikes were parked. Every pilgrim stood next to their car/bike as the priest walked around blessing every single vehicle and person whilst the pilgrims prayed. It was an unbelievable experience, a true sight to behold. Some of these men have not been to Mass for a very long time and now felt a sense of belonging. As quoted by one of the men “I have met up with people I haven’t seen for over 30 years. I grew up with them and I really don’t know how it came, but I left the church. I have missed out on so much”. Others were quoted to have said ‘’The is the first time we have had our car blessed’’.

Photo: Procession from the church to the carpark to Bless all the people with the cars/motorbikes
Photo: Blessing led by Fra Davor and Fra Ivo from the Croatian Catholic communities of Sydney and Wollongong

In usual Croatian style, a feast was put on in the community hall which gave everyone an opportunity to refuel their bodies – the cars already used quite a bit of fuel along the way, and a good time to catch up with more people, meet some new folks and share our faith with each other. The Holy Spirit was truly there, and it could be seen on the faces of every pilgrim that attended. The feedback was phenomenal and the questions were soon flying in – when is the next one going to be held? God willing, this will now be held annually on the 2nd Saturday of February and we will envisage spreading the word around to other parishes. It will take us where the Holy Spirit desires to take us and to where God wills us.

Photo: Generous banquet lunch hosted by the Croatian Catholic Centre in Figtree

 

 

ADVENT NOVENA TO THE CHILD JESUS – Day 3

The 18th of December: Day 3 OPENING PRAYER Most gracious GOD of infinite charity, You gave your only begotten Son as an unparalleled sign of your love for man. By this love He was made Flesh within a Virgin Mother’s Womb and was born in a manger for our salvation. Let our prayer come before...Continue reading→

Knight’s Annual – Fundraiser Zabava 2025

The annual Knights fundraiser is on again – Saturday November 29th. Great night for a great cause, and this year all funds raised will be going towards helping two war veteran families in need, one located near Glina and the other from Knin. As always, this event is a Sell out so get in early,...Continue reading→

The Blessing of St. Michael’s Statue in Pločice

The most important thing is to leave a legacy for our children, to know who their ancestors were. Konavle, 18th September 2025. Parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Plocice. Dubrovnik Bishop Roko Glasnovic blessed the monumental statue of St. Michael the Archangel. The statue is a gift, erected on the occasion of the 1100th...Continue reading→

Feast of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ

“Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things as gold or silver, from your vain conversation of the tradition of your fathers: But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb unspotted and undefiled.” (Pet. 1:18-19)   The Precious Blood of Our Lord is the charism of the Knights. According to the...Continue reading→

KNIGHTS OF THE PRECIOUS BLOOD – SOLDIER OF CHRIST AWARD – 2022

Published on: by KOFPB

One of our annual Knights traditions is to present one of our members with our Soldier of Christ award at the end of the year. On Sunday 4th Dec 2022, at our last Men’s Breakfast for the year, Eddy Borovnjak was posthumously nominated as our Soldier of Christ for 2022.

Eddy was an exemplary witness of the Gospel, living every moment as a true Soldier of Christ. He really did suit himself up in the armour of God – speaking truth readily, maintaining the spirit of peace, and using the “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (cp. Ephesians 6:10-18) to dispel the darkness in this world. He took a firm stand against the devil’s schemes by taking every effort to pray for souls, to seek those who were in danger, trying to lead them back to Christ by way of handing out miraculous medals and rosaries, and by evangelising in his own joyful, genuine manner. He welcomed everybody without judgement, recognising that our enemy is not each other but the spirit of evil that seeks to enslave us all, that makes men fall in their weakness. He never had a bad word to say about anyone. He used his words to uplift, to encourage, to evangelise.

