Bishop Milan Stipić leads pilgrimage to Vienna and Bratislava

Bishop Milan Stipić of the Križevci Greek Catholic Eparchy led a group of 55 pilgrims, including priests and theologians, on a jubilee pilgrimage to Vienna and Bratislava. The journey serves as preparation for the upcoming 250th anniversary of the establishment of the Križevci Eparchy in 2027.

In Vienna, the group attended a Divine Liturgy at the Greek Catholic Church of St. Barbara. The church and the Barbareum seminary were founded by Empress Maria Theresa in 1725 and 1775, respectively, to educate the clergy of the Habsburg Monarchy. The pilgrims also visited the Imperial Crypt to pray at the tomb of Maria Theresa, whose 1777 decision was instrumental in the creation of the Križevci Eparchy.

The pilgrimage continued to Bratislava, where the group visited the Cathedral of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Bishop Stipić presided over a Church Slavonic liturgy and invited Slovak believers to participate in the upcoming 250th-anniversary celebrations in Croatia.