Our parish community of Croatian Martyrs in Mississauga celebrated its parish feast day of Blessed Alojzij Stepinac, the Croatian martyr, on Sunday, February 11, 2024. This year's celebration was very solemn as every year, and the Holy Mass and the three-day preparation (trodnevnica) were led by Fr. . Ivica Reparinac, pastor of the parish of Tijela Kristova in Sopot - Novi Zagreb. Rev. Reparinac was the pastor in Mississauga from 2005 to 2017, and he was very happy to respond to the invitation of the current pastor, Rev. Božidar Tenšek to visit Mississauga and preside over the Stepinčevo celebration. Both in the three-day mass and on the feast itself, Rev. Reparinac encouraged believers to persevere and have courage in faith, as did our blessed Alojzije Stepinac.
At the solemn mass, the preacher told the gathered believers in his sermon: "That's why today, staring at the witness for the truth of the blessed A. Stepinac, we do not run away from the daily martyrdom that contains ridicule, rejection, misunderstanding and other forms of suffering, just because we want to remain faithful Jesus Christ, because we love his mysterious body, the Church, because we want to live according to God's truth and God's law. All Christians are called today to become that grain of wheat, which brings forth an abundant harvest. We are all called to be witnesses for the Truth; in marriage, in the family, in the workplace, so that we are ready to experience various sorrows and sufferings, which resemble the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are called to witness the Gospel and fight for God's truth, in all the life circumstances in which we find ourselves. Each of us is called to go through Jesus' school of the cross, in order to be resurrected with Jesus.

Our ancestors left us their pledge, which is their love, devotion and loyalty to God, the Church and the Motherland. The pledge we received from them is also our obligation today: to live daily those values ​​and for those God's truths, for which our blessed man gave his life. If today we will not live our Christianity faithfully, if we will not fight for the dignity of marriage and family, for life, as the fundamental truth of God, then our ancestors died in vain for the honorable cross and golden freedom. And while indifference, mistrust and forgetfulness of God and his Truth and Law are the biggest threat to our Croatian and parish unity being lost in this foreign world. Let's look at Blessed Alojzije Stepinac, who managed to live fully and selflessly sacrifice himself for others, for the Catholic Church and for the Lord.
And we pray today, that our young people, our young families will be inspired by his life, his selfless love for others, regardless of their nationality, because he was a lover of every human being. May they also be ready today to give their sacrifice, their selflessness and sacrifice for the preservation of this Croatian parish."
Along with a large number of believers, as always, members of the parish folklore groups dressed in national costumes also took part in the mass celebration. Priests from nearby Croatian parishes in southern Ontario also joined the celebration of our parish holiday, and the always dear guest, the Consul General of the Republic of Croatia in Mississauga, Mr. Ante Jović accompanied by the consul Mrs. Jelena Perić. After the Holy Mass, a large number of parishioners gathered for a festive lunch in the parish hall, which was prepared by members of the Sveti Lovro - Vivodina Society.