Our Lady’s Call to Battle – JOIN US OCTOBER 7th

Global Men’s Rosary Crusade – Preparation for Battle

The feast of Our Lady of the Rosary is fast approaching on Saturday, October 7, 2023. Once again, the annual Global Men’s Rosary Crusade held on the first Saturday of October will fall on this feast day. There has never been a greater need or time to pray the Rosary of our Lady and to enter a prayer crusade. With the moral fabric of our society crumbling and with so many abandoning the faith, we need good men, courageous men who will join Our Lady and prayer for the conversion of souls and make reparation.

WHY PREPARE spiritually for the Global Men’s Rosary Crusade?

Speaking on the Devotion of the Rosary, Pope Leo XIII in the encyclical said:

“This devotion, so great and so confident, to the august Queen of Heaven, has never shone forth with such brilliancy as when the militant Church of God has seemed to be endangered by the violence of heresy spread abroad, or by an intolerable moral corruption, or by the attacks of powerful enemies”. (1st September, 1883)

As any good soldier or even athlete will tell you, you must prepare for any battle or event. St Paul tell us that like every athlete who trains for a race, we have to prepare our bodies for the spiritual battle, practicing self-control and subduing our bodily appetites so they don’t overrun us:

“Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one. So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air, but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified.” (1 Cor 9:24-27)

We invite you all to join us in spiritual preparation, to prepare both in body and soul for this Global Rosary Crusade and great feast day. Just like the soldiers who boarded the ships in 1571 to man the Holy League of Nations, they prepared for battle under the instruction of Don Juan with fasting, confession, Mass and Rosary before the engaged the infidel in the Battle of Lepanto.

HOW TO prepare spiritually for the Global Men’s Rosary Crusade:

• Join us in praying the Novena to Our Lady of the Rosary   novena starts Sept 29th 
• Sacrament of Confession (first Friday of the month)
• Fast day before (October 6, 2023)
• Holy Mass (in the morning before the rosary)
• Daily recitation of the rosary

The battle is real and the enemies of Christ and the Church are on our doorsteps. We need to enter into this battle and we need to prepare. That is why we encourage you to participate in the good fight and prepare with our prayer initiatives this month, so that our recitation of the Rosary through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary will reach the her Son and Our Lord Jesus. Only the strength of common prayer and faith in the Lord will bring us good fruits.

Pope Leo XIII continues and encourages us to go out in force to piously recite the Rosary in public:

“Not only do we earnestly exhort all Christians to give themselves to the recital of the pious devotion of the Rosary publicly, or privately in their own house and family, and that unceasingly, but we also desire that the whole of the month of October in this year should be consecrated to the Holy Queen of the Rosary”.

Consecrate yourselves to Our Lady who will never fail you. Prepare for this crusade and great feast day. And have full confidence in her to obtain victory and to defeat the enemies of Christ and His Holy Catholic Church.

HOW TO PROMOTE THE MEN’S GLOBAL ROSARY CRUSADE

1. Approach your local parish priest to see if he can promote it to the men in your local parish; flyers attached (can be printed) and links to promo videos below.

2. Encourage other men to join us on the day, word of mouth is the most effective way.

3. Read and share “Global Men’s Rosary Crusade – Terrible as an Army in Battle Array”


Promo Video Links

Men’s Rosary Crusade 2023

Men’s Rosary Crusade AD2023 – SPANISH

Men’s Rosary Crusade AD2023

Taking Up the Spiritual Sword to Protect Families || Men’s Rosary Crusade || Into the Light

 

Promo Flyer Links

Global_Flyer 01  Word document where you can edit time and locations details to suite your local needs.

Global Men’s Rosary Crusade 7 Oct_editable      Word document editable another version.

 

Gb and Esto Vir

Knight’s Annual – Fundraiser Zabava 2023

The annual Knights fundraiser is on again – Saturday November 25th. Great night for a great cause, and this year all funds raised will be going towards assisting two needy families in Croatia rebuild their earthquake damaged homes. As always this event is a Sell out so get in early and purchase your tickets .

NOTE: This year we set up an event on try-booking to simplify ticket purchases, to purchase your tickets please click on “book now” icon below.

For all inquiry’s and or special table arrangements/seating please email to Robert.zrilic@hotmail.com or call 0430 026 493. Look forward to seeing everyone again.  God Bless you all.

