Fr. Šime Antonina, a member of the Province of St. Jerome in Croatia, passed away in Odra on Sunday, 14 September 2025, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, in the 88th year of his life, the 71st year of his religious life, and the 60th year of his priestly ministry, fortified by the holy sacraments.
Fr. Šime Antonina was born on 12 November 1937 in Žman, on the island of Dugi Otok, to his father, Miroslav Antonina, and his mother, Laura (Morović). In 1951, he was admitted to the Order. He made his temporary vows on 15 August 1956 and his solemn vows on 16 September 1961. From 1961 to 1967, he pursued philosophical and theological studies at the Catholic Faculty of Theology in Zagreb. He was ordained to the priesthood on 26 June 1966 in Zagreb Cathedral.
In 1967, he began his pastoral ministry in the newly established Parish of St. Joseph the Worker in Belišće. He was the first chaplain of the parish and carried out his ministry under the particularly difficult circumstances of the then communist regime. After two years in Belišće, he served briefly in Ogulin and Split, and in 1971 he was appointed Guardian of the Monastery of St. Paul the Hermit on Školjić and parish vicar in Preko. From 1976 to 1980, he served as Guardian of the Monastery of St. Jerome in Martinšćica and as parish priest of the parishes of St. Martin in Martinšćica and St. John the Baptist in Stivan, on the island of Cres.
In 1980, he was transferred to the Monastery of St. Michael in Zaglav on Dugi Otok, where he remained until 2022. In Zaglav, he served multiple terms as Guardian and parish priest and became well remembered for his remarkable dedication to pastoral care.
Due to health concerns, he moved in November 2022 to the Monastery of St. Francis Xavier in Zagreb, and one year later to the Monastery of St. Francis of Assisi in Odra. As far as his condition allowed, he remained engaged in pastoral ministry, especially in caring for the residents of the nursing home “House of St. Francis” and in the celebration of the Sacrament of Penance. Following a stroke in July 2025, he was hospitalized at the Clinical Hospital Centre in Zagreb and remained in an unconscious state. By decision of the attending physicians, he was transferred back to Odra for continued care in early September of that year, where he later passed away.
Fr. Šime Antonina was laid to rest on 16 September 2025 in Zaglav on Dugi Otok. The Requiem Mass was presided over by the Bishop of Požega, the Most Reverend Ivo Martinović; the homily was delivered by the Bishop of Zadar, the Most Reverend Milan Zgrablić; and the funeral rites were led by the Provincial Minister, Fr. Branko Lovrić.