Page 163 - Dark Shades of Istria
P. 163
8.3 Case Study Event 2
Figure 8.3 Tomb of Bl. Miroslav Bulešić
tions). However, at the time of our visit, there were no parking issues, as
there was enough space for parking around the church and the Municipal
Hall. There were a few vehicles with registration plates from Koper and
Rijeka, whereas others were from the Istrian County. This was the first
indication that visitors came mainly from the home village. There was no
crowd, and the village centre was clean and tidy. Three flags were hung
in front of the parish church – the flags of Croatia, the Vatican and the
Municipality – flowers were laid at the bust of Bl. Bulešić and his image
hung on the bell tower. All this indicated that 24 August 2018 was not just
an ordinary summer Friday. The visitors arrived peacefully, some of them
had brief social encounters in front of the church and soon after entered
the church where the Solemn Requiem Mass was held at 10 o’clock.
The Solemn Requiem Mass, led by the local parish priest accompanied
by two additional priests and altar boys, was a religious event (liturgical
ritual) without any other additions (Figure 8.4). As with every Eucharis-
tic celebration, it had a more or less fixed structure;⁹ only the parts espe-
cially related to Bl. Bulešić will be further described and analysed. One of
⁹ Limited variations depend on each special occasion.
163
Figure 8.3 Tomb of Bl. Miroslav Bulešić
tions). However, at the time of our visit, there were no parking issues, as
there was enough space for parking around the church and the Municipal
Hall. There were a few vehicles with registration plates from Koper and
Rijeka, whereas others were from the Istrian County. This was the first
indication that visitors came mainly from the home village. There was no
crowd, and the village centre was clean and tidy. Three flags were hung
in front of the parish church – the flags of Croatia, the Vatican and the
Municipality – flowers were laid at the bust of Bl. Bulešić and his image
hung on the bell tower. All this indicated that 24 August 2018 was not just
an ordinary summer Friday. The visitors arrived peacefully, some of them
had brief social encounters in front of the church and soon after entered
the church where the Solemn Requiem Mass was held at 10 o’clock.
The Solemn Requiem Mass, led by the local parish priest accompanied
by two additional priests and altar boys, was a religious event (liturgical
ritual) without any other additions (Figure 8.4). As with every Eucharis-
tic celebration, it had a more or less fixed structure;⁹ only the parts espe-
cially related to Bl. Bulešić will be further described and analysed. One of
⁹ Limited variations depend on each special occasion.
163
