The Stomorija Bible Garden Association, together with the Brotherhood of Our Lady of Stomorija and the parish of St. Peter the Apostle in Kaštel Novi, began a three-day celebration of the Day of Our Lady of Stomorija. The program opened on Wednesday, August 13, with a concert of spiritual and patriotic songs dedicated to the fallen defenders of Kaštel and the Kaštelanska Zagora.
The ceremony began in the parish church of St. Peter the Apostle with the recitation of the rosary, followed by the celebration of Holy Mass. Then, a crowd of believers and visitors headed to the Shrine of Our Lady of Stomorija, where, in front of the church of St. Mary of Špiljan – better known as Our Lady of Stomorija – an emotional and dignified concert was held.
The concert was opened by musicians from Donjokaštela with a ceremonial performance of the Croatian anthem. In addition to Our beautiful ones, they also performed songs My homeland, To the heavens, Hear us, mother, Christ on the shore, Queen of heaven, Virgins of innocence, and they concluded the program with an impressive performance of the song Hello, Virgin.
Twins Pina and Roko, winners of this year's Domofest, sang On the Omiš Rock and I Give You My Heart, bringing youthful energy and sincere emotion to an evening dedicated to veterans.
Mladen Kuzmanić Fradelo, the folk poet of Kaštel Novi, performed four emotional recitations, while the children's orchestra of the Kaštel Novi parish moved the audience with performances of songs. Jesus Christ, You Are My Life and Like a hind.
The Kaštela band also contributed to the evening by performing songs White lilies and Come to Kaštela, who brought the recognizable Kastelan spirit to the program.
The president of the Stomorija Bible Garden association, Anton Žanić, emphasized the importance of this event:
– This year, for the third time, a concert is being held at the Shrine of Our Lady of Stomorija, in memory of our fallen defenders from Kaštela and Kaštelanska Zagora. The program was conceived in cooperation with our musical associations from Kaštel and other performers. We are honored to organize this remembrance of the guys from Kaštel and Kaštelanska Zagora who gave their lives in the Homeland War. We hope to continue the concert with other performers next year. In a symbolic way, love for the homeland and the memory of the defenders are passed on to the young. Thank God, that is precisely the accent of this concert because we have young performers, twins Pina and Roka, winners of this year's Domofest, and our Kaštelanska tići. We continue the tradition of this concert and the memory of all those who have given their lives for our homeland since the seventh century. Let us continue to transmit this feeling of homeland gratitude and patriotism - said Žanić.
A total of 58 defenders from Kaštela and Kaštelanska Zagora died, nine of whom were from Kaštel Novi. In memory, nine candles were lit in the church in Novi for their souls.
The prefect of the Brotherhood of Our Lady of Stomorija, Karlo Žanić, emphasized that the feast of the Assumption has a special meaning for the people of Kaštela:
– The Feast of the Assumption has a special meaning for all the people of Kaštela, and especially for the parishioners of Kaštel Novi. Flags have been placed on the tops of these cypress trees, which is a long-standing tradition. What you see here, for August 13.8th and especially for August 15.8th, is not the result of a few days of work; we have been gathering here for three weeks, every weekend, to arrange, clean and prepare everything. When people come here, and we expect almost a thousand visitors during the three-day celebration, they feel as if they are in a holy place, which they truly are. When they come, they feel peace and tranquility - said Žanić.
The flags on the tall cypress trees around the church were placed by Split alpinist Ivica Matković, contributing to the festive atmosphere.
The pastor of St. Peter's Parish, Don Gabrijel Kamber, at the very beginning of the evening, addressed a spiritual message to the gathering and shared these thoughts with us:
– We have gathered here at the shrine of Our Lady of Stomorija, one of the oldest Croatian shrines. The feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven, Velika Gospa, which is very present among our Croatian people, is approaching. We can see this in the numerous shrines and the large number of people who flock to the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary in order to get as close as possible to Jesus Christ. I believe that this feast is one of the goals of all our lives, and that is the desire to eventually be taken up to heaven and for our conscience to continue in communion with the Holy Trinity. This year in Kaštel Novi we are preparing for a longer program with the Days of Our Lady of Stomorija, wanting tonight to first pay tribute to all the defenders of Kaštel and the Kaštelanska Zagora. God willing, tomorrow at 6:30 pm we will set off with a large procession from our parish church to continue this spiritual celebration. On the day of the Assumption, the sanctuary will be filled with people all day, with a solemn mass at 10:30, and then in the afternoon at 19 for a solemn mass together with a procession. We seek refuge under the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary to protect our homeland, our families and our lives - Don Gabriel was inspiring.
The first evening of the Day of Our Lady of Stomorija was thus marked by patriotism and faith, leaving a strong impression on all who participated. With music, prayer and remembrance of the fallen defenders, Kaštel Novi once again showed how much it cherishes its roots, tradition and spiritual values.
Photo: Andrej Valentić
This text was co-financed by the Fund for Promoting Diversity and Pluralism of Electronic Media.
