Bishop Jurij Bizjak (born 22 February 1947) 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 serves as a Bishop of the Diocese of Koper since 26 May 2012. Previously he was a Titular Bishop of Gergis and Auxiliary Bishop of Diocese of Koper from 13 May 2000 until 26 May 2012.

Education

Bishop Bizjak was born as the eldest son into a Roman Catholic family with four children in the present day

Municipality of Ajdovščina The Municipality of Ajdovščina (; sl, Občina Ajdovščina) is a municipality with a population of a little over 19,000 located in the Vipava Valley, southwestern Slovenia. The municipality was established in 1994. Its seat is in the town of Aj ...

in the

Slovenian Littoral The Slovene Littoral ( sl, Primorska, ; it, Litorale; german: Küstenland) is one of the five traditional regions of Slovenia. Its name recalls the former Austrian Littoral (''Avstrijsko Primorje''), the Habsburg possessions on the upper Ad ...

region. After finishing primary school, which he attended in his native Col (1953–1958) and Ajdovščina (1958–1961), Jurij graduated a Minor Seminary in

Vipava Vipava can refer to: * Vipava, Vipava, town in southwestern Slovenia * Vipava (river), in Slovenia and Italy * Vipava Valley The Vipava Valley (; sl, Vipavska dolina, german: Wippachtal, it, Valle del Vipacco) is a valley in the Slovenian Li ...

with the secondary education in 1965 and was admitted 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, where he studied from 1965 until 1972 and was ordained as

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 June 29, 1971, while completing his philosophical and theological studies. In the meantime, during 1966–1967, he also served his compulsory military service in the Yugoslavian Army. Coat of arms of Jurij Bizjak

Pastoral and educational works

After his ordination Fr. Bizjak was engaged in the pastoral work and served as priest in

Sežana Sežana (; it, Sesana) is a town in the Slovenian Littoral region of Slovenia, near the border with Italy. It is the seat of the Municipality of Sežana. Sežana is located on the Karst Plateau, from Trieste, Italy, and from Ljubljana, the cap ...

Ilirska Bistrica Ilirska Bistrica (; german: Illyrisch Feistritz; it, Villa del Nevoso, before 1927: ''Bisterza,'' Hungarian: ''Illírbeszterce'') is a town in the Inner Carniola region of southwestern Slovenia. It is the administrative seat of the Municipality ...

and Planina nad Ajdovščino from 1971 until 1976, when he continued his postgraduate studies at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in the camp of a biblical theology in 1979, and after – at the Pontifical Urbaniana University 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 1983. After completing his studies in

, he was appointed spiritual director at the Minor Seminary in

and lecturer in biblical sciences at the Theological Faculty of the University of Ljubljana. He was appointed an assistant professor at the Faculty of Theology at the end of 1985, and an assistant professor at the beginning of 1998. During 1990–1991 he studied in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

and after returning continued to work as professor, parish priest and spiritual director at the Major Theological Seminary in

Prelate

On May 13, 2000, he was appointed by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

as the a Titular Bishop of Gergis and Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Koper. On July 5, 2000, he was consecrated as bishop by Bishop of Koper

Metod Pirih Bishop Metod Pirih (9 May 1936 – 23 March 2021Umrl je up ...

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 Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in

Koper Koper (; it, Capodistria, hr, Kopar) is the fifth largest city in Slovenia. Located in the Istrian region in the southwestern part of the country, approximately five kilometres () south of the border with Italy and 20 kilometres () from Triest ...

. After retirement of his predecessor on May 26, 2012, he became the Diocesan Bishop of

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bizjak, Jurij 1947 births Living people People from the Municipality of Ajdovščina University of Ljubljana alumni Pontifical Biblical Institute alumni Pontifical Urban University alumni University of Ljubljana faculty 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Slovenia 21st-century Slovenian Roman Catholic priests Bishops appointed by Pope John Paul II