This year, too, we gathered and together celebrated the feast of St. Luke the Evangelist, the heavenly patron of the Croatian Catholic Medical Society and all doctors.
 
The celebration began with two days of spiritual retreats in the Margarita Peraica Hall in the premises of our Society in Zagreb, led by our priest prof. dr. don Ivan Bodrožić, and moderated by the president of the Society doc. dr. sc. Rok Čivljak. 

On the first day, Friday, October 16, prof. Bodrožić presented the topic of Ethical Challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, referring to the numerous challenges posed by the pandemic of the new coronavirus, especially for us health professionals. The obligation to isolate a large number of people, even entire families, both due to illness and contact with the infected, is a new experience during this pandemic. As Pope Francis pointed out in his new encyclical Fratelli tutti, man was not created for loneliness and isolation, but is fully realized through communion with other people. Therefore, we must deal with physical isolation in appropriate ways, which does not necessarily imply spiritual isolation. Prof. In his presentation, Bodrožić gave examples of how we can help each other and alleviate the difficulties of life in this pregnant time and maintain the necessary level of humanity and spirituality. 
 
On the second day of the spiritual retreats, on Saturday, October 17, the theme was Health Professionals in the Service of Life. Building on the previous presentation, prof. Bodrožić emphasized the important role of health professionals today, especially due to the high risk of exposure to coronavirus, which endangers their lives and the lives of their loved ones. Due to the nature of their work, health professionals are faced with the need to restrict their movement, which also restricts some freedoms that others are not denied. But on the other hand, they are given the opportunity to solidify their mission of giving to others. Healthcare professionals must also recognize in their patients their divine dimension because they are created in the image of God and as such need not only our physical but also spiritual closeness. The action of doctors and other health professionals is not only an act of healing a sick person but also our mission, mission. 

On the feast of St. Luke, on Sunday, October 18, Msgr. Dr. Vlado Košić, Bishop of Sisak, led the solemn Eucharist in the church of St. Blaž, in concelebration with the clergy of our Society, Don Ivan Bodrožić and Fr. Draženko Tomić, the clergyman of the branch "Branimir Richter" Zagreb HKLD and the parish priests of the parish of St. Blaž Rev. Borno Puškarić and Rev. Anđelko Katanc. Bishop Vlado reminded the numerous believers, parishioners and members of HKLD, of the biography of St. Luke who was a physician and one of the first followers of Jesus. He was also a companion of St. Paul on part of his missionary journeys, and in addition to one of the Gospels, known as the Gospel of Luke, he also wrote the Acts of the Apostles. It is less known that St. Luke the author and the first icons with the first depiction of the figure of the Mother of God. 

As a physician of body and soul such as St. Luke, Bishop Košić emphasized the importance of choosing St. Ports for the patron saint of doctors and members of the HKLD. Following the example of St. In addition to their professional tasks, the port, physicians and health professionals of today should strive to perform an evangelistic task in their work, as called by their heavenly protector and role model. Only by uniting care for the physical and the spiritual, Bishop Vlado emphasized, can the doctor of today realize his true mission, like the merciful Samaritan from the parable written by St. Port.  

At the end of the Holy Mass, the president of HKLD, doc. dr. sc. Rok Čivljak, who thanked the bishop, priests and pastors for their communion in the Eucharist and spiritual retreats. He also thanked the members of the Oratory Choir of the Church of St. Marka Cantores sancti Marci and their leader prof. Jurica Petar Petrač, who, accompanied by maestro Pavle Mašić, magnified this solemn Mass on the organ by performing III. Old Slavonic Mass of Alba Vidaković. Doc. dr. sc. prim. Rok Čivljak, MD President of HKLD 

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