Page 168 - Dark Shades of Istria
P. 168
Istrian Memories in the Dark Tourism Context: The Qualitative Analysis
Figure 8.6 Concelebrated Mass at the Placa in Svetvinčenat
overcome evil and hatred. This happened also to Bl. Bulešić, who passed
away saying the words ‘My revenge is forgiveness.’ His example shows that
the length of a life is not as important as its content and quality. Great are
those who know how to serve and make sacrifices for others, and Bulešić
can serve as an example for all of us. Accordingly, Bulešič and the saints
were not defined only as a historical category. Otherwise, the bishop did
not even mention the post-war totalitarian regime, anti-fascism, the Is-
trian convivenza, regionalism and the present political situation in the
region or in the state, nor did he talk about death- or suffering-related
tourism or pilgrimage.¹³ Technically speaking, the bishop’s sermon was
marked with constant linking of the past with the present and the future,
although memory was not at the forefront.
At the end of the Mass celebration, the local parish priest thanked all
those present and invited them to enter the church where they could ap-
proach the altar and worship the relics: the cassock worn at the time of
the homicide, the cushion soaked with his blood and the fragment of wall
plaster from the parson’s house in Lanišće. This was followed by the cer-
emonial departure (procession) of bishops and priests from the stage to
the parish church. The bishop who led the Concelebrated Mass carried a
relic (blood) of Bl. Bulešić, making this part of the religious event even
more solemn. The believers followed the procession in order to see the
relics. The events were accompanied by the ringing of church bells. At
¹³ If we ignore the bishop’s thoughts on ‘pilgrimage to the sky.’
168
Figure 8.6 Concelebrated Mass at the Placa in Svetvinčenat
overcome evil and hatred. This happened also to Bl. Bulešić, who passed
away saying the words ‘My revenge is forgiveness.’ His example shows that
the length of a life is not as important as its content and quality. Great are
those who know how to serve and make sacrifices for others, and Bulešić
can serve as an example for all of us. Accordingly, Bulešič and the saints
were not defined only as a historical category. Otherwise, the bishop did
not even mention the post-war totalitarian regime, anti-fascism, the Is-
trian convivenza, regionalism and the present political situation in the
region or in the state, nor did he talk about death- or suffering-related
tourism or pilgrimage.¹³ Technically speaking, the bishop’s sermon was
marked with constant linking of the past with the present and the future,
although memory was not at the forefront.
At the end of the Mass celebration, the local parish priest thanked all
those present and invited them to enter the church where they could ap-
proach the altar and worship the relics: the cassock worn at the time of
the homicide, the cushion soaked with his blood and the fragment of wall
plaster from the parson’s house in Lanišće. This was followed by the cer-
emonial departure (procession) of bishops and priests from the stage to
the parish church. The bishop who led the Concelebrated Mass carried a
relic (blood) of Bl. Bulešić, making this part of the religious event even
more solemn. The believers followed the procession in order to see the
relics. The events were accompanied by the ringing of church bells. At
¹³ If we ignore the bishop’s thoughts on ‘pilgrimage to the sky.’
168
