ACTIVITIES OF THE CROATIAN FRANCISCAN CUSTODY 

General Historical Review (Part1)

Custody Activities (Part 2)

The Friars (Part 3)

 

6. ST.  ANTHONY PARISH, SHARON, PENNSYLVANIA

There were many problems in the establishment of this parish.  The first church built in 1915 developed as an “independent” Croatian parish.  Consequently, the majority of the parishioners turned their back on the church and it closed down in 1917.  In a short time period, Croatian priests, first Rev. Čančarević (1917) followed by Fr. Leon Medić (1918), celebrated mass in a Hungarian church.  Fr. Leon returned to Sharon in 1924 and the Croatians rented the Hungarian church for their services.  Finally, in 1925, a parcel of land on the corner of Idaho and Sherman Streets was purchased and the construction of a new church began.  Unfortunately, the new church was short lived: it was totally destroyed by a fire in 1928.  In 1929 the Croatians repurchased the “independent” church on Market Street and its cemetery.  In 1930 the parish was divided over the construction of the new church: the majority wanted it built on the foundation of the destroyed church, while the minority wanted it constructed on the site of the former independent church.  Together with his parishioners, pastor Fr. Anzelmo Slišković started the construction of the church in 1934 on the foundation of the old, burned down church.  The work was completed in 1938 and the church was blessed.  In 1940 a new rectory was built.  The Daughters of Divine Charity arrived in the parish in 1947 and were the first teachers when the parish opened a school in 1960.  The construction of the school in 1959/1960 was organized by the pastor Fr. Zoran Ostojić.  A spacious playground for the school was purchased in 1962.  The church was completely renovated in 1964. 

        From 1924 to 1996 in the parish 1827 children were baptized, 1104 individuals were buried, 658 couples were married, 1105 children received First Holy Communion and 1104 individuals were confirmed. 

        The following frairs have served in the parish:

Year	Pastor	Year	Associate Pastor
1924-29	fra Leon Medić
1929-31	fra Špiro Andrijanić
1931-47	fra Anzelmo Slišković
1947-49	fra Franjo Čuturić
1949-58	fra David Zrno	1951-52	fra Ivo Sivrić
		1952-54	fra Jerko Kućan
		1954-55	fra Patrik Cigić
		1955-58	fra Roko Romac
1958-72	fra Zoran Ostojić	1958-59	fra Berto Dragićević
		1959-61	fra Gracijan Raspudić
		1961-68	fra Eugen Petrović
		1969-71	fra Vincent Cvitković
		1970-71	fra Vlado Mišetić
		1971.	fra Robert Galinac
		1971-74	fra Vincent Cvitković
1972-73	fra Bruno Raspudić
1973-77	fra Jerko Kućan	1974.	fra Nenad Galić
1977-78	fra Lawrence Franković
1978-81	fra Robert Galinac	1978-80	fra Jozo Grubišić
1981-82	fra Silvije Grubišić
1982-84	fra Ilija Puljić
1984-87	fra Gregory Furjanić
1987-89	fra Robert Galinac
1989-93	fra Vincent Cvitković
1993-95	don Daniel Kreszinski
1995-	fra Mate Ruyechan

