Martin Dobrović or Martin Dubravić (1599–1621) was a

Catholic priest The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the Holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in layman's terms ''priest'' refers only ...

. After finishing his education in Graz, he became a

parson A parson is an ordained Christian person responsible for a small area, typically a parish. The term was formerly often used for some Anglican clergy and, more rarely, for ordained ministers in some other churches. It is no longer a formal term ...

Ivanić Grad Ivanić ( sr-Cyrl, Иванић, ) is a Croatian and Serbian surname. * Delfa Ivanić (1881–1972), Serbian painter, humanitarian and writer * Dragutin Ivanić, Croatian pilot * Dušan Ivanić (born 1946), Croatian-born Serbian literary histori ...

and later became 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 partic ...

in the

Roman Catholic 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 ...

Early life and education

Born in a Serbian

Orthodox Christian Orthodoxy (from Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion. Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Antiquity, but different Churche ...

family, Dobrović was born to parents who had migrated from Bosnia to what is now modern-day

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

. Later, his family converted to Catholicism. With a recommendation from the Bishop of Ljubljana,

Thomas Chrön Thomas Chrön ( sl, Tomaž Hren; November 13, 1560 – February 10, 1630) was a Carniolan Roman Catholic priest, bishop of Ljubljana, and patron of the arts.Rajhman, Jože, & Emilijan Cevc. 1990. Tomaž Hren. ''Enciklopedija Slovenije'', vo ...

, the Catholic church educated him as a priest at a school in Graz. He studied there from 1599-1608. As a student of literature, he wrote a song entitled ''Eidem,'' ( lat, Litterarum humaniorum studiosus) which was published in 1601. After graduating, Dobrović became parson of Ivanić and chaplain of the German Military Garrison in Ivanić.

Conversion of Orthodox Serbians to Catholicism

of Ivanić Grad, Dobrović actively tried to convert Orthodox Serbians, who had migrated from the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

to Catholicism. He began his endeavors before Simeon Vratanja was appointed as the

bishop of Marča A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or offic ...

. In 1609, Dobrović was authorized by the Roman Catholic Pope,

Pope Paul V Pope Paul V ( la, Paulus V; it, Paolo V) (17 September 1550 – 28 January 1621), born Camillo Borghese, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 16 May 1605 to his death in January 1621. In 1611, he honored ...

, to convert Orthodox Serbians to the Catholic faith. Dobrović convinced Simeon Vratanja to accept the Eastern Catholicism and to recognize the Pope's jurisdiction over Eastern Catholic dioceses. In 1611, Dobrović and Vretanja traveled to

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 ...

together. Simeon met with the Pope and formally accepted Eastern Catholicism. In March 1613, in Marča Monastery, Dobrović and Simeon had a meeting with several notable Serbian

dukes Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranke ...

and tried to convince them to convert to Catholicism and to accept the oversight of the

. Dobrović recommended Matija Sumer from Ivanić to be educated as a Catholic priest. Hrvoje Petrić, ''Katolička obnova i konfesionalne tolerancije'', Zagreb, p. 59 Dobrović died in 1621.

References

Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dobrovic, Martin Converts to Roman Catholicism from Eastern Orthodoxy Former Serbian Orthodox Christians 1621 deaths Habsburg Serbs 17th-century Croatian people 17th-century Serbian Roman Catholic priests Clergy from Graz People of the Military Frontier Croatian military chaplains