Have a Drink – Pay with Prayer

At the church of the Holy Mother of Freedom in the Holy Ghost parish in the Jarun neighborhood of Zagreb, parishioners can have refreshments after the morning service every Sunday and pay with prayer instead of with money.

A new spiritual café, Jedro, was opened last year at the church of the Holy Mother of Freedom in the Holy Ghost parish at Jarun. Those who wish to enjoy refreshments after mass are welcome to a drink which they will pay for with prayer. The most expensive drink is Coca – Cola which will set you back five Hail Marys and a Glory Be to the Father. You can get a latte for three Our Fathers. Alcoholic beverages and smoking are prohibited.

This very special café is the brainchild of a group of young parishioners who wanted to continue socializing after the morning service on Sundays at a place where they could have some refreshments. Still, instead of opting for a local neighborhood café, it occurred to them to open a place where they would be able to get together and have a drink without paying for it. That is how the first Croatian spiritual café was born. Soon after the opening, it got its first coffee machine and all the other paraphernalia, which were mostly donated to the young parishioners.

At first, the café had no more than five or six tables. Today, that number has gone up to 20 or so with seats for 60 to 80 people. The patrons are served upon by four to five waiters, all volunteers, and the funds for the running of the cafe have been allocated by the parish and sponsors. 

For the time being, the café is open only on Sundays, after the service, between 1 P.M. and 2 P.M. The café’s spiritual fathers’ fondest wish is for its working hours to be extended as there is increased interest among the young in taking their afternoon cup of coffee in the spiritual café.