The disciples of St. Francis of Assisi, Franciscan Capuchins celebrate this year the four centuries of their activity in Croatia. The history of Franciscan Capuchins in our country began in Rijeka in 1610, at exactly the same place in Rijeka where Capuchins are nowadays present – on Žabica square, in the church and monastery of Our Lady of Lourdes. The Croatian Capuchin Province of St. Leopold Bogdan Mandić will mark the anniversary with a number of occasional and solemn events from 13 to 16 October of the current year.

The Capuchin Order was established in 1528, but the order was allowed to spread across the world only after one hundred years of activity. The order came to Croatia from Styria and at present there are 50 capuchins living in Croatia in eight monasteries throughout the country. The Capuchin Order in Croatia has produced one saint - Leopold Mandić, while the process of beatification of Fr. Ante Tomičić is underway. These are the friars who tied a great deal of their Capuchin service to the monastery in Rijeka of Our Lady of Lourdes.

The Capuchin monastery in Rijeka saw its most fruitful period at the beginning of last century during Fr. Bernardin Škrivanić. At that time a new church of Our Lady of Lourdes was built, while the monastery possessed its own printery »Miriam« where a number of secular works were printed as well.

The programme prepared for the celebration includes the exhibition "Fragments of the Capuchin essence: on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of OFM Capuccinorum in Rijeka and Croatia" at the Maritime and History Museum of the Croatian Littoral, which inauguration is announced for 13 October 2010 at 12:00 noon.
Huge cultural wealth will be presented at the exhibition that Capuchins managed to preserve over centuries; renovated books, sacral and other valuable articles from the holdings of Rijeka and other Capuchin monasteries and libraries in Croatia, which research has led to exceptional scientific discoveries.

The same day at the Croatian National Theatre Ivan Zajc, a solemn academy and a concert presenting pieces composed by Capuchins will be held, to be followed by the International Scientific Symposium on Croatian and Rijeka Capuchins lasting for two days, on 14 and 15 October 2010 at 9 a.m. at the Art Cinema Croatia (premises of the former printery „Miriam“) and at the Maritime and History Museum of the Croatian Littoral in joint organisation with the society "Matica Hrvatska – Rijeka Branch". The celebration will be closed with a solemn concelebrated mass at the Capuchin Church of Our Lady of Lourdes at 11 a.m. on 16 October 2010.

The celebration of the 400th anniversary of the activity of Capuchins in Croatia will be held under the auspices of the Croatian Parliament, and the City of Rijeka and the Primorje - Gorski Kotar County have accepted the sponsorship of this important anniversary.

On the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the foundation of the Capuchin Order, the Croatian Post has put into circulation occasional postage stamps with a motive of Capuchins and St. Leopold Mandić under an arcade of the church of Our Lady of Lourdes in Rijeka. The stamp will be presented in Zagreb on 6 October.
(I.N.)