The parish Skopaljska Gracanica is located along the Vrbas River in south-western Bosnia between Uskoplje – Gornji Vakuf and Bugojno. It belongs to the Catholic Archdiocese of Vrhbosna and is located in Bugojno deanery. It was founded by the first Archbishop of Vrhbosna Dr. Josip Stadler in 1911 and was put under the protection of St. Jerome. By the construction of new parish church in 1965, the pastor Rev. Ante Bajic, on 2nd April 1966, with the approval of the Rome, put it under the protection of Mary’s Heart. The nuns, Maids of the little Jesus who were founded by the archbishop Stadler, acted in the parish from 1969 till the war in 1993.
During its history, the parish of Skopaljska Gracanica went through many tribulations. The parish was especially heavily destroyed in the last war in 1993 when it was completely burnt and devastated, the parishioners killed by the B&H Army, and the faithful were banished and displaced all over the world. After the war, the process of returning and reconstruction has begun and is still ongoing. Of 645 families with 2,980 faithful, who lived in the parish before the war, 255 families with 898 faithful came back. Today, 13 years after return, there are still villages where not a single faithful came back. The parish church, as well as parish house that was built in 1967, are reconstructed in 1998 thanks to the parishioners, the diocese of Limburg Germany and the Italian diocese Bresca. The renovated church was blessed by the Archbishop Cardinal Vinko Puljic on the Feast of Mary’s Heart in 1998 when the return of parishioners began. Together with the parishioners and friends the reconstruction and upgrading of the parish house began in 2010. The renovation of the tower began in 2011, where the three bells will be put and are present from friends, parishioners of the Eickel - Herne parish Germany, as well as decoration of the church courtyard.
