Smiljan Franjo Čekada
Smiljan Franjo Čekada (born August 29, 1902 in Donji Vakuf , † January 18, 1976 in Sarajevo , Yugoslavia ) was the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Vrhbosna .
Life
Like his two brothers Cedomil and Milivoj, Smiljan Franjo recognized the vocation to be a priest . After completing his schooling, he entered the archbishop's seminary . On August 25, 1925, he received the sacrament of ordination . Archbishop Ivan Šarić sent him to study at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome . In 1928 he received his doctorate in philosophy there . He became a religion teacher in Sarajevo and from 1928 to 1933 editor of the Catholic weekly newspaper.
On June 6, 1939, Pope Pius XII appointed him . as auxiliary bishop in the archdiocese based in Prizren for the pastoral care of Kosovar Catholics. At the same time he was appointed titular bishop of Pharbaethus . He received his episcopal ordination on August 6, 1939 in the Sacred Heart Cathedral of Sarajevo by Archbishop Ivan Saric; Co- consecrators were Alojzije Stepinac , Archbishop of Zagreb , and Josip Stjepan Garić OFM , Bishop of Banja Luka . On August 18, 1940, he was appointed Bishop of Skopje in Macedonia . During the occupation by the National Socialists , he stood up for the Macedonian Jews. His efforts to save at least the converted Catholic Jews from deportation to Auschwitz were not very successful; He was able to save some children in monasteries.
After the death of Josip Stjepan Garić on June 30, 1946, he was Apostolic Administrator of Banja Luka until 1951 . He was the council father in all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council .
On June 12, 1967, Pope Paul VI appointed him . as coadjutor of Archbishop Ivan Šarić of Vrhbosna / Sarajevo with the “right of succession” and titular archbishop of Thibuzabetum . On January 13, 1970, he was enthroned as Archbishop in the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Sarajevo.
Archbishop Smiljan Franjo Čekada died at the age of 73, in the 51st year of a priest, after 36 years in the episcopate. He was buried in the family grave in the city cemetery in Sarajevo. On October 28, 2011, his remains were solemnly transferred to the cathedral, where he was buried next to his predecessors.
On February 8, 2011, he was posthumously awarded the honorary title Righteous Among the Nations . This is the highest award of the State of Israel for non-Jewish individuals who, under National Socialist rule during World War II, gave their lives to save Jews from murder .
See also
Web links
- Entry about Smiljan Franjo Čekada on catholic-hierarchy.org
- Smiljan Franjo Čekada on the website of Yad Vashem (English)
- Catholic weekly newspaper of October 29, 2011 with a report on the transfer of remains, accessed May 15, 2013 (Croatian)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ordinations Épiscopales, Issue 1939, Number 35
- ↑ Catholic weekly newspaper of October 29, 2011 with an account of the transfer of the remains and a biography
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Janez Frančišek Gnidovec |
Bishop of Skopje 1940–1967 |
Joakim Herbut |
| Marko Alaupović |
Archbishop of Vrhbosna 1970–1976 |
Marko Jozinović |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Čekada, Smiljan Franjo |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Yugoslav clergyman, Archbishop of Vrhbosna |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 29, 1902 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Donji Vakuf , Bosnia-Herzegovina , Austria-Hungary |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 18, 1976 |
| Place of death | Sarajevo , Bosnia-Herzegovina , Yugoslavia |