Blessed Alojzije Stepinac
Blessed Alojzije Stepinac (born May 8, 1898 AD in Krašić, Croatia; died February 10, 1960 AD in Krašić, Croatia) was a Croatian Cardinal who served as Archbishop of Zagreb from 1937 to 1960. He spoke out against the crimes of both the Nazi-allied Ustasha regime and the Communist Yugoslav government under Tito. He was imprisoned by the Communists in 1946, condemned in a show trial, and spent the rest of his life under house arrest. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on October 3, 1998. His feast day is February 10.
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Alojzije Stepinac
| Blessed Alojzije Stepinac | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | February 10 |
| Profession | Cardinal; Archbishop of Zagreb (1937–1960); prisoner of the Communist regime; confessor of the faith |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Archdiocese of Zagreb; Croatian Catholic Church; 20th-century Catholic martyrs of Communism |
| Patronage | Croatia; Croatian Catholics worldwide; bishops and cardinals who face political persecution; confessors of the faith under Communism; prisoners of conscience |
| Attributes | Cardinal's red hat and vestments; crozier; chains or prison bars (his imprisonment); Zagreb Cathedral; Croatian national colors |
| Birthplace | Krašić, Croatia (then Austria-Hungary) |
| Death Place | Krašić, Croatia (then Yugoslavia) |
| Cause of Death | Natural death; died February 10, 1960, at Krašić, his birthplace, where he had been held under house arrest by the Communist Yugoslav government since his release from prison in 1951; he was 61 years old; his health had been seriously damaged by his years of imprisonment (1946–1951) and by the conditions of his house arrest; he died of polycythemia vera, a blood disease; he was immediately venerated by Croatian Catholics as a martyr; he was beatified by Pope John Paul II in Zagreb on October 3, 1998 |
| Primary Shrine | Zagreb Cathedral, Croatia — his tomb; February 10 feast; Croatian pilgrimage |
| Liturgical Class | Not in universal Roman calendar; February 10 feast in Croatia and among Croatian Catholics worldwide |
| Historic Class | Not in 1962 calendar |
Biography
Alojzije Stepinac was born May 8, 1898, in Krašić, Croatia (then Austria-Hungary). He was educated in Zagreb and Rome and ordained a priest in 1930. He rose quickly: auxiliary bishop of Zagreb in 1934, Archbishop of Zagreb in 1937.
During World War II he navigated the impossible situation of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) — a Nazi-allied fascist regime responsible for the genocide of Serbs, Jews, and Roma. He protested specific atrocities in pastoral letters and personal communications to the NDH leadership, and the Catholic Church's position on his record has been that his protests were genuine and courageous given the constraints of his position.
After the Communist takeover under Tito (1945), he was arrested on September 18, 1946, tried in a show trial, and sentenced to 16 years of forced labor. Pope Pius XII made him a Cardinal in 1952. He was released from Lepoglava Prison in 1951 but refused to resign or leave Croatia; he spent his final years under house arrest at Krašić.
He died February 10, 1960, at Krašić, his health damaged by years of imprisonment.
He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on October 3, 1998, in Zagreb before 400,000 people.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Krašić, Croatia (then Austria-Hungary)
Death location: Krašić, Croatia (then Yugoslavia)
Notable location:
Notable location:
Notable location:
Notable location:
Notable location:
Dynamic content
Parishes
No parishes dedicated to Alojzije Stepinac have been added to the database yet.
Media
No media found for this saint.
Shrines
Dynamic shrines
No results
No shrines where this saint is the primary saint.
Known shrines
- Zagreb Cathedral, Croatia — his tomb; February 10 feast; principal pilgrimage site.
- Krašić, Croatia — his birthplace and place of death under house arrest; local pilgrimage.
Feast day
February 10
Veneration
Blessed Alojzije Stepinac was the Cardinal-Archbishop of Zagreb who protested the Ustasha crimes during WWII and was imprisoned by the Communist Tito regime (1946–1951) in a show trial; he died under house arrest in 1960 rather than abandon his people. Beatified John Paul II in Zagreb, 1998. Feast February 10.
Prayers
Authored
There are prayers authored by this saint in prayers list yet.
Intercessory
There are no prayers asking for this saint's intercession in prayers list yet.