Saturday, November 25, 2023 – 7 pm  

Mass: 6pm

Hrvatski Katolički Centar Blacktown
70 Douglas Road
BLACKTOWN, NSW 2148

 

Men’s Mass – Anniversary of Oluja 95 – Dan Pobjede i Domovinske Zahvalnosti – 2023

Join us for our annual men’s mass to celebrate the Anniversary of Oluja 95 – Homeland Thanksgiving Day – Veterans Day. Always a great turn out, uplifting homily, opportunity for confession and as usual socialising with other brothers, (cancel your sport & other activities for this night).

8:00pm Wednesday, 2nd August 2023

7.00pm Ispovjed (Confession), 7.30pm Krunica (Rosary).

St. Anthony’s – Croatian Catholic Church Summer Hill, 15 Prospect Rd, Ashfield.

Join us after Mass for some traditional Croatian delicacies plus refreshments.

Bog i Hrvati

 

Annual Pilgrimage Walk on the Feast of the Assumption

Join us on Tuesday, August 15, 2023 for our 11th Annual Pilgrimage Walk in honour of Our Lady

August 15, is the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In Australia, it is a holy day of obligation.

On 1 November 1950, in the Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus Pope Pius XII declared the Assumption of Mary as a dogma:

By the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own authority, we pronounce, declare, and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma: that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.

PILGRIMAGE PROGRAM

  • Beginning with 11.30 am Mass at Franciscan Shrine of the Holy Innocents (8 Greyfriar Place, Kellyville)
  • The walk starts from the Shrine 1pm sharp! (8 Greyfriar Place, Kellyville)
    Along Windsor Road to Parramatta Cathedral – 14km in total
  • First refreshment stop at St. Michael’s, Baulkham Hills – (approx 2.30pm)
  • Second refreshment stop at St. Monica’s, North Parramatta – (approx 4.30pm)
  • Finishing at Parramatta Cathedral with final prayer & readings – (approx 6pm)

 

MORALITY 101: WHAT THE CHURCH TEACHES

Men – Have you ever been challenged by morally confusing situations a moral dilemma? Are you seeking a greater understanding on how to live a moral life?

Join us on this magnificent 6 week journey as Dr Andrew Wood explains how we can navigate more clearly through these morally challenging times. The course is FREE and designed for MEN only, 8-9 pm Thursday nights, starting 18th May thru to 22nd June 2023.

To book your spot hit register now.

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

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.

Men’s Mass – In Honour of Our Lady of Fatima – 2023

Join us for our annual men’s mass to honour Our Lady of Fatima, this year we also get to celebrate one of our great Croatian saints Sv Leopold Mandić whose feast day is on May 12th. Always a great turn out, uplifting homily, opportunity for confession and as usual socialising with other brothers.

 

8:00pm, 12th May 2022, Our Lady of the Grand Covenant – Croatian Catholic Church Blacktown,  70 Douglas Rd, Blacktown.

7.30pm, Krunica (Rosary) – Confession will be available during this time.

Join us after Mass for Croatian style delicacies plus refreshments.

 

CROATIAN PILGRIMAGE CRUISE 2023

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

 

 

Croatian Men’s EXODUS 90 – 09 Jan 2023 – 09 Apr 2023

Join us for a 90 Day Lenten Spiritual Exercise for Men

“The world offers you comfort, but you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness!” – Pope Benedict XVI

Croatian men of God, the time for waiting has passed; the time for choosing has come!

Will you sit on the fence and choose the comfort and complacency that leads to death, the choice of men who want out of hell but have little time for God?

Or will you seize the moment, claim the grace and choose life, life that is eternal, the choice of men who see clearly and who pursue the greater treasure Christ offers?

Each man must make his choice, there are no other options – the time for choosing is now!

If you choose the greater treasure, and if you believe you were made for more, and if your choice is eternal life, then join us in the Exodus 90 program and change your life forever by awakening the desire for Christ and allowing Him to transform you into His likeness. Each day on this journey you will see and feel the graces that God has laid before you. Join your fellow Croatian brothers and choose the life, the eternal life, which you were called to!

9th January, we begin our 90-day journey which takes us through Lent and ends on Easter Sunday.

My Exodus anchor from last year continued and did the next 3 programs when Exodus 90 finished. The effect on our lives could not have been expected before we begun Exodus last year. Definitely in for this one, and very adequate for our tough times.

 

REGISTER NOW https://www.trybooking.com/CFAOT

For more information contact us using the form below.


FAQ

How Exodus 90 Works

Can I do Exodus 90 alone?

How do I prepare for Exodus 90?

What’s a “Written why” and how do I write one?

Should I talk to my wife before starting Exodus 90?

Resources for Exodus Wives

Croatian Man’s Exodus 90 Testimony

For more general information on the Exodus 90 program.


 

Knights Fundraiser 2022 – Kap Dobrote

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