On Saturday, October 9, 2021, His Eminence, Josip Cardinal BOZANIĆ, Archbishop of Zagreb, Croatia, ordained seventeen new deacons at the St. John XXIII Church in Zagreb. Among the new deacons were Friars Zvonimir PERVAN and Franjo ČOLAKOVAC, both from the Province of St. Jerome in Croatia.
The celebration was as solemn as it was well-attended. Many friars from Croatia were present for the ordination, along with the family members of Friars Zvonimir and Franjo. The Minister Provincial of Croatia, Friar Josip BLAŽEVIĆ, was present as well. Four confreres from the Seraphicum College in Rome also attended, along with Friar Igor SALMIČ, the Assistant General for the Centralis Europae Foederatio (CEF) who was making a fraternal visit to the Province in view of its Provincial Chapter scheduled for February of 2022. After Mass, the festivities continued in the Holy Spirit Friary.
The friars from Rome also visited other friaries in the Province. Besides Zagreb, they went to the Dalmatia region and visited the friaries in Šibenik and Split. The friars gave them a generous welcome during their six-day stay in the country. The friars from Rome also had the opportunity to get to know many important natural, cultural and religious places in Croatia.
Friar Zvonimir will serve as a deacon in Rome, while Friar Franjo will serve in Zagreb. We assure the two new deacons of our fraternal prayers, and we wish them every success as they serve the Church, the Order and the people of God.
Friar Marcos Alejandro QUESADA NAVARRO
