Activities

From the earliest days (1992) the Centre for Peace Osijek works on empowering faith / religious communities, both clergy and laity, to actively participate in peace building activities, to promote inter-faith dialogue and cooperation as well as to explore avenues of religion serving as a vehicle for reconciliation.

SOME OF OUR PREVIOUS ACTIVITIES

Conflict resolution trainings for different faith representatives living in communities which were ethnically divided by the war; for the church council of the Roman Catholic parish composed of Hungarians and Croats (after being displaced persons in war). Some of the training themes: grief and loss, victim hood, active listening and facilitated dialogue, conflict resolution, forgiveness and reconciliation.

Ecumenical Peace Prayers with clergy and laity from different churches (Roman Catholic, Serbian Orthodox, Reformed, Baptist and Evangelical churches). They were important for Roman Catholic and Serbian Orthodox priest to meet for the first time after the war and bless the congregation together.

Gospel and peace poetry concerts held in open spaces (by the river) and in different churches.

Theatre performance called "Broken chains" and played by actors of the Croatian National Theatre historically painted story of two apostles, Peter and Paul, presenting the nonsense of conflict between the two who had a common goal and who even laid their lives for the particular goal. The play was organised in one of the local Parishes and gathered both believers and unbelievers.

Inter-religious Events gathered local Christian representatives but also local Islamic ad Jewish communities.

Women prayer groups for peace were formed in different multiethnic places in Eastern Croatia which were directly affected by the war (Vukovar, Berak, Mikluševci, Dalj, Batina, Tenja and B. Manastir). The groups gathered 87 women of different faith coming from Roman Catholic, Serbian Orthodox, Reformed, Adventist and Evangelical churches.

Training seminars were organised in each of the mentioned places were different themes were opened and discussed by women gathered around the prayer groups for peace. Training themes: Introducing and understanding the true identity, attitudinal healing, the power of faith, caring for the community on a daily basis, ecumenical work.

Creative workshops, book promotions, round tables…