1. Childhood
Josip Stadler was born on 24 January 1843 in Slavonski
Brod (Croatia), the son of poor parents Đuro Stadler and
Marija nee Balošić. The Stadler family roots go back to
Upper Austria from where in 1760 Matthias Stadler, the
great-great grandfather of Josip Stadler, a military handyman
came to the castle of Brod, which was then the frontier
region between the Austro-Hungarian monarchy and the Ottoman
empire. The family familiarized itself and adapted quickly
to the conditions in Slavonski Brod, and thanks to the
female side, they were able to integrate themselves in
the local surroundings, so much so that already in the
third generation the Stadler family was considered a Croat
family. This is important to point out, since some of
Stadlers’ later critics from both ecclesiastical and civil
circles will accuse him of serving foreign interests in
his actions, in this particular case, those of the Austro-Hungarians.
Stadler was not a servant to the interests of anyone,
except for the fact that as a man of the Church he served
“Christ, the Son of the living God” and his Church, especially
in that area where he was established as pastor. Being
a “croata ex todo corde” as his superiors in Rome described
him, he served the good of his people amongst whom he
was raised and to whom he was sent as their pastor.
Even as a child Stadler experienced difficult hardships.
The bitter experience of sufferings already present as
a part of his existence during his childhood, will later
on increase his faith and his concern for people, especially
the poor. Stadler truly believed in the goodness of God
and in his mercy, and he firmly held that God does not
strike man in order to relish in his sufferings and persecutions.
On the contrary, God is nothing else than Love, and he
completely identifies himself with those that suffer,
especially with the poor, for Christ said: “Truly I say
to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my
brethren, you did it to me” (Mt 25:40) and also “Whoever
gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water
because he is a disciple, truly I say to you, he shall
not lose his reward” (Mt 10:42). He understood well that
human selfishness and the unjust distribution of wealth
have created the existing differences between people,
so that some have plenty, while others don’t have even
enough to survive and find themselves in a constant struggle
for their existence. According to Stadler this difference
could be lessened by joyful offerings, assistance to the
needy, all done in the name of the Lord Jesus, who came
into the world as a poor child, born in a manger, since
there was no room for him in the inn. In fact “he wanted
to be born this way so that people would love him and
not be afraid of him”. If we truly want to be Christ’s
followers, then we must love the poor.
Stadler already at the age of eleven felt the consequences
of poverty and the need for human solidarity, for in the
space of eight months he lost his father and mother, a
brother as well as a sister. With his remaining brothers
and sisters he was left to depend on the goodwill of the
people of Slavonski Brod, who according to the custom
of the time, took care of orphans by offering to adopt
them in order to teach them a trade and employ them later
on. This adoption procedure took place on the day of Mardi
gras. Stadler, according to his biographers, took the
advice of his parish chaplain and catechist who suggested
to the children that they offer prayers in reparation
for the sins that people commit during Mardi gras, and
hence he stayed in church during the event. Since he did
not appear at the adoption proceedings, Štefan Matić the
barber of Slavonski Brod who wanted to take Josip in as
an apprentice, took his brother instead. By the time he
came home, the adoption proceedings were over. A family
of tailors, Matija and Jula Oršić took care of Josip taking
him in as one of their own children. They planned to teach
him the tailor’s trade, but Stadler was to remain grateful
to them for the rest of his life.
2. Education
God had intended a greater vocation for Stadler than
that of a tailor in Slavonski Brod and for this he gave
him special talents. These talents did not remain unnoticed
to people who could do something to help develop them
further. The Mayor of Slavonski Brod, Maximilian Wegheimer,
perceiving that Josip was a gifted student and saw to
it that he would complete his grammar school education.
Having finished this school, the Mayor enrolled Stadler
freeing him of tuition in the Archdiocesan orphanage in
Požega, where he was able to attend the Franciscan elementary
school. At that time the Jesuit Fathers administered the
orphanage. This encounter with the Jesuits and his continued
education in a College run by them, were to have a great
affect on him in his personal life, his spiritual formation
and his future service in the vineyard of the Lord. The
Jesuit formation and spirituality impressed him so much
that he himself wanted to become a Jesuit. As a young
priest in Zagreb he wrote on a number of occasions to
the General of the Jesuit religious congregation in order
to be accepted into the Jesuits, and he also asked his
superiors at the Germanicum College in Rome to recommend
him to the General of the congregation. Providence was
to lead him in another direction and his appeal was rejected.
The practice of the time was such that every student at
the Germanicum upon enrolment in the College had to make
an oath that he would not enter the Jesuit congregation.
The General of the congregation held that Stadler would
be more useful to his local Church amongst the Croats
as a Diocesan priest than as a Jesuit religious. Stadler
later on, even as Archbishop contemplated entering a religious
order if not a Jesuit, then at least a Lazarist religious.
