Thousands of Faithful Celebrate Our Lady of the Angels on Visovac
The solemn Mass was led by Šibenik Bishop Tomislav Rogić, with pilgrims arriving on foot from several Dalmatian parishes.
The solemn Mass was led by Šibenik Bishop Tomislav Rogić, with pilgrims arriving on foot from several Dalmatian parishes.
On the islet of Visovac, one of Croatia's most renowned Marian shrines, the feast of Our Lady of the Angels was solemnly celebrated on Sunday, August 2, 2026. The Eucharistic celebration, led by Šibenik Bishop Mons. Tomislav Rogić, gathered several thousand faithful from multiple Dalmatian counties.
The Mass began with a procession from the Franciscan monastery to the outdoor altar. The miraculous image of Our Lady of the Angels was carried in the procession by faithful from the Vrlika parish, dressed in their traditional folk costumes. The triduum, led by Fra Božo Vuleta, served as spiritual preparation for the feast, and the parish choir from Vrlika enriched the solemn Mass with their singing.
In his homily, Bishop Rogić urged the gathered faithful to follow Mary's example of faith, humility, and unwavering trust in God. He emphasized the importance of witnessing the Gospel within the family and society. At the end of the celebration, the guardian of the Franciscan monastery on Visovac, Fra Tino Labrović, thanked the bishop, priests, choir, volunteers, and all pilgrims for their participation.
Fra Tino Labrović expressed concern for the monastery's future. He noted that Visovac is no longer a seminary, primarily due to the small number of candidates for the priesthood. He called on all faithful to pray constantly for new spiritual vocations and for the progress of the Šibenik Diocese.
The traditional walking pilgrimage was not absent this year either. Among the pilgrims, those from the Parish of St. Michael in Lišane Ostrovičke and the Parish of St. Anne in Čista Velika stood out, having arrived on foot. The celebration once again confirmed that Visovac remains a powerful place of prayer and community, drawing thousands of pilgrims from the Šibenik-Knin, Zadar, and Split-Dalmatia counties.
Alongside the celebration on Visovac, a testimony about Fra Ante Antić, a renowned spiritual leader, was also published. The author of the book "Good Father Antić, Heartbeats Among the Factories," Fra Ante Katalinić, described an event when mail was brought to the ailing Fra Ante. Although he did not open the letters, he knew their contents precisely. "You will answer this one in such and such a way..." he said, looking at one envelope, while for another he briefly added: "I have nothing to say to this one," according to the testimony published on the portal Bitno.net.
