Pastoral Care for Croatian Migrants

Abstract

Pastoral care for Croatian emigrants is as old as the migration of Croatian Catholics, primarily to nearby countries, where they live today and are recognized as a Croatian national minority, and then in the last 125 years as pastoral care for emigrants in European and overseas countries. Pastoral care for Croatian emigrants experienced a special impetus with the European wave of emigration of Croats in the 20th century and the establishment of the Pastoral Directorate for Croats Abroad (Directio Nationalis Operum pro Migrationibus Croatis) on June 25, 1966.
After a brief historical overview of the development of the Croatian foreign flock, the article presents statistical data (as at 31 December 2018) as well as an overview of the current state and distribution of pastoral presences around the world. The last part of the article is about the current challenges and some special characteristics of pastoral care for Croatian emigrants and their descendants.