Josip Stjepan Garić

Emmanuel Josip Stjepan Garić ( OFM) ( born October 28, 1870 in Vitez, in Travnik, Kingdom of Yugoslavia, now Bosnia - Herzegovina, † June 30, 1946 in Graz, Austria ) was the first bishop of the company founded in 1881 Roman Catholic Diocese of Banja Luka.

Life

When Stephan Garic he entered the Franciscan Order in 1889 in a. He took the religious name of Emanuel Joseph, studied philosophy from 1887 to 1889 and from 1889 to 1893 in Pécs theology and was ordained on July 30, 1893 Chaplain. He was active in the community Pastoral, 1907 he became secretary and vicar general of the bishop Marijan Markovic. In 1912 he was elected definitor ( Provincial ) of the Bosnian Franciscan province.

On 14 December 1912 he was appointed by Pope Pius X for the first Bishop of Banja Luka after the July 5, 1881 by Pope Leo XIII. erected diocese was administered by two apostolic administrators. He was consecrated on 20 May 1884 in Rome by the ex officio proceedings of the Roman Curia Diomede Angelo Raffaele Gennaro Falconio, OFM, Cardinal, who was appointed in 1916 as prefect of the Congregation for matters of religion. Co-consecrators were Giacomo (Alexander) Ghezzi, OFM, Bishop of Civita Castellana and Bernhard Joseph Doebbing OFM, Bishop of Nepo e Sutri.

He founded new parishes, had built churches and schools. He led his diocese in two world wars and times of need.

Due to a serious illness he had to leave his diocese in 1945, first went for treatment to Zagreb and then to Graz.

He died in Graz on 30 June 1946 at the age of 75 and was buried there. He was more than 52 years of priesthood, of which over 33 years Bishop of Banja Luka.