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www.kristfest.com

June - 2007 Franciscan Monastery in Osijeks - promoter of contemporary Christian music in Croatia

Two years ago, Osijek was, for the first time, host to the international Christian youth festival named KRISTFEST. The Festival is recognized as an important religious and cultural event that promotes modern Christian values.

Last year´s Kristfest main event was a musical spectacle in Zrinjevac hall. Performances were by the Oslo Gospel Choir, Norway , one of the best European gospel choirs; and the currently well known Christian band, Delirius. Osijek was the first stop on their European tour.

This year`s Christfest was divided into three main musical events with three concerts performed by domestic and foreign musicians.

Performers were:

London Community Gospel Choir, Great Britain

Fireflight, USA

Moya Brennan, Ireland

Vera Cruz, Great Britan

Susanna Fields, Netherlands

Not byAccident, Switzerland

Kristina, Croatia

Kutless, USA

DJ Andry Hunter, Great Britain

Sarah Kelly, USA

Sarah Brendel, Germany

October Light, Croatia

Fides, Croatia

VIS Emanuel, Croatia

Čedo Antolic and Željka Marinović, Croatia

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The Kristfest was organized by the Franciscan Monastery in Osijek.

The goal of Kristfest is to show young people the real joy and freedom of life which is given through Jesus Christ.

10-06-2007 THE PERFOMANCE OF THE METHODIST CHOIR FROM NASHVILLE

The West End United Methodist Church choir from the USA has continued its tour in Croatia with a beautiful concert of these musicians in the Church of Holy Cross. After Zagreb, this respectable choir that consists of 38 members has decided to show the people from Osijek why they are so popular all around America. The tour in Croatia is only the 9th in the row of the international visits in Europe, that was organized by the choir from the 1986; so it’s no wonder that the Franciscan church in Tvrdja was full of people that are spiritual music lovers.

It is interesting to say that this choir from the “city of music” Nashville (Federal state Tenessee) conducted by Don Marlel consists of professional singers and as well highly gifted amateurs. The songs that the choir performs can be into 3 groups divided. The first group fulfils the classical church music(that was composed by the composers like Scarlatti and Durufle),then “traditional” American church music and finally-Afroamerican spiritual songs that have completed the greater part of the program. Cheerful and nice American people have managed to carry over their spiritual energy to the people from Osijek, as these ambassadors of music claim; with this kind of visit they share their love towards music and at the same have the opportunity to broaden their knowledge of cultures and customs of people from other countries. In that way they have organized several missions in Africa, Middle America and Europe.

24-05-2007 A menorah that is situated in the garden of our monastery

The executive director of the “Center for the interreligious understanding from New York” the rabbi Jack Bemporad and the president of the Center Stephen Ollendorff have given the replicas of the menorah Jom hašoe to the guardian of the Franciscan monastery in Osijek Željko Paurić and the mayor of Osijek - Anto Đapić.(Menorah-a Jewish candlestick that holds seven candles, symbol of Jewish people)that is one meter and half high, is from today situated in the garden of the Franciscan monastery in Osijek, and the other one stands on Reihl Kir Road at the exit from Osijek, exactly at the location of a former assembly camps and the renewed monument to the victims of holocaust.
The project “Menorah” from 1999. has gotten the blessing of the deceased pope Ivan Pavao II. after he was given the replica of the menorah Jom hašao and, among other things; it inspires the study about the history of the Jewish people and Christians, their common values about tolerance and peace in the world, the rabbi Bemporad has said.

He has also added that menoras nowadays, the work of a sculptor Aharon Bezalel from Israel are situated in only a few Christian churches in the USA and that city of Osijek is,besides Vatican,the only city in Europe in which they are situated..
In the Franciscan monastery was also the coadjutor of Đakovo and Srijem msgr.Đuro Hranić that has said that today’s meeting of the Jewish and Catholic representatives was another sign and confirmation of understanding and mutual way towards world peace. The mayor Anto Đapić,who took the initiative and arranged the visit of the rabbis Jack Bemporad and Stephen Ollendorff to Osijek,has said: ”Osijek really does understand the pain and suffering of Jewish people and truly opens the way towards tolerance and cooperation with everyone”. The rabbi Bemporad has reminded of 6 million Jewish victims from the holocaust but also of 6 million non-Jewish people that were also victims in the World War II.