WISH

Dear people of Banja Luka and all believers of good will!

On behalf of the parish of The Blessed Virgin Mary's Visitation to Elisabeth and as a parish priest of the God's Mother's church which is well known to our people, I ask you for help with restoration and rebuilding of our church built in 1890.

In 1753 Fra Marijan Ilić was again appointed as a parish priest in this parish. Ever since the parish has had its shepards. In 1737, Mato Delivić, apostolic vicar in the parish, visited the parish of Banja Luka and mentioned that although there was no church there, it used to exist not so long ago near Lau{. Later, in 1878, Fra Stjepan Orlovac located it. He said that there was the Church of St. John the Baptist beneath Lauš.The exact location of it was a place where, in his time, was so called Eski mosque. Crkvena stream flowed through the church vestibule so the stream was named after the word 'church'. On that place, near by the stream, there were about twenty beautifully carved stones originating from the razed church on which Turkish women washed their laundry at that time. So, this year (2003) we celebrated 250th anniversary of continuity of parish priests' existence, i. e. the existence of pastoral workers of this parish and it is not the case with any other parish in Banja Luka.

During these 250 years the number of believers increased or went down and it depended on economic and political circumstances. A great number of believers had to leave...

Ivan Merz

Statue

Caritas

Banjalučke biskupija

Caritas