More so than his words, the way Eddy lived his life spoke volumes about the love and abundant mercy of God, and this was never more evident than during the most difficult times in his sickness. Eddy lived a joyful life, even in adversity. He would never complain about anyone or anything and never displayed any anger or hatred. His face belied his discomfort or pain because he always smiled and sought to comfort and uplift those around him instead of focusing on himself. He was always in good spirits, positive and joyful. One always left his presence feeling humbled by the blessings of peace and joy he brought.
Eddy made every person he met feel ‘seen’ and valued. He listened with compassion to the pain others bore and did his best both materially and spiritually to help alleviate others’ burdens. He would give away his own blankets and would collect food and clothing to distribute to the poor in his area, who he would visit often with his mother or with the Legion of Mary chapter that he had joined, providing them with their physical needs but also with the love and company that many were starved of. He offered numerous Masses and prayers for a wide variety of souls he came across, many having no idea he had taken them under his wing spiritually.

Eddy’s trust in the Lord was inspiring and he was totally accepting of God’s will. We recall him saying that regardless if God wanted to heal him or to call him home, he was at peace with whatever the Lord decided. And the truth of his statement was confirmed by his demeanor and his voice – he truly was totally at peace in accepting God’s will, even if this meant being separated from the family he loved so dearly here on earth, particularly his three boys who really were the apples of his eye. He relished his times fishing with them, or spending times enjoying the outdoors with them and the joy they brought him was clear to all who knew him. In turn, it was clear the boys loved and respected their father and enjoyed their precious time together. Their relationship with one another was a vignette of unconditional love.

As with any good soldier, nothing stopped Eddy from continuing in his prayer and faith life. Eddy would come to the Men’s Rosary Crusades even whilst undergoing his cancer treatment. Not only would he participate, but he would take videos and compile some amazing promo videos for the Men’s Rosary Crusade. One of his other goals was to complete writing his book, only if God willed it of course. He was tireless in his efforts to complete this task, even in the hardest times. He credits this to a great devotion to Our Lady and to the Rosary.

The Soldier of Christ award was presented to Eddy’s mother on the feast day of the Holy Innocents on Wednesday 28th Dec 2022, at the shrine of the Holy Innocents Kellyville. The day and place of the presentation was providential as Eddy was a very active pro-life champion, and loved the Shrine of the Holy Innocents. He had a great compassion for the unborn and selflessly gave up one of his favourite things for many years (actually right up until his death) in reparation for the sins of abortion and for the ending of abortion. Eddy’s good friend, Brother Dominic Levak, was also present, having had the award blessed by a priest before it was presented to Eddy’s mother, Jelica, an amazing woman of faith in her own right.

Eddy’s mother was pleasantly surprised and deeply moved to receive this award in her son’s name – an award recognising that her son had not looked back, but had pressed on, keeping his eyes on the prize, Christ himself, and finished the only race that matters in this world (cp. Philippians 3:13-14).

Rest in peace, dear brother.

Bog i Hrvati.

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National Croatian Catholic Men’s Conference – Miles Christi 2026

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The most important thing is to leave a legacy for our children, to know who their ancestors were. Konavle, 18th September 2025. Parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Plocice. Dubrovnik Bishop Roko Glasnovic blessed the monumental statue of St. Michael the Archangel. The statue is a gift, erected on the occasion of the 1100th...Continue reading→

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Knights Fundraiser 2022 – Kap Dobrote

Published on: by KOFPB

On the 26th November, the annual Knight’s fundraiser was held to generate much needed funds for the Croatian Catholic organisation “Kap Dobrote”. This was the 9th annual fundraiser and by far exceeded all expectations set by previous years.

How to express it in just a few words? Absolutely priceless. Did we raise much needed funds? Yes. Did we all have a great time? Yes. So, what makes it different to every other fundraising initiative? Simple – it is a conglomerate of Croatian Catholic families and individuals, with God as the central focus of their lives, teaming up together to help the most vulnerable and needy in our homeland. It’s that simple, with God in the centre of our lives, all that we do will be Blessed and will please God. That, is what makes it a success. Yes, raising a lot of money is a way to measure success, however doing God’s work above all is more rewarding than we could ever imagine.

So, the night began as usual with mass held by Fra Ivica at the Croatian Catholic Centre in Blacktown. As guests started to gather outside the venue after mass, they were met with ‘domaća rakija’ and a selection of tasty bites whilst enjoying the wonderful sounds of Australia’s youngest Croatian upcoming band – ‘Sydney Svirači’. The atmosphere was building into what turned out to be one of the best fundraisers ever held.

