No matter how much the world changes, people never stop searching for love, acceptance, and a deeper sense of purpose. That is why, for many, faith is more than religion. It is a relationship that offers hope when life’s deepest questions remain unanswered. It becomes a refuge when everything falls apart, a source of strength when certainty disappears, and a reminder that some truths lie beyond the reach of reason alone.
And yet today, we often spend more time debating faith than actually living it. We question it, challenge it, and defend it, reducing it to rules, institutions, and tradition, while forgetting that at its core, faith has always been about a relationship — the relationship between human beings and God.
Perhaps that is why more and more people, especially young people, are searching for a place where they will not be judged for their questions, weaknesses, or moments of uncertainty. A place where someone will truly listen, see beyond the surface, and remind them that they are loved. Sometimes, they find that place in a man of the Church whose life reflects the message he preaches.
One such person is Don Frano Bešlić, a Salesian priest and director of the oratory in Zagreb’s Knežija neighbourhood. Raised in a Herzegovinian family, surrounded by Franciscan spirituality and shared family prayer, he has devoted his life to bringing people, especially young people, closer to God.
“I believe God has always had a greater plan for me. The life I lead today is simply my response to what He placed in my heart long ago. My life is not only about speaking of God, but about bearing witness to His love each day. I want people, especially young people, to come to know through me a God who does not condemn, but loves. I believe the only way to reach the human heart is through love and personal example, and that human failings should never be a reason for anyone to turn away from faith.”
As a boy, he dreamed of becoming a professional basketball player. He represented Croatia at youth level and was close to moving to the United States to pursue a professional career. Everything changed after a serious injury, which led him to confront life’s bigger questions for the first time. In search of answers, he travelled to Medjugorje, where, as he puts it, he truly encountered the living God for the first time. Today, he believes that neither the injury, nor his fears, nor the obstacles he faced were accidental. They were all part of the path through which God led him towards a calling he would eventually embrace fully, after years of discernment.
In his interview with Human Voice, he speaks openly about his vocation, the questions that have shaped his life, and his relationship with God. He explains why young people today long above all for love and acceptance, and what inspired him to launch Croatia’s first Catholic speed dating event. He also reflects on human failings within the Church and on how people can be guided back to God after drifting away from their faith. He speaks candidly about the challenges of the priestly vocation, coming to terms with a life that does not include marriage, a family, or children, and why he considers giving himself fully to God the greatest source of joy and purpose in his life. He shares it all with a smile, remarkable ease, humility, and a sense of peace rooted in his deep trust in the One to whom he has entrusted his life.
And that is precisely why he is our Human Voice — a voice of faith, joy, and hope. A man who believes that life’s greatest mission is to give oneself to others, bear witness to God’s love, and help people, especially young people, open their hearts to God. Because ultimately, we were not created for this world alone, but for eternal life in Heaven.
I always like to say that I am a Herzegovinian from Zagreb. I was born and raised in Sesvete, while my parents are both from Herzegovina — my father from Posušje and my mother from Tomislavgrad. Faith played a very important role in our family. We prayed together every evening, and my father placed particular emphasis on attending Sunday Mass and going to confession regularly. I also grew up surrounded by the Franciscans, so from an early age I was close to the Church, to God, and to faith. Little by little, all of this shaped me into the person I am today.
I attended primary school in Sesvetska Sopnica and later went to high school in Sesvete before enrolling in an economics degree. By then, I was already discerning a religious vocation, but following my parents’ advice, I completed one more year at university. After that year, I realised that God was calling me down a different path, and I took that step. At the same time, I was deeply committed to basketball. It was the first love of my life, and I dreamed of becoming a professional player, but God had other plans for me.
At first, yes, because I felt unworthy. I was aware of my weaknesses and did not know whether I was capable of it or ready to make such a great sacrifice. My first instinct was to run from the calling and set it aside. I continued with school, played basketball, and at the time I was also in a loving and serious relationship. But as my relationship with God deepened, the fear gradually began to fade, while my trust and confidence in Him grew. In the end, that gave me the courage to take that step at the age of nineteen.
