FRANCISCAN CHURCH AND FRIARY IN NOVI SAD
There is a written document about the idea moving Franciscans to Novi Sad made in autumn 1941 and on 27th December of the same year definitory of the Province of St. John of Capistran (Hungary) officially put the arrival of Franciscans to Novi Sad on agenda.
During 1942 three Franciscans from the Province of St. John of Capistran performed pastoral service in this area. Among them was a Krizosztom Körösztös who seriously considered the idea of the establishment of the Franiscan house. Between Topola and Novi Sad, he choose Novi Sad since both the clergy and laymen expressed the wish for coming Franciscans to Novi Sad.
The minutes of meeting on 6th October 1942 show that the matter of housing was solved since Matthias Lech, a vicar from Gajdobra, presented Franciscans with a house.
At the meeting of definitory on 28th January 1943 the official moving was planned for 2ndFebruary for the presentation of Lord inthe Temple. On that day Uzdoczy Zadravecz Stjepan, a military bishop, a member of the same Franciscan province dedicated the first chapel to Franciscans in Novi Sad.
Reguraless to the fact that Franciscans never had a parich in the town, and that the curch is small, gravitation towards it has always been enormous. The people of faith have found their spiritual center and small spiritual oases here. The shepherds of soul have always attached great importance to the announcement of God´s word. Among the priests of this house we find two martyrs: p. Krizosztom Körösztös and p. Kristóf Kovács became the martyrs of the Communist system.
The activity of the Franciscans in the Church were not only pastoral. In the beginning they worked in a school as catechirers and in a hospital. During the fifties, sixties and seventies they organized folk missions in different parts of Bačka and Banat, and they also organized pilgrimage within the country and abroad.
During the war, as a part of weekly adorations, both the shepherds and flock prayed for peace and pleaded the support of St. Anthony of Padua but adoration of the Virgin Mary was the same. After the war adoration of the Lady of Lourdes was particularly expressed, mostly at the evening services in May and September. Rosary society is still a testimony that adoration of the Mary does not include only evening devotions.
Religious teaching for children, weekly biblical workshops, biblical evenings for adults, preparing children and adults for accepting sacraments, as well as courses of Hebrew and Italian help evokement of a spiritual church in the people of faith.
The pastoral and cultural center of the friary is at disposal to the people of faith and all the others who are interested in its programme and accomodation.
What is characteristic of the Franciscan friary is that during the eighties it took on active part in the cultural life and did a lot for the chatolic press. In 1982. p. Karoly Harmath founded a publishing company Agape, which was later supplemented by a printing house. Until 1991 it legaly functioned as a section for hungarian publications of Christian present time of Zagreb and since then as a print company.
In late eighties p. Tadej Vojnović made the first biblical concordation in Croatian in history that was publiched in 1991. Apart from that he started the magazine The Bible today for improving the knowledge of the Bible and its studying.
Holy masses in our Church
Monday: 19 pm, in Croatian
Tuesday: 19 pm, in Hungarian
Wednesday: 19 pm, in Croatian
Thursday: 19 pm, in Hungarian
Friday: 19 pm, in Croatian
Saturday:
- 18 pm, in Hungarian (Sunday Mass)
- 19 pm, in Croatian (Sunday Mass)
Sunday:
- 08:30 am, in Croatian
- 10:15 am, in Hungarian
On public holidays that fall on a working day:
- 18 pm, in Hungarian
- 19 pm, in Croatian
Recommended holidays:
- According to Sunday’s ad.
* Valid until the first Monday of September 2023