Bishop Marko Culej (19 January 1938 – 19 August 2006) was a Croatian

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 let ...

prelate who served as the first Diocesan Bishop of the newly created Roman Catholic Diocese of Varaždin from 5 July 1997 until his death on 19 August 2006. Previously he served as a Titular Bishop of Limata and an Auxiliary Bishop of

Archdiocese of Zagreb The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Zagreb ( hr, Zagrebačka nadbiskupija, la, Archidioecesis Zagrebiensis) is the central archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Croatia, centered in the capital city Zagreb. It is the metropolitan see of Croatia, an ...

since 7 January 1992 until 5 July 1997. Culej-grb

Education

Bishop Culej was born into a Croatian Roman Catholic family of Petar and Josipa (née Bočkal) near Zlatar in the

Hrvatsko Zagorje Hrvatsko Zagorje (; Croatian Zagorje; ''zagorje'' is Croatian language, Croatian for "backland" or "behind the hills") is a cultural region in northern Croatia, traditionally separated from the country's capital Zagreb by the Medvednica Moun ...

region as a one among six their children. After graduation the primary school in Belac in 1949, he continued the classical gymnasium in the Inter-Diocesan Minor Seminary in

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...

, he consequently joined the Major Theological Seminary in

and in the same time the

University of Zagreb The University of Zagreb ( hr, Sveučilište u Zagrebu, ; la, Universitas Studiorum Zagrabiensis) is the largest Croatian university and the oldest continuously operating university in the area covering Central Europe south of Vienna and all of ...

in 1957. The next year he must interrupted his studies for the compulsory service in the Yugoslavian Army (1958–1959), and returned to his priesthood formation in the seminary, where he studied until 1964, 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 partic ...

on April 24, 1964 for the

, after completed his philosophical and theological studies.

Pastoral and educationcal work

After ordination, Fr. Culej in 1964 served as assistant priest in

Samobor Samobor () is a city in Zagreb County, Croatia. It is part of the Zagreb metropolitan area. Administratively it is a part of Zagreb County. Geography Samobor is located west of Zagreb, between the eastern slopes of the Samobor hills ( hr, Samo ...

, and from 1964 as assistant priest in Desinić. In January 1965 he became interim parish administrator for the local St. George church, and in July he was appointed parish administrator and remained there until September 1981, when he was relieved of his duties as parish administrator. From 1965 until 1975, he was also the temporary administrator in Poljana Sutlanska. In September 1981, he was appointed a Vice-rector of the Archbishop's Major Theological Seminary, a position he held until 1992. In 1986, in addition to the position of Vice-rector, Fr. Culej was appointed a

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of the Primate's Chapter of Zagreb and a head of the Archdiocesan Center for Spiritual Vocations. During 1992–1993 he served as a Rector of the Archbishop's Major Theological Seminary in

Prelate

On January 7, 1992, 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 a Titular Bishop of Limata and an Auxiliary Bishop of the

. On February 22, 1992, he was consecrated as bishop by Cardinal

Franjo Kuharić Franjo Kuharić (15 April 1919 – 11 March 2002) was a Croatian Catholic cardinal, who served as the Archbishop of Zagreb from 1970 until his resignation in 1997. The cardinal was often referred to as the "Rock of Croatia" known for his defe ...

and other prelates of the

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in the Cathedral of Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Stephen of Hungary in

. On August 18, 1993, he was relieved of his duties as the Rector of the Theological Seminary and appointed a

Vicar General A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop' ...

of the Archdiocese. A four years later, on July 5, 1997, Mons. Culej become the first Diocesan Bishop of the newly created Roman Catholic Diocese of Varaždin. He died, while at the office, on August 19, 2006 after a long and severe illness at the age of 69 in

Varaždin ) , image_photo = , image_skyline = , image_flag = Flag of Varaždin.svg , flag_size = , image_seal = , seal_size = , image_shield = Grb_Grad ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Culej, Marko 1938 births 2006 deaths People from Krapina-Zagorje County University of Zagreb alumni Academic staff of the University of Zagreb 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Croatia 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Croatia Bishops appointed by Pope John Paul II