14 NOV MEMBERS OF THE HKLD BRANCH “BRANIMIR RICHTER” IN ZAGREB ON THE XVII PILGRIMAGE TO VUKOVAR

This year again, the HKLD Branch “Branimir Richter” in Zagreb organized a pilgrimage to Vukovar on the occasion of the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Homeland War and the victims of Vukovar and Škabrnja. It was the 11th traditional pilgrimage to Vukovar, during which a pilgrimage to Ilok was organized for the first time.

A full bus of members of hkld, croatian catholic society of nurses and technicians (HKDMST) as well as members of our families and friends departed early in the morning from gloomy, chilly and rainy Zagreb to Vukovar. The journey to Vinkovci, the first stop of this two-day pilgrimage, quickly passed in common prayer, spiritual songs and socializing. The pilgrims were welcomed in Vinkovci by Dr. Fr. Josip Blažević, who presided over the Mass in the church of St. Peter. St. Anthony of Padua in the Franciscan Monastery.

A more detailed report on the meeting in Vinkovci can be found here!

After mass, spiritually strengthened and physically invigorated by Slavonian delicacies prepared by Fr. Josip in agreement with the president of the Vinkovci branch of hkld Dr. Kata Krešić and Dr. Miroslav Kasic who escorted us from Vinkovci, we headed to the hero city – Vukovar. At the entrance to Vukovar we were greeted by mr. Igor Vlašić, Vukovar defender, under whose expert guidance we panoramically visited all front lines and places of war events in 1991. Neither the stormy wind nor the cold and persistent rain that constantly poured prevented us from laying wreaths and lighting candles at Ovčara and the Memorial Cemetery as a sign of our deep and sincere gratitude to the heroes of Vukovar as well as to all the victims of the Homeland War throughout our Croatia.

An unavoidable visit was the newly renovated Water Tower, a symbol of defiance and endurance of the Croatian people, who, after thousands of shells and thousands of open wounds, remained unbroken and still proud. In its hard concrete, all the names of the defenders of Vukovar and donors who contributed to the water tower continue to remain a symbol of heroism and defiance in the creation of our Homeland remained permanently written. The view of the mighty Danube and the entire city was disturbed by the cold rain carried by the strong wind, but it did not distract us in our determination and desire to at least symbolically express our gratitude and pride for all the defenders by taking pictures under the Croatian tricolour that defiantly fluttered at the top of the Water Tower.

After visiting the museum of the Vukovar Memorial Hospital, all our determination and pride was suppressed by sadness and compassion for the suffering and pain experienced by our wounded. But faith in God and God’s Mercy gives us new strength and determination to never forget their sacrifice and to continue to be with them in our thoughts and prayers.

After an eventful and hard day, we settled in the beautiful newly renovated Hotel Lav, in the very center of the city, near the Danube, where we exchanged impressions and spent a pleasant evening. The next morning we were greeted by a sunny day that lifted our spirits and with great anticipation we headed to our easternmost city of Ilok.

In Ilok we visited the beautiful church of the Franciscan Ilok monastery dedicated to St. Nicholas. Ivan Kapistrana (1386–1456) where we attended the Sunday Holy Mass presided over by the guardian Fr. Grgur Blažević. After the mass, Fr. Gregory introduced us to the history of the monastery and its sights. We were all pleasantly surprised by the beauty and significance of everything we saw. Particularly emotional was the story of Fr. Marko Malovic (1946–2018), who was the only priest who, during the Homeland War, after the Chetniks occupied Ilok, remained guarding the monastery and providing spiritual care for the few remaining Croats in Ilok, until the liberation and peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danube region, despite the knowledge that he could be killed every day. Because of his merits during the Homeland War, Fr. Marko Malovic was awarded several state decorations, and of particular importance is the decoration “Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice”, the highest decoration of the Holy See awarded to lay people and clerics for perseverance in service and fidelity to the Church. Fr. Marko received this decoration in 1999 from Pope John Paul II for his priestly and religious activity and evangelical witness in the difficult war and post-war years.

After spending time with Fr. Grgur, we had the pleasure of meeting the mayor of Ilok, Dr. Marina Budimir, who, despite many obligations, came to greet us and briefly join us. She thanked us for coming with the desire to meet again. As a sign of gratitude, we presented her with a monograph issued on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the founding of hkld and several copies of our Gazette HKLD.

Thanks to the director of the museum, Mrs. Marijana Jukić, we visited the Ilok City Museum under the expert guidance of the curator Mr. Marijana Jukić. Mark Keve. While visiting the permanent exhibition of the Museum, we were introduced to prehistoric and historical events in the Ilok region. The very exterior view of the entire complex of the museum and its surroundings, and even more so the content of its display, left us in admiration.

Upon completion of the tour of historical sites, we were convinced of what Ilok is known for, and that is viticulture and winemaking. A panoramic tour of the city and Ilok vineyards, as well as the viewpoint and country estate Principovac, left us breathless, partly thanks to the luck that we had a beautiful and sunny day. We visited the City Cellar, TRS winery, Knezović winery and learned a lot about the technology and quality of wines of the Ilok region, which has been at the top level since Roman times.

At the end of this two-day pilgrimage, full of impressions, we returned to Zagreb.

A more detailed report on the visit to Ilok can be found here!

Prime. Ivan Barišić, MD