A HISTORY OF THE CROATIAN CATHOLIC CENTRE WOLLONGONG AND ITS PEOPLE
The first Croatians arrived in Wollongong after the 2nd World war. Many had to escape out of Croatia over its borders and via the Adriatic Sea. This escape to freedom lasted for another 50 years to the later half of the twentieth century. From 1960 to 1970 Croatians immigrated in large numbers for both political and economic reasons to all countries around the world including Australia. Upon their arrival in Australia the Croatians if they had no contacts were placed into private camps in Bonegilla. The majority of the people could not understand English therefore they had to work in physically demanding jobs such as for example the steelworks in Whyalla, Newcastle and Wollongong.
As their English language improved, so did their job prospects with many gaining leading hand positions and more senior roles within the workforce. In those earlier years many workers left Wollongong to work on the Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme which then was the largest commercial project undertaken within Australian shores. Some also went fossicking for opals. The first Croatian immigrants to Wollongong were all mainly very young single males and females.
The Croatians in Wollongong wanted to tell their Australian counterparts of the pain and suffering they had to endure in the former communist Yugoslav republic. This was achieved through peaceful demonstrations held in Wollongong and Australia wide.
In 1972 the Australian Labour Party was in power and it was at this time that Croatians were experiencing many hardships with the local authorities. Yugoslav spies (UDBA) working in conjunction with the police raided numerous Croatian homes trying to falsely accuse our peoples as being terrorists. All this propaganda placed many Croatian people before the courts with some even being improperly jailed .An example of this occurred when a group of six Croatian men were wrongfully jailed for 10 years (after they had been set up by police and other Yugoslav nationalists) for trying to blow up dams around Australia. The Croatian priest Father Stjepan Seselja from Wollongong was even interviewed on numerous occasions by police due to all the propaganda that was directed at all the Croatians. The former communistic Yugoslav republic had put in motion a worldwide smear campaign against all Croatians openly declaring that we practiced genocide and were an evil race of people.
In the steelworks at Wollongong were there are many different nationalities; one Australian man said that he would like to see for himself one of those so-called Croatians. He did not know that his foreman was Croatian. The foreman was considered by all his fellow work colleagues as a very kind and considerate man. This person afterward was speechless. Also any Croatians who were active in the Croatian Catholic community in Australia and travelled back home to Croatia to visit their immediate families were usually taken away the next day to be interrogated by the Yugoslav police. The people were very often tried falsely for crimes against the republic which they did not commit, or alternatively the Yugoslav authorities would try to coerce these people to work for communism promising that they would be paid for doing so. Lastly they would be guaranteed not to be interrogated any further.
During these difficult times all the Croatian ethnic Chaplin’s in Australia gathered in Melbourne to sign a petition to give to the Australia Government, calling for them to put an end to all the bad sentiments that were being directed at all Croatians.
The Croatians in Wollongong were all young and loved their sports. This resulted in the founding of the first Croatian Soccer Club in Wollongong. This helped to show the local Australian community that we were all civil people, who wanted to integrate their lively hoods with those of the Australia people and not a race of rebels as portrayed by the former communist Yugoslavia.
As the Croatians settled into different countries around the world, the Croatian national Church inturn sent their priests to these countries. Today you will find around the world wherever there are Croatian people also Croatian priests and churches were the Holy Mass and other Sacramental obligations are fulfilled in the Croatian language. In NSW Franciscan priests from the Zagreb Province bought the St Anthony Padua Church in Summer Hill Sydney.
A Croatian priest initially travelling from Sydney every third Sunday to serve the first Croatians in Wollongong. Masses were held at the Cathedral in Wollongong and they’re after at Churches in Warrawong and Lake Heights. Father Roko Romac was the first priest to regularly frequent Warrawong to perform Masses every fourth Sunday after first finishing his Masses in Sydney.
In 1968 to 1972 Father Euzebije Mak who resided in Sydney at the Summer Hill Church undertook pastoral concerns for the Croatians in Wollongong. The Holy Mass was held in various locations depending on the needs at the time. Locations including churches at Warrawong, Lake Heights, Unanderra, Wollongong Cathedral and Fairy Meadow.