The event was hosted by our very own emcee’s, Katarina Nazor and Adriana Bann, who invited Fra Ivica to do the opening Blessing and prayers. Sumptuous meza platters were on offer as the band, Mirko and Kemo welcomed all with some light background music. Greetings from around the world were played on the big screen, consisting of Croatian Bishops, charity group leaders and some Branitelji. A warm welcome to commence the festivities.

 

As is expected in any Croatian setting, a feast was put on for dinner catering for both young and old. During dinner, videos were played from the organisation Kap Dobrote, the works there are currently doing and what is needed for the vulnerable in Croatia to survive this winter. Hearts were touched and filled with empathy, and this was shown in the efforts of everybody throughout the night.

The ‘kolo’ came on and the dance floor was quickly filled, and even some of the men from the Knights group made an effort – albeit that one of our regular Italian guests, Sammy Gallačić, stepped on everyone’s toes trying to learn the kolo. The raffle was bigger than ever as we sold out of tickets and had to create our own to ensure everyone had an opportunity to win a prize or two. The auction once again did not disappoint with items that included a signed Luka Modrić Real Madrid jersey, signed Werner Illić jersey and several one-off artworks by the nuns overseas.

For me, the best part of the night, is watching everyone get together, have loads of conversations, some just catch ups, for others chats they haven’t had for years. Seeing people volunteer – some for hours leading up to the event, some on the night itself, and some even just offering their assistance even when there was enough support. We as Croatians always get together and unite as one. We as Croatian Catholics do more than just that – we offer hope and love beyond all worldly things, and with God we make the impossible possible.

On the night itself much needed funds were raised and donations continued to roll in for weeks after. In total the sum of $40,873 was raised and transferred to Kap Dobrote. A fantastic effort that will go a long way this winter for many that are suffering. But it does not end there. Every day God gives us opportunities to carry out his works. Let’s not rest all year and wait for the annual fundraiser to do good. Use every day to its fullest, visit someone who is lonely, call someone that needs help, pray for others. As Croatians, we are strong people. As Croatian Catholics, we are God’s warriors, Soldiers for Christ.

Thank you to all who volunteered and made this event such a memorable occasion. To those that helped set up and clean up the hall, to the home chefs that put on the feast and the kitchen helpers, to the emcees and band for entertaining us, to those that donated cakes and items for the raffle and auction, to the food servers, coffee makers and barmen, to the Knights who organised the whole event – and most importantly to all of you who attended and supported this initiative, a big massive THANK YOU – God bless you all!!!

Bog i Hrvati

For Kap Dobrote official thank you letter see here – zahvalnica za donaciju-Knights od Precious Blood

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The Greatest Battle of all Time – Global Rosary Crusade

Published on: by KOFPB

“The problem with the world today, there are not enough rosaries being said.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen

Dear Brothers in Christ,

We are born into a spiritual battle, and whether we are aware of it or not, whether we fight or allow ourselves to be over-run, this battle will continue as long as we are alive. Pope Leo XIII reaffirmed the importance of not cowering away from battle, nor remaining silent:

“To recoil before an enemy, or to keep silence when from all sides such clamours are raised against truth, is the part of a man either devoid of character or who entertains doubt as to the truth of what he professes to believe. In both cases such mode of behaving is base and is insulting to God, and both are incompatible with the salvation of mankind. This kind of conduct is profitable only to the enemies of the faith, for nothing emboldens the wicked so greatly as the lack of courage on the part of the good……….and very frequently by such display of courage (from Christians) our enemies lose heart and their designs are thwarted. Christians are, moreover, born for combat, whereof the greater the vehemence, the more assured, God aiding, the triumph: “Have confidence; I have overcome the world.” Pope Leo XIII (encyclical Sapientiae Christianae)

Society is in steep decay with its adoption of the culture of death and destruction. Immorality is being normalised and the acceptance of, and demand for, contraception, abortion, and euthanasia gain traction worldwide. Our children are being indoctrinated against God, church and natural moral law by schools and universities rife with evil ideologies. The decline in Church attendance, the denial of the existence of God, and Catholics disbelief in the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist are some of the signs of the times. Christian persecution is public, vicious, and intentional. Cancel culture is rampant, even within the church. Satan and the enemies of God work ceaselessly to destroy everything holy and sacred, blaspheming God, Jesus, the Catholic Church and Our Most Holy Mother, Mary.