In 1884 he wrote: “I often find myself thinking of life
in a convent and these thoughts are always with me. For
a few years now I have been contemplating on becoming
a Lazarist, just as I thought of becoming a member of
the Company of Jesus earlier. Whether or not this is good,
I cannot say, but these are the facts. I think that I
will probably only stay on for another ten years, if God
grants me life, up to the time the first Diocesan priests
are ready and the Company of Jesus establishes itself,
then I will go on and occupy myself with my own soul.
These thoughts come to mind almost every day. May God
grant me the grace to know his will and to fulfill it”.
The will of God led Stadler on another path. Upon completing
his fourth year of education at the elementary school
of Požega, he was accepted into the Archdiocesan orphanage
at Zagreb, and he continued his studies at the school
of Gornjigrad. After concluding the sixth year of education,
he was enrolled in the Archdiocesan minor seminary as
a candidate to the priesthood. Having completed his studies
with fine results and due to his excellent behaviour,
his superiors sent him to Rome in 1862, where as a member
of the Germanicum College he stayed until 1869 crowning
his studies at the Gregorian University with doctorates
in philosophy and theology. His superiors, professors
and educators in Rome all sent good reports on him. He
was ordained a priest in Rome in 1868 and celebrated his
First Mass at St. Peter’s tomb on 7 June 1868.
3. Priest and Archbishop
Upon completing his studies Stadler came back to Zagreb,
where he became prefect in the Archdiocesan minor seminary,
then catechist at the elementary school of Zagreb and
afterwards professor of philosophy and theology at the
same minor seminary. In Zagreb he was well known as a
preacher and confessor. Through his published works one
can easily acknowledge his concern for the education of
his fellow Croats. He became an active member of the Society
of St. Jerome, which he wholeheartedly supported. He also
initiated the periodical “Glasnik sv. Josipa” – “The Herald
of St. Joseph” aimed towards lay people. In politics he
adhered to the ideas of Starčević’s Party of Rights, while
in public he emerged in word and action as a “wholehearted
Croat”. He remained in Zagreb up until 1881 when he was
named Archbishop Metropolitan of Vrhbosna (Sarajevo).
During Stadler’s formative years and his priestly service
in Zagreb, there were many uprisings of Christian faithful
in Bosnia-Herzegovina who could no longer stand the weight
of the hardships imposed on them by the Ottoman authorities.
The Turkish Empire by the end of the 18th century had
become the “Sick Man of Europe”, and was only held intact
due to the interests of foreign powers. Some countries
had for a long time been pondering the idea of getting
involved in the Balkans and arriving at the warm sea.
Hence Russia through Serbia and Montenegro had its eyes
on this region. Wars and uprisings in all the areas of
the Ottoman Empire forced the Turks to talks. During these
talks she lost a good deal of her territory. In 1878 the
Berlin Congress was held during which the European powers
changed the order of Europe according to their own interests.
During this congress, Austro-Hungary acquired a mandate
to take over Bosnia-Herzegovina and to introduce its authority
in this region. Upon the arrival of the Austro-Hungarian
authorities in Bosnia, the circumstances matured for the
renewal of a regular Church hierarchy. After negotiations
between the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy and the Holy See,
in 1881 with the Bull “Ex hac augusta” the ecclesiastical
province of Vrhbosna was established. Josip Stadler was
named the first Archbishop Metropolitan of the Archdiocese
of Vrhbosna (Sarajevo).
Stadler arrived in Bosnia in January 1882 and took charge
of an Archdiocese that up to that time only existed on
paper. In June 1882 regarding his Archdiocese he wrote:
“My Archdiocese has 70 parishes which are all very distant
from each other. More than half the parishes do not have
a parish church, while the other half lacks just about
everything. Indeed, this other half does have churches
but these buildings are basements, wooden barracks and
only a few have well built churches. My cathedral would
serve as a mediocre parish church somewhere else in the
world”. In this “cathedral” mentioned by informants as
a worn-out church which was situated where the current
church of St. Anthony is located at Bistrik in Sarajevo,
Stadler was installed as Archbishop in January of 1882.
Once established in Sarajevo he began working immediately
and he had plenty to do and was not afraid to take risks
in organizing his Archdiocese. Yet was this a risk or
was it what we Christian faithful would call trusting
completely in God’s providence, the same Providence that
encouraged St. Paul the Apostle to say: “I can do all
things in him who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13).
Guided by Divine providence, during his thirty-six years
at the helm of the Archdiocese, Stadler succeeded in erecting
a Curia and Chapter of Canons, a Minor Seminary in Travnik,
a Major Seminary in Sarajevo, a Cathedral and many churches
throughout the Archdiocese. He also built two orphanages
“Bethlehem” and “Egypt”, which were given agricultural
estates in order to become self-sufficient. Towards this
goal, he established a religious congregation for women
called the Sisters Handmaids of the Child Jesus, whose
main purpose was to serve Christ in the poor. He invited
the Jesuit Fathers and the Daughters of Divine Charity
to Bosnia, who along with the already present Franciscan
Fathers and the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul,
dedicated themselves to the education of children and
youth in all the major centres of the Archdiocese. His
intention was to create a network of Catholic elementary
schools in Bosnia which would be entrusted to the Christian
Brothers FSC, so that in this fashion education could
spread to the general population. Unfortunately he did
not succeed, due to the fact that his goal was contested
by the educational politics of the Austro-Hungarian authorities
in Bosnia. By 1916 when the Christian brothers finally
arrived in Sarajevo and immediately took over the German
school it was too late, because at the end of the First
World War with the formation of the State (Kingdom) of
Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, they had to return to Austria
and never truly established their religious congregation
in Bosnia.
