A traditional Croatian Glagolitic Rite Mass was celebrated in Sydney, a rare occasion which revived a ninth-century tradition tracing back to Saints Cyril and Methodius. Source: The Catholic Weekly.
The High Mass was at St Michael’s parish in Belfield on July 1.
The liturgy was celebrated by Fr Mateusz Markiewicz IBP, a visiting priest from the Institute of the Good Shepherd in France, with the assistance of Dominican Prior Fr Laurie Foote OP from Adelaide and Carmelite Brother Jerome Voštan from Perth.
This tradition traces its origins to Saints Cyril and Methodius, who translated the Greek liturgy into Slavonic in the 9th century.
Though Latin was historically the language of the western Church, Croatian Catholics were permitted to celebrate the liturgy in Old Church Slavonic and pass this tradition down throughout the generations.
Attended by hundreds of Croatian Australian Catholics from across the country, the Solemn High Mass was celebrated with the last printed Glagolitic Missal from 1927 known as the Vajs Missal.
Ante Cutuk, one of the organisers, collected the Missal, along with hand-drawn altar cards, from Fr Velimir Maglica of the Croatian Catholic Chaplaincy in Clifton Hill, Melbourne.
Having been shown a copy of the Vajs Missal years earlier, Mr Cutuk was impressed that the Old Church Slavonic language and the Glagolitic script were not merely cultural symbols but part of a real liturgical tradition that connects Croatian Catholics to the faith of their ancestors.
“The Glagolitic Mass is one of the most unique treasures of Croatian Catholic heritage,” Mr Cutuk said.
“It reminds Croatian Catholics that their ancestors preserved the faith through their own sacred language, chant, and customs while remaining fully part of the Roman Catholic Church.
“Bringing it to Sydney helped show that this ancient liturgy is not dead or an object of nostalgia, but something still capable of moving people and strengthening their faith today.
“It also showed that Croatian identity is not only about food, music, sport or nationality, but also about the Catholic faith that shaped Croatian people for centuries.”
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Historic Croatian Glagolitic Mass celebrated in Sydney (By Mathew De Sousa, The Catholic Weekly)
