Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish

Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish

(Croat: Župa Pohoda Blažene Djevice Marije)

Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary parish church was built in 1890 and was renovated several times. It was radically refurbished for the last time after a terrible earthquake on 1969. It has three bells. The Franciscans assisted the parish till 1900, and Diocesan priests after that. The oldest Parish registers are aged exactly two and half centuries (from 1753). These Registers count baptisms, marriages and deaths (one volume for each) and they are a precious source of data. Parish Presnače was separated from Blessed Virgin Mary in 1971. This parish has produced many significant people during its history, including at least one bishop (fra Mato Benlić). But the most honorable its member is the honorable God’s servant Ivan Merz. He was born and grew up in this parish, and as we are expecting, will be the very first beatified man of the Catholic Church in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

St. Theresa of Jesus Child Parish and Shrine in Presnače

St. Theresa of Jesus Child Parish and Shrine in Presnače

Parsih Presnače was separated from Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in 1971. Beside some town streets, those settlements were given to the parish: Bosanska Vrbanja, Čelinac, Debeljaci, Presnače and Rebrovac. The very beautiful church of St. Theresa of Jesus Child was made there in 1982, and three years later was proclaimed as a Diocesan shrine. Unfortunately, on May 12, 1995 the church was mined and totally destroyed, the parish house burned, and the parish priest Fr. Filip Lukenda and sr. Cecilija Grgić, after badly torturing, ended their lives like martyrs in the burning parish house, which they didn’t want to leave in such straits. Since that time, the parish house has been renewed, and the church has been just built again and the roof was set.

St. Anthony Parish on Petrićevac

St. Anthony Parish on Petrićevac

(Croat: Sv. Ante Padovanski)

St. Anthony parish is the second oldest in the Banja Luka region. The residence was originally in the village Rakovac in 1889, and was named after the village. It was moved to its current place after the construction of the monastery in 1876.? Franciscan friars have assisted at the parish. Three more parishes were separated from this one on the part of the town and suburban settlements. The names of the parishes are: Maria Stella, Budžak and Motike.