To combat these evils, it is necessary that the faithful return to God and to prayer. Sadly, the majority of Catholics have remained silent in the face of evil. When these evil teachings, opinions, and attacks on Church dogmas are left undefended by the Catholic faithful, evil gains traction and the spreading of errors makes inroads in the great apostasy we are witnessing today.

Recently, an article in ‘The Atlantic‘, written by Daniel Panneton blasphemed the rosary and those who pray the rosary, labelling them as extremists and Christian nationalists, and likening the rosary (‘battle-beads’) as a weapon akin to an AR-15 style rifle. The author, who evidently displays a Marxist bias, demonised the rosary as a physical weapon through the cunning use of words with negative connotations. He attempted to demoralise those who pray or display the rosary so that they would neglect their resolve or hide their rosaries. To those who may be inclined to begin taking up the rosary, Panneton offered strong discouragement from even entertaining the idea by employing the threat of being labelled an extremist.

Despite this evil play, Panneton does state a misrepresented truth – the rosary is indeed a weapon, albeit a spiritual one rather than a physical one. Unbeknownst to him, the first person to actually refer to the rosary as a weapon is Our Lady herself when she gave it to St Dominic. In fact, she also referred to it as a “battering ram”. Fr. Brendan Kilcoyne asserts that “the Rosary is a machine gun of theology. It is where you pepper Hell with the name of God.” So much so is the rosary like a “machine gun” rather than a mere AR-15 rifle in the battle against evil, that the devil has been forced to admit on many occasions the pain he suffers due to its power, as evidenced by the former Vatican exorcist, now deceased, Father Gabrielle Amorth:

“During an exorcism, Satan said to me through the possessed person: “Each Ave Maria of the rosary is a blow to my face. If Christians knew the power of the rosary, it would be the end of me”.

Men, we are in a battle. And in battle, we need to have weapons. St Paul tells us clearly that “we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). Our battle is spiritual.

In the first spiritual battle in Scripture, that between Adam and Eve and the serpent (devil), God responds by proclaiming that He will “put enmity between you [the devil] and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel” (Genesis 3:15). The battle lines have been drawn by God, and either we are the seed of the woman (the New Eve – Mary) or we are the seed of the serpent (devil). We are either sons of light or sons or darkness (1 Thess 5:5). The battle started in the garden of Eden and it continues to this day.

‘The Atlantic’ article is a direct insult and persecution against Catholics who are the seed of the woman, who are sons of Our Lady. Scripture tells us that “when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child” (Revelation 12:13). We should not be surprised that Our Lady is being persecuted, nor that those who follow her in doing the will of God will be persecuted with her. The book of Revelation goes on to reveal that the serpent continues to wage war against the woman’s children (Rev 12:17). Christ Himself has said that we will be persecuted for following Him (John 15:20). It is evident that Our Lady and those who pray the rosary are a threat to Satan’s plans. The devil knows the power of the Virgin and her Rosary against his wiles and it is no wonder he is utilising every possible means to stop men praying the rosary. As we see this battle intensifying, we recall the urgency with which Our Lady, during her many apparitions, like that at Fatima, calls repeatedly for the rosary to be recited daily. Her role in this battle is crucial.

In his book, Crossing the Threshold of Hope, Pope John Paul II made a prophetic statement that the Church’s future victories would come through Mary:

“‘Be not afraid!’ Christ said to the apostles (cf.Lk 24;36) and to the women (cf. Mt 28:10) after the Resurrection. According to the Gospels, these words were not addressed to Mary. Strong in her faith, she had no fear. Mary’s participation in the victory of Christ became clear to me above all from the experience of my people. Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski told me that his predecessor, Cardinal August Hlond, had spoken these prophetic words as he was dying: ‘The victory, if it comes, will come through Mary.’ During my pastoral ministry in Poland, I saw for myself how those words were coming true.
After my election as Pope, as I became more involved in the problems of the universal Church, I came to have a similar conviction: On this universal level, if victory comes it will be brought by Mary. Christ will conquer through her, because He wants the Church’s victories now and in the future to be linked to her.” (pp. 220-221)

