The event kicked off in the morning with a meeting of representatives of Croatian community associations in Italy at the shrine’s theatre, with a presentation by Dubravka Severinski of the State Office for Croats Abroad. This was followed by a celebration of the Catholic mass in the Croatian language led by friar Đuro from Pula and friar Nikola from St Anthony’s church in Padua.
Last weekend saw the close of the eleventh Meeting of Croatians in Italy and the celebration of the feast day of saint Leopold Bogdan Mandić. The event kicked off in the morning with a meeting of representatives of Croatian community associations in Italy at the shrine’s theatre, with a presentation by Dubravka Severinski of the State Office for Croats Abroad. This was followed by a celebration of the Catholic mass in the Croatian language led by friar Đuro from Pula and friar Nikola from St Anthony’s church in Padua. Also on hand to speak to the gathered participants was Filip Vučak, representing the Croatian president and as a member of the cabinet of the Croatian foreign ministry, and Duška Madunić, the host and president of the Croatian Community of the Veneto region (HrvatskaZajednicaPadova).
The musical part of the mass was organised by Maja Mozara of the Dubrovnik branch of the Croatian Heritage Foundation and Ana Bedrina, the retired head of the Pula branch office of the CHF. Singing at the mass were the Klapa Amfora ensemble out of Dubrovnik and the Grupa Oton ensemble from Pula.
Joining the Italian Croatians and their families at the mass were Croatian ambassador to Italy Damir Grubiša, Zlata Penić Ivanko, an advisor at the Croatian embassy to the Vatican, Nevenka Grdinić, the Croatian general consul in Trieste, Iva Pavić, the Croatian general consul in Milan, Damir Murković, the president of the Federation of Croatians in Italy, Dragica Hadrović of the Croatian-Italian Mosaic of Rome, diplomatic advisor Dr Matteo Tudor from Venice, Croatian honorary consul in Italy Dr Nela Sršen, the president of the Association of Molise Region Croatians Antonella D’Antuono and others.
The Croatian day in Padua closed with a gala dinner at the Bassanello restaurant featuring the Klapa Amfora ensemble.
Text and photography by: Željko Tutnjević
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See more of the event and the performance of the Klapa Amfora: dubrovacki.slobodnadalmacija.hr
