Bishop Juraj Jezerinac (born 23 April 1939) is a Croatian

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

prelate who served as a Titular Bishop of Strumnitza and Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese of Zagreb from 11 April 1991 until 25 April 1997 and the first Ordinary of the new created

Military Ordinariate of Croatia The Military Ordinariate of Croatia () is a military ordinariate of the Roman Catholic Church. Immediately subject to the Holy See, it provides pastoral care to Roman Catholics serving in the Croatian Armed Forces and their families. History Th ...

since 25 April 1997 until his retirement on 30 November 2015.

Education

Bishop Jezerinac was born into a Croatian Roman Catholic family of Mijo and Barica (née Bradica) near

Krašić Krašić is a village and municipality in central Croatia, located near Jastrebarsko and Ozalj, south of Žumberak and north of Kupa, about 50 km southwest of Zagreb. Krašić comprises an area of about 3.63 km2. In the 2011 census, t ...

in the Central Croatia. After graduation a classical gymnasium in

Šalata Šalata () is a residential neighborhood in Zagreb, Croatia. It is administratively part of the Gornji Grad - Medveščak city district in the northern part of Zagreb and it has a population of 1,929. Šalata houses the Šalata Sport and Recre ...

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

, he consequently joined the Theological Faculty at the

University of Zagreb The University of Zagreb (, ) is a public university, public research university in Zagreb, Croatia. It is the largest Croatian university and one of the oldest continuously operating universities in Europe. The University of Zagreb and the Unive ...

, and was ordained as

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

on 26 June 1966 for his native the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Zagreb The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Zagreb (; ) is the central Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Croatia, centered in the capital city Zagreb. It is the metropolitan see of Croatia, and the present archbishop is Dražen Kutleša. It ...

, in Zagreb, after completed his philosophical and theological studies.

Pastoral work

Fr. Jezerinac from 1967 to 1969 served as chaplain in

Nova Gradiška Nova Gradiška is a town located in the Brod-Posavina County of Croatia, population 14,229 (2011). It is located in the historic region of Slavonia, near the border to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The first word in the name means ''New'', and there' ...

, and from 1969 to 1971 he was the parish priest in . From 1971 to 1980 he served as parish priest in the newly established parish of the Heart of Mary in Sesvetski Kraljevec. He then went to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

where he performed the following services: from 1980 to 1985 he was chaplain of the Croatian parish of Our Lady the Queen of Croats in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

; from 1985 to 1986 parish administrator in Oakville, and from 1986 to 1988 chaplain in

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

. From 1988 to 1991 he was parish priest of the Croatian parish in Oakville. On 11 April 1991, he was appointed by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

as an

Auxiliary Bishop An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions. ...

of the Archdiocese of Zagreb. On 8 June 1991, he was consecrated as bishop by Cardinal

Franjo Kuharić Franjo Kuharić (15 April 1919 – 11 March 2002) was a Croatian Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Zagreb from 1970 until his resignation in 1997. Made a cardinal in 1983, he was known as the "Rock of Croatia" because of his defe ...

and other prelates of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

in the Cathedral of Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Stephen of Hungary in

. A six years later, on 25 April 1997, he become the first Ordinary of the new created

. Retired on 30 November 2015, after reached age limit of 75 years old.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jezerinac, Juraj 1939 births Living people People from Zagreb County Catholic Faculty of Theology, University of Zagreb alumni Croatian expatriates in Canada 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Croatia 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Croatia Bishops appointed by Pope John Paul II Auxiliary bishops of Zagreb