Our
Charities
The
Story of St. Peter & Paul Church
The
Franciscans in Mostar, just as in all of Bosnia-Herzegovina,
have for centuries been tireless messengers of the faith and fearless
witnesses of Christ. With zealous pastoral care for the Christian
people, the Herzegovina Franciscans have from time immemorial been
heralds of universal peace and good, promoters of culture and education,
and forerunners of contemporary means of public communications. They
have thereby, continuously and steadfastly linked their home city
on the Neretva River with the
Christian culture of western Europe.
The Franciscans
came to Mostar in the 14th century. In the 15th century they
built a church and monastery in Mostar. But the conquering
Ottoman Turks destroyed both buildings in 1563 and dumped the executed
Franciscans into the Neretva. But, in spite of everything,
the Franciscans though at the cost of danger to their lives, further
served the spiritual needs of the Mostar region. They did that
first from Zivogosce on the sea and after the war of Vienna (1683)
from Kresevo in Bosnia. In the mid 19th century conditions
were created for re-establishing the Catholic Parish in Mostar (1849).
On March 7,
1866 the Franciscans for a second time laid the foundations of a
new church in Mostar. Thanks to the great eagerness and persistence
of both the Christian people and the Franciscans, the church was
built in six years. In 1890 the cornerstone was also laid for
the new monastery. The Herzegovina Franciscan Provincial office
has been in that monastery already since 1891 and from 1895 to 1945
also the Franciscan Major Seminar of Philosophy and Theology. This
was the first establishment of higher education in Herzegovina. Two
world wars delivered numerous fatal blows and left deep wounds on
the body of Herzegovina Franciscan community but recovery came more
quickly than anyone could ever have anticipated.
The recent wars
in this region with its thousands of dead and injured and its hundreds
of thousands of exiles and refugees is by far more horrible in its
malice and hatred than all the previous wars. It has also left
Mostar demolished. However, even amid these horrors of destruction,
the Franciscans have not abandoned their city but rather bear the
burdens of war with the people who have survived and unselfishly
help them to stay on and to exist at the sources of their origin.
On Saturday
May 9, 1992 at 10:30 p.m. the Serbian army attacked the Franciscan
Church of St. Peter and Paul with the most murderous incendiary
weapons. An inextinguishable fire then completely gutted the
large, beautiful parish and monastery church before the very eyes
of the Franciscans and the horrified people. Undaunted, the
Franciscans succeeded in saving the monastery from the same fate
with the help of the self-sacrificing faithful.
Despite all
these adversities, with the help of God and the help of every person
of good will, we hope yet again to erect a spiritual and cultural
center on Franciscan Street in Mostar with a new St. Peter and Paul
Church and a renovated monastery!
To you, our
benefactors, we give our heartfelt thanks in advance!
YOUR FRANCISCANS
Immaculate
Heartworks is proud to be a benefactor of these rebuilding
efforts in Mostar. View the progress to date.
The funds also help parish families who have lost everything due
to the war. Its pastor, Father Ivan Sevo wrote us, saying;
"We appreciate very much for the donations
and money collected. Your help is very important to us,
because with your help, and God's help these people will have
a new church, which they need so much to survive for the Catholic
people of this area".
Photos
Architectural
Model - The church is being built from the ground
level, up. This enables the community to use a basement
altar until the upper altar is completed. As you can see
in these photos, the walls of the new church are wider and stronger
- and will hopefully safeguard against any future threat of
destruction.
Progress (latest photos coming soon):
Front View
Interior View w/garden
We wish to give a special note of thanks to our friends at 'Mother
of Peace & Graces Pilgrimages, Inc.', for their help
and efforts in delivering our proceeds to Fr. Sevo in Mostar,
and for providing us with updated photos to share with our web
guests and donors.
Catholic
Missions - Society of St. James The Apostle
Immaculate
Heartworks is proud to donate relief funds to the Society of
St. James The Apostle in Peru and Ecuador. We will be post
additional information about their organization as it becomes available.
Daughters
of Mary, Queen Immaculate of Haiti
Immaculate
Heartworks is proud to donate relief funds to the Daughters
of Mary, Queen Immaculate of Haiti, who support an Orphanage
in Port au Prince. Donations help provide safe drinking water and
start up money for a fish farm.
In
September, Sister Cadet and Sister Marlene visited Massachusetts
for a fund raising concert of local area artists. The concert was
a huge success. Immaculate Heartworks' donated computer-generated
thank you notes sent out from the Sisters in appreciation to the
contributors who helped them raise approximately $11,000.00. We
were proud to be a part of their wonderful charity event.
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Thank
you so much for your precious help. You saved us much money.
May God reward you for sharing and
giving your talents.
Sister Cadet |
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