Complete a Parish Church in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Thursday, February 18, 2010

Project Code: 444-01-19

The Parish of St. Luke in Sarajevo was founded almost 15 years ago. At that time the war that had raged for three years in Bosnia and Herzegovina, following the collapse of Yugoslavia, was just ending. Some 243,000 people had lost their lives and 2 million had been expelled from their homes as a result of the redrawing of the map of the republic. Innumerable churches, monasteries, presbyteries and other Church properties had been willfully destroyed.

The wounds of this war are still evident everywhere in this country, and, in particular, the Catholics, who are of Croat origin, are finding it hard to gain a foothold. Many Croats have gone abroad, since the opportunities for education and work are so poor. Of the families who fled during the war, many simply do not want to return home, because they can see no future here for themselves or their children. Much of the infrastructure was destroyed in the war and in many regions there is still no electricity and no running water, even though a great deal has been rebuilt since then. Moreover, in the political and religious sphere, Catholics face severe restrictions, making it particularly difficult to find work. Catholic Croats who apply for jobs often find themselves discriminated against and rejected.

The rebuilding of Church life is also proving difficult. Not only does it cost a great deal to build or rebuild churches and parish centers, but in fact this is quite deliberately being prevented by the authorities, who are refusing building permits. While in the city of Sarajevo itself and in other parts of the country over 200 new mosques have been built with money from foreign donors, Catholics are frequently finding themselves unable to build churches and parish centers.

The anti-Christian atmosphere is being further stirred up by Islamic fundamentalists, making peaceful coexistence still more difficult, according to Father Ante Jelic, the parish priest of St. Luke’s. For seven years his parishioners had to battle against every conceivable bureaucratic obstacle in order to obtain the building permit for their parish church. Now, thanks to the help of ACN, the basic structure of the church is at last standing. Father Jelic reported to us, "We have managed to build a new parish church and roof it over. For years we celebrated Holy Mass in the basement, where it was too dark and cold. Recently we have been able to install the windows and doors, though the walls and floor are still bare. This is where we now celebrate Mass. But we want to continue the work. We still have to do the electric wiring, the plastering, painting and flooring of the church. Necessity obliges us to write to you again. On behalf of the whole parish I thank you with all my heart and greet you warmly in the hope that you will not disappoint us."

Indeed we cannot disappoint his trust, and so we have promised $9,300 so that the work can continue uninterrupted. Will you help Father Jelic complete this parish church in Bosnia and Herzegovina?

Progress: 0% Raised: $ 10     Goal: $ 9300

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