“Young people today are searching above all for love. They need someone who will listen to them, understand them, and give them a safe space to open up. They want to express who they are and talk about the problems and struggles they may not know how to share with others. More than anything, they want to feel loved and accepted. That is why I want to pass on the values I strive to live by myself: faith, trust in God, love for God and others, a sense of community, service, and self-giving. Joy is especially important. For Don Bosco, it was a sign of a holy life, and it is something I encourage them to embrace every day.”
My mother used to tell me that even at the age of five, I would say that I wanted to play basketball until I was forty and then become a priest. That calling was clearly already growing somewhere within me, perhaps because I had grown up close to the Church, priests, and the Franciscans. I also often said that I wanted to leave a mark on the world and live a meaningful life that would truly make a difference. Over time, that desire took shape through my vocation to the priesthood and religious life. The defining moment came on 2 August 2012, during the Youth Festival in Medjugorje, when I was sixteen. For the first time, I truly experienced what it meant for God to be alive and personal, and to understand that He is good and that He is love. That experience completely changed my life and set me on a path I had never imagined taking before.
People often misunderstand what it means when I say that God speaks to me. For me, the experience of prayer during Eucharistic adoration in Medjugorje was so powerful that I wept with joy, overwhelmed by the tenderness and love of God I felt in those moments. I had no doubt that it was truly God at work.
How else did I know? By the change it brought about in my life. As Jesus says in the Gospel, “By their fruits you will know them.” After that experience, I began to pray more deeply, attend Mass, and go to confession regularly. Even my parents noticed the change in me. Until then, God had been little more than an idea to me, someone distant with whom I had no personal relationship. That moment changed everything. It transformed me and opened my eyes to an entirely new path, especially the possibility of a spiritual, priestly, and religious vocation.
Looking back now, I am deeply grateful to God for that experience. At the time, the doctors told me that the injury could seriously jeopardise or even bring an end to my basketball career. I had played for Croatia at youth level and received a scholarship to an American college. Everything seemed to be leading towards a life in professional basketball, but the injury forced me to confront serious questions about my life for the first time. Searching for answers, I travelled to Medjugorje twice that summer. There, I experienced God’s love and closeness, and realised how deeply that experience had brought me back to Him and how superficial my relationship with Him had been until then. Although I attended Mass, went to confession, and prayed, basketball had become my god — I can honestly say that. God had to find a way to reach me, and for me, it was through suffering that shook me and opened my eyes. It was as though He were saying, “Frano, this is not the path I have chosen for you. I have something far more beautiful for you, but also more demanding. I have placed a calling in your heart from the day you were conceived, from the day you were born.” That is why today I am grateful to God for the entire experience.
I discerned my vocation between the ages of sixteen and eighteen, but at the time, I did not have a priest in whom I could confide. Through a Salesian app, I met a Salesian priest who became my spiritual director and remains so to this day. He introduced me to Don Bosco and gave me a book about his life, which I devoured in two weeks. As I read it, I realised: “This is the life I want to lead.” I wanted to dedicate myself to God by serving young people, especially those most in need and living in poverty. At nineteen, I joined the Salesian community in Podsused. This was followed by my novitiate and philosophy studies in Rome, pastoral training in Jarun and Malta, and theology studies in London. After returning to Zagreb, I became director of the oratory in Knežija and assistant parish priest at the Church of Mary Help of Christians. The entire journey took ten years. Some may consider that a long time, but once you become aware of the significance of the calling and the dignity of priestly and religious life, I would say that ten years is not long at all. There were moments of doubt and uncertainty, but for me, it was a deeply grace-filled and fruitful period.
Faith is a relationship between God and the human person, rooted in trust, love, sacrifice, and obedience.
