Melbourne’s Croatian Catholic community has come together to celebrate Mass in honour of Blessed Aloysius [Alojzije] Stepinac, Archbishop of Zagreb, who died on 10 February 1960.
The annual Mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral was led by Bishop Anthony Ireland, Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne, on Saturday 8 February, and concelebrated by Croatian chaplains from across Melbourne and Victoria.
Cardinal Stepinac served as Archbishop of Zagreb from 1937, during the authoritarian Ustase regime and the totalitarian Communist era.
In his homily, Bishop Ireland drew parallels between the disciple Peter, who left everything behind to follow Jesus, as recounted in the Gospel of St Luke, and Cardinal Stepinac’s own trust in God’s grace and life of total dedication.
When they take everything from you, you’ll be left with two hands; put them together in prayer and then you’ll be the strongest.
Acknowledging the brutal political climate during Cardinal Stepinac’s tenure as Archbishop of Zagreb, Bishop Ireland said the Croatian cardinal would have known the cost of discipleship.
‘When confronted by both the fascist and Communist regimes, he remained true to his mission. He defended the rights of the oppressed and rejected all forms of tyranny and hatred.’
In Cardinal Stepinac’s own words, ‘When they take everything from you, you’ll be left with two hands; put them together in prayer and then you’ll be the strongest.’
A bust of Blessed Aloysius Stepinac was erected at St Patrick’s Cathedral in 2001, reflecting the Croatian Catholic community’s reverence for him and for his steadfast love and commitment to the Catholic faith and his people.
‘The Croatian Catholic community has been shaped by the faith and sacrifices of many holy men and women,’ Bishop Ireland said. ‘Alojzije Stepinac is a shining example of this legacy.’
As part of the special Mass, the Combined Croatian Parishes Choir and members of the Croatian folkloric dancing community helped to uplift the faithful in song and colourful traditional costume.
Fr Vedran Lesic, Chaplain to the Braeside Croatian Catholic Community, concluded the celebrations with words of thanks to all who had joined to commemorate the man he called ‘the light at the end of the tunnel in difficult moments in the history of our local Church’.
‘But he remained faithful to his God and his people,’ Fr Vedran said.
‘And we all here want to remain faithful to God and our people, like him.’
