Pastoral staff

Parish of St. James the Apostle – Medjugorje

Parish priest:

Parish vicars:

Fr. Karlo Lovrić was born on December 12, 1941, in Uzarici, where he attended the elementary school. He continued his classes at the school in Siroki Brijeg. In 1957, he entered the Seminary and attended the classic college, first in Sinj and then at the Jesuit Classic College in Dubrovnik, where he made his baccalaureate. After he had completed his military service, he received the Franciscan habit and entered the noviciate in Humac, in 1963.
He studied philosophy and theology in Visoko and Sarajevo, and then in Königstein near Frankfurt a.M., where he graduated and was ordained a priest on June 29, 1968.
From 1969 to 1971, he was a spiritual assistant in Humac/Ljubuški, from August 1971 to the end of the year in KHM Zürich, and from 1972 to 1980, he was the founder and in charge of the Croatian Catholic Mission St. Gallen in Switzerland. From October 1980 to 1982, he was the Pastor in Siroki Brijeg. From September 1982 to December 1988, he was again in Switzerland, where he founded and led the Croatian Catholic Mission Lausanne. From 1988 to the end of January 2005, he was in charge of the Croatian Catholic Mission Zürich. In Switzerland, he was the National delegate for the Croatian Catholic Missions in Switzerland from 1989 to 2001, as well as the Provincial delegate from 1999 to 2001.
He came to Medjugorje in May 2005, and he is serving as a spiritual assistant.

Fr. Ivan Dugandžić (Born in Krehin Gradac in 1943). He attended high school in Zadar and Dubrovnik and entered Faculty of Theology in Visoko, but he continues his studies and graduated in Konigstein. He was ordained as a priest in 1969 in Frohnleiten. He achieved his Doctor’s Thesis in 1976 in Wurzburg and it was in Theology of Holy Scripture. He served in the parish of Medjugorje from 1970 to 1972 and from 1985 to 1988. He was also a Secretary of Herzegovina Franciscan Province, educator of young novices, seminarians, guardian of the monastery of Herzegovina Franciscan Province in Zagreb. He was professor at the Catholic Theology Faculty of the University in Zagreb. He writes books, articles and columns, he translates and participates in various events. He is also a member of the expertise boards. Manuscript of his book “Biblical Theology of the New Testament” from 2004 was taken as a university student book at the University of Zagreb. He is now parish assistant priest in Medjugorje since August 2013.

Fr. Dragan Ružić (Born in Sarajevo in 1962) He completed his high school in Visoko, and studied Philosophy and Theology in Sarajevo and Bologna, while he did his post-graduate studies in Rome. He completed his Magistrate Studies in 1997 in Salesianum with theme of influence of TV-advertisements on underage children. He was ordained as a priest in Bologna in 1989. He served as the spiritual assistant in Mostar and Tomislavgrad, and he was a Secretary of Herzegovina Franciscan Province. He was in Rome in General Curia since February 1999 until August 2013 when he was moved to the parish of Medjugorje.
 

Fr. Slavko Soldo (Međugorje, 1946.) He finished his high school in Dubrovnik, and started Theology College in Sarajevo, continued it in Trento and completed in Rome. He was ordained as priest in 1972 in Königstein. In 1973, he went to Custody of Herzegovina Franciscan Province in the United States, to the monastery of St. Anthony in Chicago. Soon he moved to Washington DC, where he studied English at the Georgetown University. The services he obtained in the Custody were as follows: the spiritual assistant in the parish of St. Augustin in West Allis from 1974-1975; the spiritual assistant in the parish of St. Cyrill and Methodius in New York from 1975-1977, the spiritual assistant in the parish of St. Jerome from 1977 – 1979; the spiritual assistant in New York from 1979 -1986; parish priest in the parish of St. Augutin in West Allis from 1986 – 1988; parish priest in the parish of St. Mary in Steeltone from 1988-1989; parish priest in the parish of St. Cyrill and Methodius in New York from 1989 – 1994. He was elected as the Custodian of the Franciscan Custody, seated in Chicago, in 1994 and remained at that service until 2001. He was the Provincial of Herzegovina Franciscan Province seated in Mostar from June 29, 2001 to April 2007. He was mentor of novices in the monastery of St. Anthony in Humac from September 18, 2007 to July 15, 2016. In 1987, in West Allis he founded and conducted “Croatian Religious Radio programme”. He established the Foundation for Aid to Victims of Homeland War in New York in 1991, and this Foundation was active all the time during the war. He was editor of “Custodian Bulletin” from 1994-2001. Ever since August 2016, he has been appointed as the parish vicar in Medjugorje parish.

Fr. Jure Barišić (Tomislavgrad, 1979) completed primary and secondary school in Velika Gorica, Republic of Croatia.  He put on the Franciscan habit on July 17, 2011 in Široki Brijeg.  He graduated at the Catholic Theological Faculty of the University of Zagreb in 2017.  He was ordained a deacon in Kongora on December 26, 2017, and as a priest in Mostar on June 29, 2018.  He served as a deacon in the Monastery of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Široki Brijeg, then from 2018 to 2022, he was the parish vicar in the parish of St. Stephen in Čerin.  Since August 2022, he has been serving as parish vicar in Medjugorje.

Fr. Ivan Hrkać (born in Posušje, 1996) completed primary school in Široki Brijeg and secondary school in Visoko.  He put on the Franciscan habit on July 12, 2015 in Mostar.  Graduated in 2021 at FTIDA in Zagreb.  He was ordained as a deacon on October 30, 2021 in the cathedral in Mostar, and as a priest on June 29, 2022, also in the cathedral in Mostar.

Deacon:
	Fr. Marin Mikulić was born on September 9, 1993 in Kočerin.  He completed his primary school in Kočerin, and secondary school in Široki Brijeg.  He puts on the Franciscan habit in Mostar on July 17, 2016. He professed the solemn vows on September 4, 2021 in Medjugorje.  He graduated in 2022, at the Philosophical and Theological Institute of the Society of Jesus (FTIDI) in Zagreb.  According to the decision of the Franciscan Province of Herzegovina, he was appointed to serve in Medjugorje. He was ordained deacon on October 22, 2022 in Mostar.

Lay Brother:

Br. Josip Marija Katalinić, OFM, was born on November 22, 1952 in Pepelana near Virovitica, where he also attended primary school. He entered the Franciscan noviciate in 1989 in Humac, where he made his final vows on September 17, 1994. He was serving in Franciscan monasteries in Mostar and Široki Brijeg. Since July 20, 2002, he has been serving in Medjugorje.