Rubni i napušteni: naglasci na Stadlerovu radu onda i danas
The Marginal and Abandoned - the Focus of Stadler’s Pastoral Work then and now

Summary/Abstract: This paper examines the life and work of the Archbishop of Vrhbosna, Josip Stadler, in terms of the influence of his early childhood and his commitment to establishing material and human structures in his life, his activities and his capabilities in order to help those in need. Clearly, the fact that he lost his parents when he was very young and spent time in homes for children who were vulnerable or who had the sad fate of being abandoned influenced his decision to dedicate his life to those who were in need. He lived and studied in the orphanage in Požega, and later in the Zagreb orphanage of St. Martin in Vlaška Street. This experience of early childhood was felt during his stay in Rome, during his tenure as a professor at the Catholic Theological Faculty of the University of Zagreb, and when he served as Archbishop of Sarajevo. In each of these phases, there was a dimension of care and the creation of mechanisms to help those in need. As Archbishop, he founded two orphanages in Sarajevo with corresponding economic units to ensure their material independence. On top of this, he founded the Congregation of the Society the Servants of the Child Jesus, to whom he left Instructions to serve every human being in need, as the image of the Child Jesus. His approach to helping others is notable in that he did not consider the ethnicity or the religious affiliation of those whom he helped! He was an apostle of Christian love.

• Details
• Contents