Fr. Josip Vrdoljak (Ivin), member of the province of St. Jerome in Croatia and of the Convent of St. Francis in Odra (Zagreb), died after a long illness in Odra on March 27, 2024, at the age of 81, with 69 years of religious life and 60 years of priestly service.
He was born on November 5, 1942 in Žablak (Livno , Bosnia and Herzegovina) in a large Catholic family from father Ivan and mother Ljuba born Mihaljević . He finished elementary school in Livno. He attended the inter-diocesan high school in Zagreb 1957 – 1959 and the archdiocesan high school of Zaru 1960 – 1962. At the minor seminary at the convent of St. Francis Xavier in Zagreb, he was admitted to the Order in 1957. He took his first religious vows on September 13, 1960 at the end of his novitiate in Krk and the solemn vows on August 31, 1965 in Glavotok into the hands of the Minister General Fr. Louis Secondo. He served in the Yugoslav National Army in Valjevo (Serbia) in the years 1962 – 1963. He studied philosophy and theology at the Catholic Faculty of Theology in Zagreb and was ordained a priest on December 1, 1968, also in Zagreb.
He performed numerous religious and pastoral services and assignments in the province. In Preko, island of Ugljan, he was chaplain 1969 – 1971 and parish priest 1971 – 1976, then chaplain in Parish of St. Francis Xavier in Zagreb 1978-1980 and parish priest in Klośtar Podravski 1980 – 1990, where, in addition to pastoral activities, he restored the parish house and the church. He was provincial councilor, coordinator of the apostolate and pastoral activities 1988 – 1993.
He then lived and worked as a local minister and parish priest in various convents and parishes: in the convent and parish of St. John the Baptist in Zadar 1990 – 2001, where he restored the ancient church of San Giovanni Battista; in the convent and the parish of San Francis in Rijeka 2001 – 2005; in the convent and parish of St. Joseph the Worker in Belišće 2005 – 2013, where he directed the construction of the new convent. In his old age he was vicar in the convent and parish of St. John the Baptist in Zadar 2013 – 2017 and then only vicar in the same convent 2017 – 2021. In Zadar he fell ill with Parkinson’s disease and in 2021 he was transferred to the convent of St. Francis Xavier in Zagreb to be better cared for. In November last year he visibly weakened and in December he was transferred to the convent of San Francesco in Odra due to infirmity and special care.
The funeral at the Central Cemetery in Zagreb on 5 April 2024 was presided over by the appointed bishop of Požega Msgr. Ivo Martinović, TOR, with the assistance of Fr. Zvonimir
Brusač, vicar and provincial secretary, and Fr. Petar Bašić , vicar of the convent in Odra. At the funeral, together with about thirty friars of the Province also attended the families of three brothers of fr. Josip, about twenty religious, the faithful of Kloštar Podravski and Zagreb and many friends and acquaintances. He is buried in the friars’ tomb in the central cemetery in Zagreb.
The funeral mass in the church of St. Francis Xavier in Zagreb was presided over by Fr. Ivo Martinović in concelebration with Fr. Nikola Barun, former Provincial Minister, Fr. Petar Bašić, vicar of the convent in Odra and twenty-four friars of the Province. At the end of the Mass, Fr. Josip’s nieces Maria and Teresia spoke about the person of Fr. Josip and his priestly service.
The activity of Fr. Josip in the convents and parishes can be summed up in one word: dedication. He was a dedicated servant of God, the Church and the Province. As a priest, man of prayer and witness of faith tried to reveal to believers the greatness and holiness of God. In his pastoral activity he paid particular attention to children, young people, families and the elderly, the sick, the weak and the lonely. He made sure that in every parish where he was located, catechesis and charity were organized. In addition to pastoral work, he was always involved in the care of the ecclesiastical buildings. As an experienced and respected pastor, he introduced many deacons and young parochial vicars to pastoral work in the parish.