In the friary of St. Bonaventure in Visoko, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Chapter of Mats was held on the 15th September, during which the Province of the Holy Cross - Bosnia and Herzegovina also celebrated its patronal feast.
Traditionally, the Chapter of Mats is also an annual meeting of the Franciscans and an opportunity for the friars from all over the Province to meet: the friars exchange views, share their work experiences and agree on common Provincial projects. Since this year the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross fell on a Sunday, the celebration was moved to Monday so that as many friars as possible could gather. This year there were over 80 friars from all over Bosnia Srebrena who gathered together.
The Chapter began at 10:00 a.m. with Midday prayer, followed by a welcome address by Br. Zvonko Benković, Guardian of the Visoko friary The Minister Provincial of Bosnia Srebrena, Br. Zdravko Dadić, also greeted all the friars, followed by the lecture entitled "Building universal fraternity - Eight hundred years of the Canticle of Brother Sun of St. Francis of Assisi" given by Br. Danijel Nikolić, master of clerics and editor-in-chief of the magazine "Svjetlo riječi" (The Light of the Word).
At 12 noon, in the church of the friary of St. Bonaventure, solemn Mass was celebrated, presided over by the Minister Provincial, Br. Zdravko. In his homily, he emphasized that the Cross as a sign of salvation and hope has always been at the center of the Franciscan charism and tradition. He also reminded the friars that "the exaltation of Christ on the Cross was not an exaltation of strength or power, but an exaltation through service to the end. We too are called to this same exaltation: through service to our brothers and sisters, through service to the Church and through service to the people to which we belong".
The Minister Provincial also referred to the great Franciscan Jubilee - 800 years since St. Francis wrote his famous Canticle of the Creatures, in which the Cross of Francis' life becomes a hymn of praise - and stressed that "the wisdom of Franciscan spirituality is to transform suffering into a hymn of praise and the cross into a song of gratitude."
Finally, he encouraged all the friars, saying: "Brethren, we are called to be the light in the darkness, the salt that gives a pleasant taste, the leaven that instils hope in people's hearts. We can only be faithful to the cross: the cross of St. Francis, the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ."
After Mass, a joint photo session and lunch followed. After the communal lunch, in the afternoon the friars met again and continued the discussion begun on topical topics related to the life and work of the friars of Bosnia and Srebrena.
The Minister Provincial recalled in a special way in prayer all the friars who had died in the last year, as well as the elderly and sick friars. He also presented the statistical data of the Province.
In this regard, as of the 14th September, 2025, the Province of the Holy Cross of Bosnia and Herzegovina has a total of 282 friars; of these, 267 are friars with solemn profession, 264 priests and 3 lay brothers. In addition, there are 13 students, 2 novices, 2 postulants and 3 seminarians.
Br. Danijel Nikolić, OFM
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