Holy Mass in memory of Fr. Leonard Oreč

date: 23.01.2009.

The seventh anniversary of the death of Dr. Fr. Leonard Oreč, former parish priest of Medjugorje and founder of the “Medjugorje-Mir” religious-humanitarian organization, was commemorated on Wednesday the 21st of January, 2009. Holy Mass was celebrated for him in the parish church. The main celebrant was Fr. Ivan Landeka, another former parish priest of Medjugorje, in concelebration with the current parish priest Fr. Petar Vlašić, and other Franciscans currently serving in Medjugorje.

Fr. Leonard served in Medjugorje from 1988 to 1991, serving as Parish Priest for a little more than one of those years. In his homily, Fr. Ivan Landeka remembered Fr. Leonard. He was educator of the young Franciscans for a long time. He had important responsibilities in the Province. He was professor in Sarajevo and in Fulda (Germany). He served ten years as a priest in Germany.

He was a true councillor and a man who knew how to listen and how to recognise God’s work. He cared for the sick, the wounded and the refugees, but he also made sure that they have a Bible in their hands, so together with the Bible Society he organised and printed 40.000 Bibles for the refugees. He also made sure that the Franciscans in Kazakhstan, in Albania and in Mexico get their habits. He made sure that, after the fall of communism in Albania, young Christians get the Catholic Catechism. Several dozens of thousands of the catechism were printed for the beginning of the new evangelisation in Albania.