Didak Buntić (9 October 1871 – 3 February 1922) was a

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

friar A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders in the Catholic Church. There are also friars outside of the Catholic Church, such as within the Anglican Communion. The term, first used in the 12th or 13th century, distinguishes the mendi ...

and educator from

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

Early life and entry to Franciscan order

Buntić was born on 9 October 1871. The next day he was

baptized Baptism (from ) is a Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by sprinkling or pouring water on the head, or by immersing in water either partially or completely, traditionally three ...

as Franjo Buntić. He entered the

order in 1888 (taking the name Didak) and finished seminary in 1894.

Career as teacher, friar, priest and politician

The next year he began teaching at the gymnasium in

Široki Brijeg Široki Brijeg () is a city and the regional capital of West Herzegovina Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. the town itself had a population of 6,149 and the municipality of 28,929. Name ...

. During his time in Široki Brijeg, the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed

Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

was built. He became the school's principal in 1911 and began to encourage the education of children from neighbouring villages. In 1919 he helped open a school in

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

to educate students from Herzegovina. That same year he became the head of the Franciscan Province of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and moved to

Mostar Mostar () is a city and the administrative centre of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the historical capital of Herzegovina. Mostar is situated on the Neretva Riv ...

. In 1920, he was elected to the Constitutional Assembly of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes as a member of the Croatian Popular Party.

Rescuing hungry children

One of the most famous episodes in the life of Didak Buntić, but also in the history of the Franciscan Province of Herzegovina and the whole of

Herzegovina Herzegovina ( or ; sh-Latn-Cyrl, Hercegovina, separator=" / ", Херцеговина, ) is the southern and smaller of two main geographical Regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being Bosnia (reg ...

, is his heroic effort to save the starving people in Herzegovina in 1917 (near the end of the First World War). In that action, he was named "savior of the poor" and

Moses In Abrahamic religions, Moses was the Hebrews, Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites out of slavery in the The Exodus, Exodus from ancient Egypt, Egypt. He is considered the most important Prophets in Judaism, prophet in Judaism and Samaritani ...

of Herzegovina.

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

brought Brotnjo, just as it did all other regions, great suffering - poverty, hunger, illness and death. 1917 was a particularly fatal dry and unfruitful year. The lack of staple food groups caused hunger and mass death. Buntić played a very dedicated role in rescuing people from hunger and death. Not only did he acquire food for the hungry and poor, but he also sent many into the wheat-bearing regions of

Slavonia Slavonia (; ) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria County, Istria, one of the four Regions of Croatia, historical regions of Croatia. Located in the Pannonian Plain and taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with f ...

to be fed and saved from a certain death. During the war, children from poor families were sent to these parts for rest and nutrition with the help of various humanitarian organizations and associations. The members of the District branch of the "Croatian National Community" (HNZ) played a significant role in this respect. In these actions, an effort was made to suppress religious diversity, so there were trains made up of children of three religions (Catholic, Orthodox and Muslim). It is estimated that in this way Buntić, together with his associates, saved around 17,000 children from certain death.

Death

He died in Čitluk in 1922 of a heart attack.

References

External links

*http://www.didak.net/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Buntic, Didak 1871 births 1922 deaths People from Čitluk, Bosnia and Herzegovina 19th-century Bosnia and Herzegovina Roman Catholic priests Franciscans of the Franciscan Province of Herzegovina Croatian Popular Party (1919) politicians Representatives in the Yugoslav National Assembly (1921–1941) 20th-century Bosnia and Herzegovina Roman Catholic priests