There are currently around 120,000 foreign workers in Croatia. This is a large number for a country like Croatia, which has around 3.8 million inhabitants, and it is estimated that this number will increase.

We have already written about the great need for pastoral care of foreign workers, which, among other things, includes Masses in English or the language spoken by certain groups of people, such as the Filipinos, who are predominantly Catholic (around 80%).

Last Sunday, around five hundred Filipinos gathered in the Church of Our Lady of Freedom in the Zagreb neighborhood of Jarun to celebrate Mass in Tagalog. A priest from the Philippines is expected to arrive soon to take care of the pastoral care of immigrants from that country.

That is why we contacted all Croatian archdioceses and dioceses and found out in which cities and at what times Masses are celebrated in English. We bring you a complete list.

Zagreb

  • Saint Blaise Parish, Sundays at 12:30
  • Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, Jordanovac, Sundays at 5:00 PM

Split

  • Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish – Visoka: Masses are on Saturdays at 5:00 PM, and 30 minutes before there is an opportunity for confession in English

Osijek

  • St. Cyril and Methodius the Slavic Apostles Parish, Sundays at 12:00 PM

Varaždin

  • Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Sundays at 4:30 PM

In addition to the above, it should be noted that the majority of foreign workers do not speak English as their first language, and many parish priests we spoke with point out that in this case the faithful prefer to attend Masses in Croatian.

That is why some attempts to regularly celebrate Masses in English have not taken off.

We also got the impression that there is significant interest in the pastoral care of foreign workers in some dioceses where such a thing does not yet exist.