I want to pass on to young people the values I strive to live by myself: faith, trust in God, love for God and others, a sense of community, service, and self-giving. Joy is especially important, as Don Bosco saw it as a sign of a holy life. I want to guide them towards the vocation God has intended for each of them.
From my own experience and encounters with young people, I would say that what they long for most is love — Love with a capital L. They need someone who will listen to them, understand them, and give them a safe space to open up. They want to feel accepted and loved. Young people are also searching for God, whether they realise it or not. They often try to satisfy that longing through destructive behaviours, but these only leave them feeling empty. As Salesians, we strive to offer them closeness, warmth, and a sense of community, but above all, to lead them towards God, who alone can fulfil them completely. Our aim is to guide them to Him through educational, recreational, and spiritual experiences.
I currently serve at the St John Bosco Oratory in Zagreb’s Knežija neighbourhood, which is open to all young people. They can spend time there playing games, socialising, and taking part in spiritual and prayer activities, as well as joining groups through which they serve others. Through this environment and personal guidance, we support them in their human and Christian growth and help them discern their vocation in life. Our approach, inspired by Don Bosco, is simple: love young people in the things they love, so that they may come to love the One you love — God.
Full interview
One very practical example is the catechesis and Eucharistic adoration we organise every Monday in Knežija. These moments of prayer are open to everyone. We open the church so that anyone who wishes can come, and we also offer the opportunity for confession. Young people respond very well, partly because confession is available later in the evening, usually around 8:30 or 9 p.m. That allows them to come more discreetly. Some may feel uncomfortable going to confession during the parish’s regular hours, when others can see them. Here, they feel more at ease, and those moments are often truly beautiful. They also come to hear something meaningful and relevant to their lives. Many young people who are not otherwise part of our community join us because they are searching for answers and, ultimately, searching for God. We also organise more social activities. We often hold celebrations at the oratory for feast days such as Mary Help of Christians or St John Bosco, with music, food, drinks, dancing, and wholesome fun. The young people from our oratory often bring their friends so they can see that we are not strange, elitist, or some kind of sect, but simply people who love God, search for answers together, and grow in faith as well as in Christian and human virtues.
I think one of the biggest problems is that today everyone carries an entire world in their pocket — a world with virtually no boundaries, filled with endless content designed to entertain us and capture our attention. But what happens as a result? Young people often lose some of the things that are essential to growing up: genuine contact with others, spending time together, healthy fun, and social interaction. I often ask the young people who come to our oratory, “What is your screen time?” Sometimes I am genuinely shocked and saddened by how much time they spend on social media. But when I help them become more aware of it, they begin to realise: “I am wasting my life on things that do not really matter. I could be doing so much more — learning new skills, gaining knowledge, developing my social confidence, and improving the way I communicate with others. I am actually missing out on a great deal.” Once they become aware of that, it becomes easier for them to make a change. Of course, it is an ongoing struggle. At the end of the day, it is something all of us face. But I believe it is one of the major challenges of our time.
The idea came about around six months ago, when we first organised it in Knežija for Valentine’s Day. It happened quite spontaneously. At first, even I laughed about it and jokingly told the young people at the oratory that I was going to organise a speed dating event. They would say, “Frano, no one is going to come. That is so cringe.” But the idea stayed with me. I began to feel that perhaps the Lord wanted to do something through it because, when something keeps returning to me in prayer and reflection, I usually take that as a sign. It also reflected what I was seeing among young people. Many of them are afraid to make decisions or take the first step. Young men, in particular, often find it difficult to approach a woman, invite her for coffee, and get to know her better. Young women have similar fears and reservations. That is why I saw speed dating as an opportunity for them to meet in a healthy, relaxed, and informal setting and to overcome some of those fears. If it leads to a relationship or even, one day, to marriage, that is something truly meaningful. Thank God, we are already beginning to see some positive results. Still, the most important thing for me is that young people learn to overcome their fears. That was the main purpose behind it all. They were very grateful that we organised it, and after learning from the first event, we decided to hold another one, this time at the Church of the Holy Mother of Freedom in Jarun.