In past centuries, many a victorious battle has been won with Our Lady’s intercession, and the recitation of her rosary. In particular, the Battle of Lepanto in 1571 saw all of Europe praying the Rosary for the Holy League’s victory against the Ottomans with the Title of Our Lady of Victories given to Our Lady in remembrance of the battle by St Pope Pius V. Again, Pope Leo XIII reminds us how the rosary thwarted off heresies in the time of St Dominic. Speaking on the Albigensian heresy, Pope Leo XIII in the encyclical Octobri Mense recalled that;

“there seemed to be no human hope of opposing this fanatical and most pernicious sect when timely succour came from on high through the instrument of Mary’s Rosary. Thus, under the favour of the powerful Virgin, the glorious vanquisher of all heresies, the forces of the wicked were destroyed and dispersed, and faith issued forth unharmed and more shining than before.”

Like the battle of Lepanto that saved Western Civilisation, we find ourselves today continuing the same long, hard battle that will once again, through the intercession of Our Lady, save civilisation; a battle that will end in her Immaculate Heart’s triumph as she leads men back to her Son’s Sacred Heart. For this to happen, however, she needs our co-operation. She needs men to fight with her heavenly weapon, the rosary, and adhere to her call at Fatima to make reparation and atonement against the many offenses committed against her Immaculate Heart and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Saint Maximilian Kolbe prophesied that Mary would play a crucial role in combating the forces of evil that have risen up against the Church. He said:

“Modern times are dominated by Satan and will be more so in the future. The conflict with hell cannot be engaged by men, even the most clever. The Immaculata alone has from God the promise of victory over Satan. However, assumed into heaven, the Mother of God now requires our co-operation. She seeks souls who will consecrate themselves entirely to her, who will become in her hands effective instruments for the defeat of Satan and the spreading of God’s kingdom upon earth.”

The CALL
On Saturday October 8th 2022, one day after the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary (October 7), all men of good will are called to take up their rosaries and to march under the banner of Our Lady of Victory to their local Cathedral or town square, and in unison with their brothers world-wide, pray the rosary to fulfill the requests of Our Lady at Fatima. The call for the World-wide Rosary Crusade is to make reparation and atonement, and to pray for repentance and conversion of sinners; to pray for peace in the world and in families; to pray for the reign of the Sacred Heart and Immaculate Heart in the hearts of men, in families and in society.
For the sake of this noble cause, we are happy to be extremists. With an extreme love of Jesus and His Mother, we will take up our rosaries and pepper heaven with our petitions, praying peacefully for ourselves and others. Holding our “battle-beads” firmly, let us join together in prayer and project the mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary into the cosmos to fight the demons who have taken hold of our fallen brothers and sisters, and with the Intercession of Our Lady, obtain victory for Christ and her. We have been assured of victory in Christ, but we ourselves must wage this battle and live out this victory continuously in each generation until the end of time. It is precisely in this battle against Satan and his followers that the Virgin Mary comes to our aid today. Men, are you ready for Our Lady’s call to battle?

Victorious in Jesus through Mary

For further information on the World-wide Rosary Crusade or to enquire on how to start a Men’s Rosary Group for the First Saturday’s devotion, contact us on info@kofpb.org

“The rosary is sort of a machine gun and atomic bomb, namely a weapon that is far superior to all the weapons of modern warfare in overcoming the enemy of God”. Servant of God, Fr Joseph Ketenich

 

ADVENT NOVENA TO THE CHILD JESUS – Day 3

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The most important thing is to leave a legacy for our children, to know who their ancestors were. Konavle, 18th September 2025. Parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Plocice. Dubrovnik Bishop Roko Glasnovic blessed the monumental statue of St. Michael the Archangel. The statue is a gift, erected on the occasion of the 1100th...Continue reading→

