The Minister General in Croatia, among the friars of the Most Holy Redeemer Province

On 13 August 2026, the Minister General Br. Massimo Fusarelli travelled to the Most Holy Redeemer Province in Croatia for the feast of the Assumption at the Shrine of Sinj. Upon arriving at the Provincial Curia in Split, he greeted the friars and met with them before continuing to the shrine the following day.

At Sinj, he presided at the Vigil Mass of the Assumption. On the solemnity itself, he took part in the Mass celebrated by the Archbishop of Split and in the procession, which drew at least one hundred thousand people. He met the friars who were assisting with the many confessions and liturgical celebrations and greeted the temporarily professed friars. At the shrine, he witnessed first-hand the faith and culture of the Croatian people.

He then visited the friary in Imotski, home to the postulancy, where he met the local friars and the four postulants. He took part in the Mass for the feast of Saint Roch in Vinjani, one of the parishes entrusted to the friars, and there met with the brothers and sisters of the Secular Franciscan Order, with whom he spoke about the Centenary of the Transitus of Saint Francis.

He then travelled to Omiš to visit the friary and the friars of the area. In the preceding days, Omiš had been struck by a devastating fire. The Minister visited two families who had lost their homes in the blaze. The friars and the friary are safe, but the destruction, environmental damage and suffering are still painfully evident. The fire was reportedly the work of arsonists.

Accompanied throughout the visit by the Minister Provincial, Br. Siniša Balajić, the Minister General travelled to the friary in Karin, the Province’s house of prayer. There he came to know another part of the region and was able to spend a few days in rest and prayer. The visit concluded with a meeting with the infirm friars, as well as with the professors and some of the students of the house in Trstenik.

At the end of the visit, the Minister General expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome and the family spirit he had encountered, as well as for the dedication of the elderly friars and of all the brothers.