January 13, 2010

Croatian Catholic mission marks 10th anniversary

By John Gleason

For the past decade, the Croatian community in Denver has gathered once a month at St. Louis Church in Englewood for a Mass in the Croatian language. To mark this anniversary, a Mass was celebrated for the community by Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., on Dec. 27.

The Mass, which was attended by several hundred people, was concelebrated by Father Robert Reycraft, pastor of St. Louis, and by Father Mate Bižaca, pastor of St. Anthony Croatian Catholic Church in Los Angeles, who travels to Colorado once a month to say the Mass.

Father Reycraft told the Denver Catholic Register that the monthly Masses attract people of Croatian ancestry from all over the city and the state.

“This is very tight-knit community,” he said.  “Some members are parishioners here at St. Louis but I know of many who travel from Aurora and Parker to be part of the celebration.  One person I know even makes the monthly journey from Colorado Springs.”

During the Mass Archbishop Chaput said he was extremely grateful to Father Bižaca for his 10-year ministry and he extended a warm welcome to the Croatian people for the many vocations that nation has given the Church over the centuries.
In his homily, Archbishop Chaput noted that the day was the feast of the Holy Family. Using reflections of Pope Benedict XVI, Archbishop Chaput said the family is the setting where every person learns to receive and to give love.
“I ask all who are here today to think about the family,” the prelate said. “Is your family the kind of privileged place where people learn to be loved?”

The archbishop went on to say the family is a necessary good for people, a building block for society and a great and lifelong treasure for couples.“On this feast of the Holy Family the Church wants us to understand that the family is the fundamental foundation of society,” he said.

At the conclusion of Mass, Father Bižaca thanked Archbishop Chaput for being part of the celebration and Father Reycraft for his hospitality in providing the church as a place for the monthly liturgies.
“My parish, St. Anthony’s Church in Los Angeles, is in charge of the pastoral care for all the Croatian immigrants from the West Coast to the Gulf of Mexico,” he explained.  “The mission in Denver began 10 years ago when I received a phone call from a representative of the Croatian community who said that Croatian immigrants here had jobs, security and housing but what they really needed was spiritual guidance—what they needed was God.”

Since the foundation of the mission in 1999, Father Bižaca has established other Croatian missions in San Diego, Las Vegas and Houston.  He said that the community has a proud tradition in their culture and their faith.
“The Croatians were among the first of the Slavic peoples to receive Christianity,” he said.  “The Croatian Christian heritage is almost 14 centuries old.  We cherish such a legacy and are dedicated to preserving our culture, traditions and language for future generations to come.”

Following the Mass, a reception was held in the school cafeteria.