The Croatian community in Wollongong welcomingly received its first permanent priest Father Stjepan Seselja in February 1972. Father Seselja arrived in Australia 1971. His first five months were spent in Canberra with his family. Every Sunday he travelled to Wollongong from Canberra to hold 2 Masses in Croatian at Lake Heights and Wollongong.
On the 20th May 1972, Father Seselja moved permanently to Wollongong. Since then the Croatians have had their own priest. His first five months in Wollongong were spent in accommodation with Bishop McCabe, Wollongong ‘s first Bishop. Subsequently Mr Jordan Cajne accepted him into his private residence for nine months rent-free. In that same year Father Seselja began to collect money for either the purchase of an existing building or land to construct the Croatian Catholic Centre “Mary Queen Of Croats”. Various members of the Croatian community due to political reasons met this with resistance.
In 1973 Father Stjepan with the help of his parents and brothers from Canberra took a loan out and bought a house.
In 1976 the church committee found through the newspaper classifieds a church property for sale in Rosemont Street West Wollongong. Money was collected and the church was purchased from the Baptist Congregation. The church was blessed by Bishop Murray in 1976.Father Stjepan held three regular masses every Sunday there for six years till 1982.
In 1982 the church in West Wollongong was sold for $70,000 and the Croatian Catholic Centre took another loan from the ANZ Bank for $50,000.With these funds
land was purchased in Bellevue Road Figtree for $112,000 and $5000 was spent on drawings for a Church, Presbytery and hall to be built. Father Seselja thought out the design for this project. Collections for money commenced immediately for the construction of the new centre totalling $50,000. The Croatian community in Wollongong was the smallest of its kind in Australia. Approximately within a year (November 1982 to October 1983) a church, presbytery and multi-purpose hall had been constructed. Many people were amazed the project was finished in such a short time. Bishop Murray could not believe when Father Stjepan told him that the finished project did not require any loan funding. This was achieved as a result of many Croatians working unpaid to build the centre and church. Some workers took all their annual leave and worked the whole time even paying for their own food for lunch and tea breaks. Mr Ivo Dragic volunteered his services as project manager for the entire development. Many people came directly from their own jobs to work on this project without first even going home.
Father Stjepan from the beginning of the construction phase of the centre placed the whole project under the guidance and protection of Blessed Mary, and her Spouse St Joseph.
On the 29th October 1983, Bishop Ciril Kos from Croatia along with Bishop E W Murray of Wollongong blessed the centre “Mary Queen Of Croats”. Our Church was the first Croatian Church built in Australia.
Father Seselja remained in charge of the Centre until 1993, when he returned back home to Croatia. Father Drago Prgomet was his successor, a Franciscan Priest from Bosnia who remained in Wollongong until 2002. Father Ivo Tadic is our current priest.
The Croatian Catholic Centre serves it Croatians in religious, cultural, social and sporting activities. Every week Holy Masses are conducted in the Croatian Language on Saturday’s at 6.00pm and Sunday’s at 9.00am and 11.00am. Every first Friday of the month Benediction is performed and parishioners recite the rosary every May and October. The Sacrament of First Holy Communion is celebrated every year and every third year a Bishop from Croatia comes to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation.
The multi purpose hall is used to hold Croatian language classes weekly for infants, primary and high school children. Also folkloric dancing is taught for children by dancing group Zagreb. Every Wednesday and Friday the Croatians gather to socialise for example play billiards’, chess, cards and bowls. Also the soccer Club South Coast United is affiliated with the centre.
Annually every Saturday before the Assumption of Our Lady, being the15th August, a pilgrimage is celebrated at Figtree with pilgrims coming from all parts of NSW and the ACT to pay homage to Blessed Mary. This celebration occurs like wise in Bosnia Herzegovina were many Marian Shrines see pilgrims come to together to pray to Mary.
The Croatian Catholic Centre Wollongong serves it Croatian’s as a place were they can fulfil their religious, cultural and national aspirations in their new country Australia. The Centre is open for all other good willing nationalities and religions.
