‘Times have changed’ at St Anthony’s

Sydney
7 July 2002

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‘Times have changed’ at St Anthony’s

Fr Novak outside the Croatian Catholic Centre

By Damir Govorcin

Fr Vlado Novak has seen many changes during his 27 years as parish priest at St Anthony’s Croatian Catholic Church in Summer Hill.

But something which has never changed is the Croatian people’s generosity and devotion to the Catholic faith.

“For Croatians, faith has always been a help, never a hindrance,” says the 59-year-old priest. “Parish-

ioners tell me that without their faith their lives would have no meaning.

“It’s easy to get caught up in the rat race of money and material wealth. But you can’t put a price on spiritual wealth.”

Fr Novak was ordained in Zagreb, Croatia, in 1968 and came to Australia seven years later to take up his duties at St Anthony’s. At first, he was taken aback as he presided over a rundown church with old living quarters.

“My bed had a wire sticking out of it, so I had to put a blanket over it to get some sleep,” he recalls. “But how times have changed.”

Indeed, now he has a beautiful restored church and a spacious new centre which includes offices and living quarters.

This has been made possible through the generosity of the Croatian people. They have dug deep, giving more than $1 million, which has helped build Croatian churches and centres in Summer Hill, St John’s Park and Blacktown.

It has also enabled them to build the Cardinal Stepinac Village at St John’s Park – the first Croatian nursing home in Sydney.

“Nobody helped us … it was just the giving nature of the Croatian people,” says the proud Franciscan priest.

“Croatian people are hard-working and generous when it comes to donating to the Church and charities,” he says. “It makes me so proud of my culture and Croatian people.”

Despite their enormous contribution in Australia society, Croatians have lived with an ugly public perception of them as fascists, terrorists and hooligans.

Much of this stems back to World War II collaboration with the Nazis, and is manifested today in crowd trouble at soccer matches. Like all Croatians, Fr Novak is hurt by the accusations, which he claims have been unjust.

In the future, he hopes the stain of the wartime collaboration will disappear.

“We’re not animals,” he says. “Croatians are a loving and hard-working community and we deserve to get respect. I pray eventually we can change people’s perceptions about us.”

Going to church plays a pivotal role in Croatian lives.

It’s not only a place to practise their faith, but an opportunity to catch up with friends and chew the fat over topics such as politics and sport.

And if you’re planning on going to any Croatian church on a Sunday, here’s some simple advice.

Make sure you go early to get a seat.

Churches are always full to overflowing, so late-comers are forced to serve their penance outside while listening to the service via large speakers.

However, according to Fr Novak, a worrying trend is developing among the young.

More and more of them are staying away from church, leaving the older brigade to swell the attendance.

“It’s dangerous for young people just to be interested in material things,” Fr Novak says. “Kids in Australia have a wonderful opportunity to develop their spiritual growth. It’s not good enough just to say God loves you.

“You have to nurture your faith by prayer and participating in sacraments such as communion and reconciliation.”

As Croatia fought for freedom and independence during the 1990s, religion took on a greater significance in the lives of Croatian people in Australia.

As their country of birth was being torn apart by war, they took solace in their faith to deal with the hardship and suffering their family, friends and relatives were going through overseas.

“Croatians are resilient people and are always fighting for their well-being both physically and spiritually,” Fr Novak says.

“Our faith has allowed us to overcome numerous hurdles and has made us stronger people.”