Maksimilijan Matjaž (born 23 August 1963) is a Slovenian

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pref ...

of the Catholic Church, serving as the third bishop of the Diocese of Celje since 5 March 2021.

Early life and education

Maksimilijan Matjaž was born into a Catholic family in

Črna na Koroškem Črna na Koroškem (; german: Schwarzenbach) is a town in northern Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Črna na Koroškem. It lies in the traditional Slovenian province of Carinthia, close to the border with Austria. Since 2005 it h ...

in northern Slovenia (then part of

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label= Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavij ...

). He attended primary school in

Mežica Mežica (; German: ''Mießdorf'') is a town in northern Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Mežica. It lies on the Meža River in the traditional Slovenian province of Carinthia) near the Austrian border. The town developed close to ...

, and secondary school of economics in

Slovenj Gradec Slovenj Gradec (; german: Windischgrätz'', ''after about 1900 ''Windischgraz'') is a town in northern Slovenia. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Slovenj Gradec. It is part of the historical Styria region, and since 2005 it has belo ...

, where he graduated in 1982. After made a one-year of compulsory military service in the Yugoslavian Army (1982–1983), he entered to the Major Theological Seminary in

Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the a ...

and in the same time joined the Theological Faculty at the

University of Ljubljana The University of Ljubljana ( sl, Univerza v Ljubljani, , la, Universitas Labacensis), often referred to as UL, is the oldest and largest university in Slovenia. It has approximately 39,000 enrolled students. History Beginnings Although certain ...

, where graduated in 1988 and was ordained a

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 deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

on June 29, 1989, for the Diocese of Maribor, after completed his philosophical and theological studies.

Pastoral and educational work

After his ordination Fr. Matjaž was engaged in the pastoral work and served as an assistant priest in Zreče (1989–1991). In summer 1991 he continued his education in the

Collegium Germanicum et Hungaricum The ''Collegium Germanicum et Hungaricum'', or simply ''Collegium Germanicum'', is a German-speaking seminary for Catholic priests in Rome, founded in 1552. Since 1580 its full name has been ''Pontificium Collegium Germanicum et Hungaricum de Urb''e ...

and completed his studies with a

licentiate degree A licentiate (abbreviated Lic.) is an academic degree present in many countries, representing different educational levels. It may be similar to a master's degree when issued by pontifical universities and other universities in Europe, Latin Am ...

in a

Biblical theology Because scholars have tended to use the term in different ways, Biblical theology has been notoriously difficult to define. Description Although most speak of biblical theology as a particular method or emphasis within biblical studies, some sch ...

in 1995 at the

Pontifical Biblical Institute The Pontifical Biblical Institute (also known as Biblicum) is a research and postgraduate teaching institution specialised in biblical and ancient Near Eastern studies. It is an institution of the Holy See entrusted to the Society of Jesus. Hi ...

and with a

Doctor of Theology Doctor of Theology ( la, Doctor Theologiae, abbreviated DTh, ThD, DTheol, or Dr. theol.) is a terminal degree in the academic discipline of theology. The ThD, like the ecclesiastical Doctor of Sacred Theology, is an advanced research degree equiva ...

degree in the same discipline at the

Pontifical Gregorian University The Pontifical Gregorian University ( it, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana,) is a higher education ecclesiastical school (pontifical university) located in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as ...

in 1998. After returning to Slovenia, since 1998 he has been an assistant professor at the Faculty of Theology in the

, and since 2001 a professor-assistant at the Department of Scripture and Judaism, and since 2011 an associate professor of Biblical Sciences and Judaism. Since 2013, he has been the head of the Department of Bible and Judaism at the Faculty of Theology at the University of Ljubljana. Since 2006 he has been a member of the Priests' Council of the

Metropolitan Archdiocese of Maribor Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a ...

and since 2011 a member of the College of Counselors. He was also an assistant priest in the parish of

Dravograd Dravograd (; german: Unterdrauburg) is a small town in northern Slovenia, close to the border with Austria. It is the seat of the Municipality of Dravograd. It lies on the Drava River at the confluence with the Meža and the Mislinja. It i ...

(1998–2010), in Zreče (2010–2012), in the pastoral unit

(2012–2013) and in the parish of Šentilj v Slovenskih Goricah (2013–2020).

Prelate

On 5 March 2021, Matjaž was appointed by

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

as the third bishop of the Diocese of Celje, succeeding retired Bishop Emeritus

Stanislav Lipovšek Bishop Stanislav Lipovšek (born 10 July 1943) is a Slovenian Roman Catholic prelate who served as the second Bishop of the Diocese of Celje from 15 March 2010 until his retirement on 18 September 2018. Also he was an Apostolic Administrator durin ...

. On 30 May 2021,

Apostolic Nuncio An apostolic nuncio ( la, nuntius apostolicus; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international org ...

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, and ...

consecrated Matjaž as bishop in the St. Mohorij in Fortunata Church in

Gornji Grad Gornji Grad (literally, 'upper castle' or 'upper town') may refer to: * Gornji Grad, Gornji Grad, a settlement in Slovenia and the eponym of the Municipality of Gornji Grad * Gornji Grad, Zagreb, a historic district of the Croatian capital, also k ...

. Archbishop Jean-Marie Speich and Bishop Emeritus Lipovšek were co-consecrators.

Early life and education

Pastoral and educational work

Prelate

References

Further reading