Hrvatska Zavjetna Krunica – Jubilarno ograničeno izdanje za 125. obljetnicu

U duhu svetog sjećanja i nacionalnog ohrabrenja, izrađen je ograničen broj jubilarne „Hrvatske Zavjetne Krunice“ kako bi se proslavila 125. obljetnica posvete 160.000 mladih Hrvata Presvetom Srcu Isusovu 1900. godine. Ova jubilarna krunica ima dvostruku misiju: sjećanje i ohrabrenje.  SJEĆANJE Sjećati se svete prošlosti našeg naroda, našeg saveza s Kristom i Njegovom svetom Katoličkom Crkvom...Continue reading→

Men’s Rosary Crusade

Published on: by KOFPB

When God’s warriors go down on their knees, the battle is not over, it has just begun.

Our first men’s Rosary Crusade was held on Saturday 18th Dec 2021, a spontaneous lay initiative inspired by the Holy Spirit through our Polish and Irish Brothers overseas who started off men’s public rosary’s crusades. This first crusade witnessed about 30 men from all sorts of ethnic backgrounds, young and old, kneeling in battle formation, with their prayer bead weapons in hand, devoutly reciting the rosary.

In the peak heat of the day with the sun shining upon the men, all kneeling and offered their prayers and sacrifice in reparation for our sins and for the sins of our country, leaders and our church leadership. People passing by witnessing these men where deeply moved. So much so, that one man kneeled and joined the crusade. It Started at 2pm, men praying on their knees on the forecourt of St Mary’s Cathedral, recited two mysteries of the Holy Rosary and finished off with the Divine Mercy chaplet at 3pm. The last decade of the chaplet was sung which was spiritually uplifting and moved the men and those who witnessed it.

At the end there was true joy in the air among the men, with uplifted souls, they had been part of something special. The Rosary crusaders were truly filled with the Holy Spirit, and gave glory to God and showed their devotion to our Queen and Mother. All the men agreed to continue this on a monthly basis and agreed on the 1st Saturday of each month. The first one for 2022 would be the 1st Saturday in February, 5th Feb 2022.

The Men’s Rosary Crusade in Sydney is open to all Catholic men young or old, all are welcome. The public rosary at St. Mary Cathedral, will commence at 1pm sharp in the forecourt. Please share this message far and wide and call all the men you know to battle. Remember, you may have been born a man, but you become a Knight. Join the Rosary Crusade. Make reparation for the sins committed against our God and show public witness to your fidelity and faith in God.

NOTE: Those men that would like to take the opportunity and take up the practice of the Five first Saturday devotion (as requested by Our Lady of Fatima) are encouraged to do so, confession is available at the Cathedral from 11.30am, with Holy Mass at 12pm.

Below are some comment’s from men that were present on the day.

“It was a great profession of faith for us men to be praying the rosary together and occupying public space. I pray it was the start of something big!” — Steve”

 

Being part of a public rosary in front of St Mary’s cathedral was a huge witness in my spiritual life. I had an image of the pain Jesus felt, this made me persevere through mine! As I knelt on the hot blazing court yard tile, I felt so inspired and blessed by the Holy Spirit. Truly an amazing act to be part of!” — Stjepan

 

“The saints have said many things about the power of the Rosary, but seeing a large group of men praying the Rosary on their knees outside St. Mary’s Cathedral was very inspiring. The Rosary is such an incredibly powerful weapon against the Devil and I can highly recommend for all men to attend this monthly event”. — Eddy

 

 

For more articles on the Holy Rosary see links below.

HISTORY of the HOLY ROSARY

Rosary Revival

Two Battles that saved Western Civilisation

Our Lady’s Call to Battle

What is a man without the rosary?

Cro Combat Rosary

Hrvatska Zavjetna Krunica (Croatian Covenant Rosary)

Hrvatska Zavjetna Krunica

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Croatian Covenant Rosary – 125th Anniversary Jubilee Limited Edition

In the spirit of sacred remembrance and national encouragement, the “Hrvatska Zavjetna Krunica” (Croatian Covenant Rosary) 125th Anniversary Jubilee Limited Edition has been created to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the consecration of 160 000 young Croatians to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in AD 1900. This Jubilee edition rosary bears a twofold mission: to...Continue reading→

The Vices and other Very Grievous Sins

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