Bishop Andrej Saje (born 22 April 1966) is a Slovenian

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

prelate who is currently serving as the second bishop of the Diocese of Novo Mesto since 30 June 2021 and a president of the

Episcopal Conference of Slovenia Slovenian Bishops' Conference (SBC; sl, Slovenska škofovska konferenca, ) is the supreme authority of the Roman Catholic Church in Slovenia, which combines all the bishops of Slovenian dioceses and archdioceses: Archdiocese of Ljubljana, Archdi ...

since 24 March 2022.

Early life and education

Andrej Saje was born into a Roman Catholic family of Drago and Frančiška (née Ulčar) Saje in

Novo Mesto Novo Mesto (; sl, Novo mesto; also known by other alternative names) is a city on a bend of the Krka River in the City Municipality of Novo Mesto in southeastern Slovenia, close to the border with Croatia. The town is traditionally considered t ...

as their first child, but grew up in Veliki Kal in the parish of

Mirna Peč Mirna Peč (; german: Hönigstein) is a rural settlement in southeast Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Mirna Peč. Geography Mirna Peč is located about 10 km northwest of Novo Mesto, the cultural and administrative centre o ...

. After finishing primary school in

(1973–1981) and graduation gymnasium in

in 1985, he made a one-year of compulsory military service in the Yugoslavian Army (1985–1986) and entered to the Major Theological Seminary in

Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the ar ...

and in the same time joined the Theological Faculty at the

University of Ljubljana The University of Ljubljana ( sl, Univerza v Ljubljani, , la, Universitas Labacensis), often referred to as UL, is the oldest and largest university in Slovenia. It has approximately 39,000 enrolled students. History Beginnings Although certain ...

, where graduated in 1991 and was ordained a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

on 29 June 1992, for the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ljubljana The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Ljubljana ( sl, Nadškofija Ljubljana, la, Archidioecesis Labacensis) is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Slovenia. after completed his philosophical and theological studies.

Pastoral and educational work

After his ordination Fr. Saje was engaged in the pastoral work and served as a parish priest in

Grosuplje Grosuplje (; german: Großlupp)''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 108. is a town in central Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality ...

(1992–1994) and from 1994 until 1997 was a personal assistant of the Metropolitan Archbishop of Lubljana. In summer 1997 he continued his education in the

Collegium Germanicum et Hungaricum The ''Collegium Germanicum et Hungaricum'', or simply ''Collegium Germanicum'', is a German-speaking seminary for Catholic priests in Rome, founded in 1552. Since 1580 its full name has been ''Pontificium Collegium Germanicum et Hungaricum de Urb'' ...

and completed his studies with a

Doctor of Theology Doctor of Theology ( la, Doctor Theologiae, abbreviated DTh, ThD, DTheol, or Dr. theol.) is a terminal degree in the academic discipline of theology. The ThD, like the ecclesiastical Doctor of Sacred Theology, is an advanced research degree equiva ...

degree in

Canon law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

at the

Pontifical Gregorian University The Pontifical Gregorian University ( it, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana,) is a higher education ecclesiastical school ( pontifical university) located in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as ...

in 2003. After returning to Slovenia, he was general secretary and spokesman for the

for ten years (2003–2013) and served as a prefect of Studies at the Theological Seminary in Ljubljana (2003–2016). He was appointed a judge of the Metropolitan Church Court in 2003, and in 2016 the judicial vicar of the same court and the judicial vicar of the Archdiocese of Ljubljana. Fr, Saje also was an assistant professor and after professor at the Department of Canon Law at the Faculty of Theology, University of Ljubljana. He served as a spiritual assistant in the parish of Ljubljana-

Ježica Ježica (; german: Jeschza) is a formerly independent settlement in the northern part of the capital Ljubljana in central Slovenia. It is part of the traditional region of Upper Carniola and is now included with the rest of the municipality in the ...

(2013–2015) and from 2014 until the summer of 2021, when he was appointed bishop, he was a spiritual assistant in Slovenian parishes in Sele and Bajdiše in the

Klagenfurt-Land District Bezirk Klagenfurt-Land is a district of the state of Carinthia in Austria. :de:Bezirk Klagenfurt-Land Municipalities Towns (''Städte'') are indicated in boldface; market towns (''Marktgemeinden'') in ''italics''; suburbs, hamlets and other sub ...

of the Austrian

Roman Catholic Diocese of Gurk The Roman Catholic Diocese of Gurk-Klagenfurt (german: Diözese Gurk-Klagenfurt, sl, Krška škofija) is a Catholic diocese covering the Austrian state of Carinthia. It is part of the ecclesiastical province of Salzburg. Though named after Gurk ...

Prelate

On 30 June 2021, he was appointed by

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

as the second bishop of the Diocese of Novo Mesto, instead of retired Bishop

Andrej Glavan Andrej Glavan (born 16 October 1943) is a Slovenian Roman Catholic prelate who served as the first bishop of the Diocese of Novo Mesto from its creation on 7 April 2006 until his retirement on 30 June 2021. Also he was a Titular Bishop of Musti in ...

. On 26 September 2021, he was consecrated as bishop by Bishop

and other prelates of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

in the St. Kancijan Church in

and two days later, on 28 September 2021, had place his installation. From 24 March 2022 Bishop Saje is a president of the

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saje, Andrej 1966 births Living people People from Novo Mesto University of Ljubljana alumni Pontifical Gregorian University alumni Slovenian theologians Academic staff of the University of Ljubljana 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Slovenia Bishops appointed by Pope Francis