Eight seminarians from the College, accompanied by the vice-rector Fr Eduardo, were fortunate enough to travel to Požega (Croatia) to be present at the diaconate ordination of Karlo Topalović, who until June had been our companion in the seminary.
After a long journey, we arrived just in time to participate in the prayer vigil in which the three candidates - Karlo, Stjepan and Tomislav - publicly committed themselves to celibacy. Afterwards, we went to the accommodation in the beautiful parish of Velika, led by Fr Matej Filipović, a former student of Sedes Sapientiae who accompanied us during those days and gave his time with great generosity: thank you very much! It was also a great joy for us to meet other Sedes "alumni", such as Fr Dragan, Fr Krunoslav S. and Fr Krunoslav J., Fr Tomislav and the more recent Fr Marko and Fr Robert, as well as our companion until a short while ago, Josip .
The next day, the ordination ceremony took place in the city's Cathedral, dedicated to St. Therese of Jesus. The bishop of the diocese, Mgr Antun Škvorčević, conferred the diaconate on his three seminarians, with a large number of faithful present. In the afternoon, after a celebratory lunch, His Excellency took us on an exciting tour of the cathedral and the Diocesan Museum.
Later, we attended the Mass of Thanksgiving celebrated in the parish of Karlo, dedicated to St. Leopold Mandić. Fr Jozo, the parish priest, presided. He and the rest of the community were very happy about Karlo's ordination, especially, of course, his parents Marcela and Mario and his brother Matej. The celebration that followed, in the parish facilities, was unforgettable.
To end on a high note, the next day, Sunday, Karlo was able to serve as deacon at the early morning mass we celebrated before leaving for Rome.