7. ST. JOSEPH’S PARISH, ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI

   A large group of Croatians from St. Louis organized a Croatian parish in 1902, and various priests worked with them.   Rev. Oskar Šuster arrived in St. Louis in 1904, and during the same year a Jewish synagogue was purchased and  altered into a Catholic church.The church and hall became the focal meeting point for Croatians of St. Louis.  Nevertheless, due to a disagreement with some parish council members, Rev. Šuster left St. Louis in 1909, and the parish was left without a pastor.  During his pastorate a school was established in 1906 with sisters arriving in 1908 but leaving shortly thereafter.  The new pastor was Rev. Josip Kompare, a Slovenian.  He arrived in 1910 and by 1917 managed to pay off all the church’s debts.  Sisters, Adorers of the Blood of Christ from Alton, Illinois arrived in 1910 and started teaching in the school.   That location had to be abandoned due to the construction of a highway.  An academy and an Ursuline convent on Russel Boulevard and 12^th Street were purchased in 1925.  The buildings were  renovated in 1926.  In 1927 construction began on a new large church which was completed and blessed  following year.  In the meanwhile, in 1926, Franciscans from the Croatian Commissariat began ministering in the parish.  Outstanding debts were paid by the 1940s.  Due to the poor condition of the school building, the school was temporarily closed in 1946. During that year the building was remodeled and  then reopened.  Construction of new highways from  1950-1967 caused Croatian families to move to other parts of the city or its suburbs. This drastically reduced the number of parishioners.  The arrival of immigrants from central Bosnia after 1970 increased the number of parishioners.  The school closed in 1983 due to decreasing enrollment.  During Fr. Vjekoslav Bambir’s pastorate a grand new parish hall was built (1985 – 1986).

        From 1904, when the parish records began, to 1996, 4271 children were baptized, 2125 individuals were buried, 1497 couples were married, 1140 individuals were confirmed, and 753 children received First Holy Communion.

        The following friars have served in the  parish:

1904.-1909. Fr. Oskar Šuster

1909.-1910. Parish without Pastor

1910.-1925. Fr. Josip Kompare

1925.  pater I. M. Fabris, Jesuit

1925.-1926. pater Miroslav Vanino, Jesuit 

Year	Pastor	Year	Associate Pastor
1926-28	fra Ambro Mišetić	1928.	fra Filip Šeparović
1928-37	fra Filip Šeparović	1928-1930	fra Gabrijel Cvitanović
		1931.	fra Anzelmo Slišković
		1931-1937	fra Leon Medić
1937-38	fra Vladimir Luburić	1937-1938	fra Hugolin Feysz
1938-39	fra Bono Andačić	1938-1939	fra Teofil Pehar
1939-47	fra Teofil Pehar	1946-1947	fra Mario Matić
1947-68	fra Špiro Andrijanić	1947-1949	fra Patrik Cigić
		1949-1951	fra Ivo Sivrić
		1951-1954	fra Zoran Ostojić
		1952-1954	fra Marcel Ćabo
		1952-1953	fra Oton Knezović
		1954-1955	fra Vitomir Naletilić
		1954-1957	fra Kruno Pandžić
		1955-1957	fra Franjo Radišić
		1956-1960	fra Dominik Ćorić
		1956-1963	fra Bono Bilandžić
		1961-1963	fra Častimir Majić
		1963-1969	fra Patrik Cigić
1968-70	fra Serafin Vištica	1969-1972	fra Vlado Mišetić
1970-76	fra Pavao Maslać	1972-1976	fra Vitomir Naletilić
1976-79	fra Vitomir Naletilić	1976.	fra Vincent Cvitković
		1977-1979	fra Vjekoslav Bambir
1979-91	fra Vjekoslav Bambir	1979-1999	fra Ivo Sivrić
1991-	fra Josip Abramović

8. ST. AUGUSTINE PARISH, WEST ALLIS, WISCONSIN

The parish was founded in 1928 and the first pastor was Rev. Franjo Bahorić.   The Croatian Franciscans began ministering in the parish in 1930.  Fr. Zvonko Mandurić (1930-1934) built a rectory.  A basement hall was built in 1930, and services were held there until the completion of the upper church in 1938.  Other buildings  as a rectory,  large school and an extension of the church were constructed during the long pastorate of Fr. Blaž Jerković (1936-1955).  The old rectory was altered for the sisters, the Daughters of Divine Charity, who arrived in the parish  in 1949.  Upon their arrival, the sisters gave religious instruction and worked in the parish; they were also teachers in the school once it opened in 1954.  Fr. Blaž’s successor was Fr. Vjekoslav Bambir (1955-1967), who had a small hall, a large hall and kitchen added to the school. Also a new and larger vestibule was added to the church. 