4. Spiritual, cultural and political activities
Despite the efforts made to materially build up the
Archdiocese, the spiritual edification was not neglected
either. Being a man in possession of a wide culture of
intellect and heart, Stadler was also involved with writing.
Along with methodical works in the areas of philosophy
and theology, he wrote, translated and published many
popular spiritual and practical-pastoral works which he
deemed necessary for the Christian education of the Croat
population. In this regard, he initiated newspapers and
periodicals, and often contributed articles to them. With
the already mentioned “Glasnik sv. Josipa” – “The Herald
of St. Joseph”, which he started and managed as editor
during his years as a priest in Zagreb, he began an official
bulletin in Sarajevo of the Archdiocese of Vrhbosna called
“Srce Isusovo” – “Sacred Heart of Jesus” which later on
became a periodical known as “Vrhbosna katoličkoj prosvjeti”
– “The Catholic Education of Vrhbosna”. Then he initiated
“Glasnik Srca Isusova” – “The Herald of the Sacred Heart
of Jesus” which he later on entrusted to the Jesuit Fathers
in Travnik, followed by “Balkan jedinstvu i bratskoj slogi”
– “The Unity of the Balkans and Brotherly Accord”, which
was a periodical dedicated towards Christian unity, as
well as “Hrvatski dnevnik” – “The Croatian Daily”, a political
newspaper for the national and religious orientation of
the Croats of Bosnia.
Stadler’s literary works were not written to obtain any
acclaim (even though he was pleased when he heard that
the Herder publisher decided to take over the publication
of the second edition of his work on Fundamental theology,
which at that time [1884/85] was already being used as
a textbook in Salzburg, believing all the while that his
work along with his philosophical works only served for
the “greater glory of God”), nevertheless were seen as
responses for the needs of the times. He understood the
hidden power of printed media, which as a modern means
of communication was able to influence public opinion,
shape the overall life of society and also penetrate into
the private realm of peoples’ lives. He could not stand
by idly and watch how other spiritual, and oftentimes
un-Christian and anti-Church activities, attempted to
spread their own ideas and visions of society into the
world. Through his efforts, all Stadler wanted was to
help in the religious and national formation of all levels
of society, not only in his own Archdiocese, but also
in the entire region inhabited by Croats. He had many
other desires and plans as well, to further build and
organize in the Archdiocese of Vrhbosna, but his earthly
life was too short to realize them all.
Stadler was also a great patriot, whose patriotism was
enriched by his Christian faith and priestly (pastoral)
service. His patriotic sentiments were verified during
the Croatian Catholic Congress in Zagreb on 3 September
1900 in the struggle for a Croatian title for the College
of St. Jerome in Rome, and in his support for Croatian
institutes which at that time were involved with the cultural
and national formation of Croat youth in Bosnia, such
as the Croatian cultural society “Napredak” – “Progress”.
Stadler assisted this society both materially and morally,
recommended it to priests and twice saved it from financial
ruin. After his death, many had words of praise for Stadler’s
overall activities, such as “Splitski dani” – “The Days
of Split” which wrote: “He was a patriot of conviction
and action, and not of criticism and boastful words”.
Stadler came across opposition in his work and also experienced
low blows, even from within Church circles as well as
from those beyond them. Yet he never knew how to nor ever
could hate anyone. Reconciled with God and with people,
he departed from this world on 8 December 1918, on the
solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, who as the Mother of Jesus Christ he constantly
venerated. He did not leave any debts behind him, yet
he left his works which even today inspire and speak of
a great man of our Croatian history. Stadler’s body rests
in the Cathedral of Sarajevo, and on 12 April 1997 the
successor of St. Peter, Pope John Paul II visited this
church and in his discourse to priests, religious men
and women, major and minor seminarians said to them: “In
this Cathedral how can I fail to recall Monsignor Josip
Stadler, the first Archbishop of the revived see of ancient
Vrhbosna, modern Sarajevo, and the founder of the Congregation
of the Handmaids of the Child Jesus, the only Religious
Congregation founded in Bosnia-Hercegovina? May the living
memory of this great Bishop, utterly faithful to the Apostolic
See and ever ready to serve his brothers and sisters,
encourage and sustain the missionary commitment of all
the consecrated persons who work in this region, so dear
to me!”
Pavo Jurišić
