Message from the Cardinal Vinko Puljić, Archbishop of Sarajevo
“While it is true that hundreds of churches are waiting for necessary repairs, we still have a need for the presence of Carmel and for the perpetual prayers of Carmel, just as dry earth needs water to make it fertile.
If somewhere prayer for each human being, for coexistence, for tolerance, for forgiveness as well as for the road to a new brotherhood and for human dialogue is necessary, then here in Bosnia-Herzegovina, at Sarajevo, in a village that has become a symbol of martyrdom, it is all the more needed; in a town, in a country where all nationalities and all religious have been present for centuries and have found and will find enough space.
The Carmelites are equally a source of disinterested prayer and of sacrifice for all the inhabitants of the whole world. To renew Carmel in Sarajevo, we have equally a need for your help. This is the reason why we are addressing this request to all people of good will, to all those who are ready to do good and who are ready to pray: help us to build a temple of contemplation. I cordially invite you all to help with your prayers and financially to rebuild Carmel in Sarajevo so that the Carmelite sisters will be able once again to enter into the ‘life of the martyrs.’” |
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"Love will renew what hatred has destroyed."
This is the motto that the long-suffering Carmelite sisters have sought to follow as they set to work to rebuild their convent in Stup, near Sarajevo, which was completely destroyed during the civil war there.
When you send us your Prayer Intentions, your requests will be remembered by these dedicated Contemplative Sisters, led by new superior, Sister Franciska Cesar, OCD.
In 1992, the Sisters’ convent was bombarded with grenades, and the building was destroyed, but with hope and prayer, the sisters are making a new start here once again. Once the situation in Sarajevo had settled down again, the sisters were eager to return as soon as possible and started the rebuilding work.
Army units de-mined the site for them and helped them without charge to demolish what was left of the ruined convent. Now the new building is well on its way to completion. And the sisters are making a new start on a new church - which is meant to serve both the sisters and the Catholic faithful of the area. Meanwhile, nine nuns have moved into the convent, though everything is still far from finished. Slowly the convent is being restored.
These nine sisters live here, with no heat in the winter. They have only a small prayer room, from which they pray your intentions, but the spiritual support they offer is a precious gift to us, and to a world sorely in need of peace.
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