The new Caritas dining hall was officially opened on Thursday, 8 October, in Trogir. The dining hall was opened on the occasion of the Day of Caritas of the Archdiocese of Split-Makarska, with the Archdiocesan Caritas launching the initiative in collaboration with the Parish of Our Lady of the Angels.
The opening took place within the framework of the commemoration of the 1,050th anniversary of the death of Queen Jelena and the 950th anniversary of the coronation of King Zvonimir. The central part of the celebration was the Eucharistic celebration in the church of St. John Paul II, presided over by the Vicar for the Clergy, Don Vedran Torić, with the concelebration of priests from the Trogir parishes. The liturgical singing was led by the Mixed Parish Choir of Our Lady of the Angels under the direction of Urša Ljuben.
In his homily, Don Vedran Torić highlighted that the beneficiaries of Caritas are not merely people in need, but above all friends. He reminded that Christian love cannot be reduced to providing material aid or performing charitable acts. Following the mass, the opening of the new dining hall took place, with the first meals distributed to beneficiaries.
The ceremony continued with a special programme enriched by the children of the Catholic kindergarten Ema from Trogir. The gathered crowd was addressed by the Mayor of Trogir, Ante Bilić, who praised the ongoing cooperation between the City of Trogir and the Archdiocese of Split-Makarska. The representative of the Split-Dalmatia County, Blažen Boban, was greeted by the Secretary, Josip Matković, while the Archdiocese of Split-Makarska was represented by Don Vedran Torić.
Don Vedran Toriš thanked the director of Caritas, Denis Maslov, and all staff and volunteers. The director of the Archdiocese of Split-Makarska, Denis Maslov, thanked all those who contributed to the realisation of the project, noting that the forms of poverty are becoming increasingly complex. As an example, he cited the Caritas dining hall in Omiš, which currently serves 45 regular beneficiaries. Vouchers were presented to the volunteers of the Parish of Our Lady of the Angels, and at the end of the programme, the parish priest, Don Nikola, addressed the gathering.
