Ivan Merz
Ivan Merz (born December 16, 1896 in Banja Luka , † May 10, 1928 in Zagreb ) is a blessed member of the Roman Catholic Church . The Croat from Bosnia was an important layman and patron of the Church in Croatia .
Life
Ivan Merz entered military service as a young adult, finished it after three months and began studying in Vienna in 1915 . During the First World War he was drafted into the Austro-Hungarian army and fought on the Italian front .
After the World War, Merz devoted himself entirely to service in the Catholic Church and took a vow of chastity . He wrote numerous articles , essays, and reflections for various magazines. Together with Ivo Protulipac (1899-1946) he founded the Catholic youth movement Hrvatski Orlovski savez ( Croatian for "Croatian Eagle League"), which stood ideologically and politically in opposition to the Yugoslav Sokol movement .
In October 1920 Merz went to Paris and studied at the Sorbonne and at the Institut Catholique de Paris . In 1923 he was at the Philosophy Faculty of the University of Zagreb with a dissertation on the influence of liturgical language in the work of French writers, especially the catholique Renouveau , PhD .
He died in 1928 at the age of only 31. Merz was beatified on June 23, 2003 by Pope John Paul II during a visit to Banja Luka .
Web links
- Ivan Merz's memorial page (Croatian; German )
- Ivan Merz on the Vatican website
- Ivan Merz on katolik.hr (Croatian)
- Ivan Merz on udrugaivanmerz.hr (Croatian)
- Blessed Ivan Merz - The war made him believe - A contribution by the church historian Prof. Dr. Rudolf Grulich
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Merz, Ivan |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Croatian lay Catholic and patron of the Catholic Church |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 16, 1896 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Banja Luka , now Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 10, 1928 |
| Place of death | Zagreb , Croatia |