Help for the Training of Seminarians in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Thursday, May 19, 2016

In the seminary in the Archdiocese of Sarajevo there are 44 young men training for the priesthood. These seminarians come from all three dioceses of the country, but also from Montenegro, Macedonia, Serbia and Kosovo.

During the Bosnian war from 1992 to 1995, close to half the Catholic Croats in the country were forced to leave and seek refuge abroad. Today, there are only 450,000 Catholics still living here. While it is true that, at 15% of the population, they make up the third-largest group in the country, in this majority Muslim country they are discriminated against in many ways, and this is preventing many of the families who fled during the war from returning to their former homes.

Despite this, the Catholic Church is playing an important role in the process of reconciliation and healing after the war, since there are still many open and painful wounds in the country. And the Church is very active and lively – something that is evident in the heartening number of vocations. In the seminary in the Archdiocese of Sarajevo there are no fewer than 44 young men training for the priesthood. These seminarians come from all three dioceses of the country, but also from Montenegro, Macedonia, Serbia and Kosovo.

With its high running costs, the seminary is still greatly dependent on outside support to fund the training of these future priests. Many churches and other Church properties were destroyed during the war and so there are many churches, presbyteries and religious houses that have had to be rebuilt at considerable cost. Although the seminary does everything it possibly can to cut down on costs, such as having the seminarians themselves do many of the smaller renovation and repair jobs, it is still in urgent need of help.

ACN is helping for the training of the 44 seminarians in the current academic year, with a contribution of $1,025 per seminarian – all in all, a total of $45,100.

Will you give to support these seminarians in Bosnia and Herzegovina? We are sure they will gratefully remember you in their prayers.

Progress: 2% Raised: $ 1030     Goal: $ 45100

Code: 444-02-79

Return to Projects in Need

Aid to the Church in Need commits to invest your funds where they will have the greatest impact for the Church that we serve. Funds donated to Aid to the Church in Need’s projects will be used towards the greatest need in our programs to help keep the Faith alive.