Adventist Pastor Sings for Croatian President

By: Edvard Miler, Adventist Record

An Adventist pastor in Sydney, Australia, performed a spiritual song for the president of the Republic of Croatia, during her recent visit to Australia.

Pastor Edvard Miler, from the Dundas Croatian Seventh-day Adventist Church, performed at the gala dinner held at the Punchbowl Croatian Club on August 14 in honor of Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović’s visit.

Grabar-Kitarović was invited to Australia by Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull; the first Croatian president to visit since Franjo Tudjman, the first president of Croatia, in 1995.

During her visit, Grabar-Kitarović also held numerous meetings with members of the large Croatian community in Australia. The gala dinner was attended by the president and the members of her delegation, representatives of the Croatian Embassy in Canberra, representatives of the Consulate General of Croatia in Sydney, as well as hundreds of Croatian immigrants who have been living in Australia for years.

The entire program was filled with numerous performances by local Croatian folk companies, to show the president that the Croatian culture and language continue to be nurtured among Croatian immigrants and their descendants, even to the third and fourth generations.

At the personal invitation of Croatian Ambassador to Australia and New Zealand Damir Kušen, Pastor Miler sang “The Fisherman”—“Ribar,” in Croatian”—, written by Edvard Miler’s recently deceased brother, Pastor Frederik Miler. The song was the only spiritual song performed during the evening.

“The Ambassador’s invitation to sing was a great honor for me,” said Miler, “but also for the members of Dundas Croatian Seventh-day Adventist Church, whose faithful and dedicated work in both the Croatian and local community was acknowledged by this special invitation.”