We travelled towards Pristina at sunrise. We experienced an exciting journey through beautiful and varied landscapes in Croatian Slavonia, Serbia and then mountainous Kosovo. In the late afternoon, we happily arrived in the Kosovan capital of Pristina. Here the sisters, several women from the Ulrika group and some students greeted us with local songs and dances.
On Wednesday morning, the sisters from the Regional Leadership informed us about the ecclesiastical, political and economic situation in Kosovo, in which the sisters in the four local communities are involved. At a meeting with local Bishop Dod Đerđi, various topics were addressed concerning the work of our sisters in Kosovo and the activities of the Congregation worldwide.
Travelling on to our two sisters in Janjevo, we visited the 14th century Serbian Orthodox shrine of Manastir Gračanica with its wonderful frescoes.
Our sisters have been working in the community of Janjevo, a small Croatian enclave, since 1975, with an interruption of 12 years. Whereas 5,000 people used to live in the village, today there are still around 140 people of Croatian origin. Most of the Croatian families emigrated to Croatia because of the war between Serbia and Kosovo, but many of them still come to visit their old homeland.
The two sisters support the local priest, don Matej Palić, in his work. Interfaith hospitality is very important, with children and adults coming to visit at any time of day. The people living here form one big family.