        From the beginning of the parish to 1995, 3207 children were baptized, 1401individuals were buried, 1703 couples were married, 2025 children were confirmed and 2694 children received First Holy Communion. 

        The following priests have served in the  parish:

Fr. Franjo Bahorić 1928.-1929. 

Year	Pastor	Year	Associate Pastor
1930-34	fra Zvonko Mandurić
1934-35	fra Hugolin Feysz
1935-36	fra Leon Medić
1936.	fra Bono Bilandžić
1936-55	fra Blaž Jerković	1942-46	fra Bono Bilandžić
		1946-50	fra Božidar Benković
		1950-55	fra Vjekoslav Bambir
		1954-55	fra Ambroz Budimir
1955-67	fra Vjekoslav Bambir	1955-60	fra Blaž Jerković
		1955-59	fra Bono Bilandžić
		1959-62	fra Charles Pleše
		1960-66	fra Trpimir Musa
		1962-68	fra Anthony Dukić
1967-68	fra Vendelin Vasilj	1968-74	fra Josip Galić
1968-76	fra Anthony Dukić	1974-75	fra Slavko Soldo
1976-86	fra Josip Galić	1975- ?	fra Karlo Zovko
		1980-82	fra Mate Ruyechan
		1985-89	fra Stjepan Bedeniković
1986-88	fra Slavko Soldo
1988-94	fra Jerko Kućan	1989.	fra Veselko Kvesić
1994-99	fra Lawrence Franković
1999 -	fra Robert Galinac

9. ST. JOSEPH’S PARISH, BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA

        The parish of St. Joseph in Bethlehem is distinctive among all the other parishes mentioned in this book. Windish Slovenians and a small  number of Croatians constitute the parish.  Slovenian Franciscans, who were members of  a Croatian province, ministered in the parish from its beginnings until 1937.  The Croatian Franciscans have been serving the parish from 1937 to the present.  The first pastor was Fr. Anselm Murn, a member of the joint Franciscan Commissariat of the Holy Cross, who arrived in the parish community in 1913.  From 1914 to 1917 an impressive stone church was built and dedicated to St. Joseph.  After Fr. Anselm, there were two more Slovenian Franciscan pastors who were members of  the Zagreb Franciscan Province in the homeland and the Commissariat in the United States.  The first Croatian pastor was Fr. Irenaeus Petričak who managed to pay off the enormous church debt.  In addition to excellently learning the Windish dialect of the Slovenian language, he compiled a dictionary and grammar book for the Windish.

        From 1913 to 1996 in the parish, 3565 individuals were baptized, 1477 individuals were buried, 1293 couples were married, 2323 children were confirmed and 1154 children received First Holy Communion.  Services are celebrated exclusively in English.

        The following priests have served in this parish:

Year	Pastor	Year	Associate Pastor
1913-21	fra Anselm Murn
1921-23	fra Jeronim Knoblehar
1923-29	fra Clement Veren	1926-28	fra Leo Novitt
1929-37	fra Egidije Horvath
1937-50	fra Irenej Petričak	1941-46	fra Leo Novitt
		1946-50	fra Joseph Cagran
1950-71	fra Slavko Luburić	1950-54	fra Patrick Cigić
		1954-61	fra Jerko Kućan
		1961-71	fra Josip Abramović
1971-79	fra Josip Abramović	1971-73	fra Franjo Radišić
		1974-76	fra Vincent Cvitković
1979-85	fra Božidar Benković
1985-94	fra Lawrence Franković
1994-97	fra Robert Galinac
1997-	fra Nenad Galić

---

        In this summary of parishes in the United States, it should also be noted that Fr. Ljubo Čuvalo, a Hercegovinian Franciscan and Commissariat member, worked as a pastor for six years in a Croatian parish in Portland  (1936-1943).  In addition, other Franciscans, members of the Custody, occasionally worked in several Croatian and American parishes, which are not mentioned here.  Please refer to the summary of individual priests in this book for further details.

Back to Summary                                Next

Historical Review (Part 1)                       TOP                                HOME