Ivanka Bubalo with her daughter.

Ivanka Bubalo again near the Plehan Franciscan Convent, destroyed by the Serbs in 1992. Since her childhood she used to go 5km regularly from her village to the Sundey Mass at the Plehan Convent in her white shirt.

Colorful national costumes of Croatians exiled from Bosnian Posavina on the North of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Ivanka Bubalo at the Holy Mass.

Preparing a newspaper article.

Celebrating the 6th birthday of her daughter.

Ivanka Bubalo and her son Ivan with the Sarajevo Cardinal Vinko Puljić.

Radio report about destinies of exiled Croatians from Bosnian Posavina in BiH, now living throughtout Croatia and around the world.

Ivanka Bubalo at the Holy Mass.

A typical landscape of Bosanska Posavina around the Plehan Convent, with dozens of empty Croatian villages. Numerous places, contrary to decisions of the Dayton Agreement, have forcefully Serbized names. For example one can see Srbinje (previously Foča), Srpski Brod (previously Bosanski Brod), etc., even today denoted in this way on dozens of traffic signs. This is an open mocking with decisions of the Dayton Agreement, and this is also a message for exiled Croatian families not even to think about returning to their homes. Several Croatians who tried to return to their homes in Bosnian Posavina have been assasinated by Serbian extremists, sending in this way a general message to all Croatians exiled from this part of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Ivanka Bubalo with her husband Slavko.

A message of gratitude on the occasion of death of dear wife, mother and daughter, published by her husband, children and parents. She died after a car accident in 2004 at the age of 41.

Optimism, hard work, modesty, simplicity, devotion to family, and deep Catholic faith are probably the main characteristics of the sacred life of Ivanka. She inspires us and sends messages even being on the other side of the shore...
We express our sincere gratitude to Mario Essert, Professor at the University of Zagreb, for permission to publish the photos related to sacred life and work of Ivanka Bubalo exclusively for the readers of the CROWN. The photos are from the monograph "Bijela košuljica Ivanke Bubalo" (White Shirt of Ivanka Bubalo), issued by the Plehan Society and Glas koncila in 2009, aiming to collect funds necessary to build the new Plehan Convent exactly on the place of the 1992 ruins. The project is directed by infatiguable fra Mirko Filipović (his name should not be confused with the name of a well known Croatian sportsman).
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