Mass in Tagalog, with Filipino choirs: from Zagreb to Zadar, and now Rijeka

On 10 October the Capuchin church on Rijeka’s Žabica held its first Mass in Tagalog, sung by a Filipino choir. Rijeka joins Zagreb, where three Tagalog Masses are celebrated every Sunday, and Zadar. Where and when to go – and why it matters to a community of thousands.

Published 2026-10-13 · Source checked 2026-10-13

For many Filipinos in Croatia, the most familiar sound of home on a weekend is not a phone call but a choir. On Saturday, 10 October, the Capuchin Church of Our Lady of Lourdes on Žabica in Rijeka hosted its first Mass in Tagalog. Novi list, which spoke to members of the community before the service, reported that a twelve-member Filipino choir sang and that the local Filipino community association, FilCom RI, helped organise it.^[1]

The Archdiocese of Rijeka says the initiative came from the Filipino community itself. Masses will be celebrated on the second Saturday of every month at 16:30 by Fr Mark Robin Destura, RCJ, with pastoral care provided through the Mission of St Ansgar.^[2][3] On that rhythm, the next one falls on Saturday, 14 November.

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Rijeka follows Zagreb, where regular Tagalog liturgy began in October 2025. The Archdiocese of Zagreb announced three Sunday Masses at the time: 9:00 at St Vincent de Paul in Frankopanska Street, 12:30 at St John the Baptist in Nova Ves and 16:30 at St Barbara in Gornji Vrapče, led by the chaplain for Filipino Catholics, Fr Andrew Sebial Bayal, CM, and accompanied by a mixed Filipino choir.^[4] Times can change, so check with the parish before you go.

In Zadar, the first organised Mass for Filipinos was celebrated on 6 July at the Church of St Simeon, led by Fr Michael Angelo V. Flores, OFMCap. Antena Zadar reported that the church was full. Fr Flores said that around 500 Filipinos live in the Archdiocese of Zadar and about 16,000 in Croatia – his estimates, not official statistics.^[5]

Behind the timetables is a broader story about belonging. Croatia and the Philippines share a Catholic majority, and community members interviewed by Novi list spoke of the shared emphasis on family and of how a liturgy in one’s own language makes a new country feel less foreign.^[1] Parishes, for their part, present the Masses as a response to the needs of a growing community of foreign workers.^[3]

Looking ahead: Simbang Gabi, the nine dawn or evening Masses from 16 to 24 December, is the high point of the Filipino Christmas season. We have not yet seen a published Croatian schedule. If your parish, choir or community group is organising Simbang Gabi, a concert or a festival, send us the details through the contributions page and we will list it.

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