On a human level, each of us longs for companionship, family, children, and a sense of belonging. It is a desire God has placed within us. When He calls someone to religious life and the priesthood, that desire does not disappear. Instead, a person comes to understand that God is calling him to something greater and becomes willing to give up something that is good in itself in order to respond to that supernatural calling. So even as a priest, I still have that desire, but I am fully aware of the choice I have made and have decided not to act on it. I consciously give up something good for the sake of a greater calling. Of course, there are moments of temptation and doubt, especially during the early years of formation. That is precisely what formation is for: to help a person discern whether this is truly his vocation and to purify his motivations. Speaking from my own experience, I would always come to the same conclusion: “This is beautiful, but this is even more beautiful. One path might fulfil me in part, but this one fulfils me completely.” God alone can truly fulfil us entirely. In that sense, marriage too is a shared journey towards Heaven and towards God.
Judgement begins when I forget that I have been, and still am, in a position much like the person I am judging. I am no better than anyone else. God has forgiven me, shown me mercy, and been good to me so many times, and He is just as good to the person I may be tempted to judge. So how can we speak about faith without condemning others? Dear brother, dear sister, remember that you are poor, sinful, and weak, and that you need God. If God has shown me mercy time and again, then I too am called to show that same mercy to others, including those who are far from faith and from God. There is always a reason why someone has drifted away. We need to understand the person, put ourselves in their shoes, and never, ever judge them. We must always begin with ourselves and with what God has done in our own lives. When we do that, we will not condemn others.
I often tell believers that the most powerful way to draw someone towards the Church is through personal witness — through the way we live our own lives. I can say all the right things, but if my life does not reflect them, if I do not believe them deeply and make a sincere effort to live by them myself, my words will bear no fruit. At times, it is necessary to point out what is wrong or even offer criticism. But if it comes from love for the other person rather than from our own frustration, they will recognise the difference. As believers, our starting point should always be the witness of our own lives. Only then should we invite others into the Church, reminding them: “We are all in the same boat.” We have received the grace of faith, and we want others to receive that same grace.
From my experience, people usually distance themselves from faith, God, and the Church because of a painful experience. Perhaps they were hurt by an encounter with a priest or religious, or by a confession that affected them so deeply that they did not return to the sacrament for fifteen or twenty years. I always tell them, “That is only one face of the Church.” The Church is made up of sinners, but also of saints, many of whom live quietly and remain unknown. It is the Church of Christ, where we can receive God’s forgiveness, mercy, and love, because He established it to continue His work on earth. I would encourage them not to let one painful experience define their entire view of the Church, but to keep searching for believers, priests, religious, and Christian communities through which they can rediscover the beauty of faith and a true sense of belonging within the Church.
Celebrating Mass is the high point of my day as a priest. It is the most beautiful moment of my day, one for which I prepare with particular care, and above all, I see it as the source of my priesthood. By celebrating Mass with reverence, focus, and peace, I want people to understand that what Jesus said is truly real and that, in the Mass, we encounter God. I want to help them believe that it is truly Him, truly Jesus. Just as the disciples on the road to Emmaus recognised Jesus in the breaking of the bread, my hope is that people too will recognise the living God in the Mass, present among us, on our altars, and in our churches.
I would like to be remembered as a Salesian and a priest who gave himself wholeheartedly to others through service and joy. That is my goal and my deepest desire: to remain a joyful Salesian and priest, and to share with others everything God has given me and all the experiences I have lived through. Through that, I hope to help as many young people, and others as well, come to know God and reach Heaven.
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“I would like people to remember me as a priest who gave himself completely to others through love, service, and joy. I want to share generously everything God has given me, so that through my life, others may come to know His love, find God, and one day reach Heaven. I believe there is no greater purpose and no more beautiful legacy a person can leave behind.”