Bishop Alojzije Slavko Večerin ( sr-cyr, Славко Вечерин; 6 June 1957 – 26 August 2022) was a Serbian

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

prelate who served as the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Subotica in

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

from 8 September 2020 until his death. He was a member of the International Bishops' Conference of Saints Cyril and Methodius.

Education

Bishop Večerin was born into a Vojvodina Croats Roman Catholic family in

Palić Palić ( sr-Cyrl, Палић; ; ) is a town located in the city of Subotica, North Bačka District, autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. It is also located from the border between Serbia and Hungary. The town has a Hungarian ethnic majority ...

(town located in the city of

Subotica Subotica (, ; , , ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city in Central Europe and the administrative center of the North Bačka District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. Formerly the largest city of Vojvodina region, contemporary Sub ...

). After graduation from the primary school in his native town and the classical gymnasium in

in 1976, he consequently joined the Archdiocesan Theological Seminary 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 ...

and the Theological Faculty at the

University of Zagreb The University of Zagreb (, ) is a public university, public research university in Zagreb, Croatia. It is the largest Croatian university and one of the oldest continuously operating universities in Europe. The University of Zagreb and the Unive ...

, where he studied from 1976 until 1983, 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 deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

on 14 August 1983 for his native Diocese of Subotica, after completed his philosophical and theological studies.

Later career

After his ordination Fr. Večerin for a short time served as an assistant priest in the parish of the Holy Trinity in

Sombor Sombor ( sr-Cyrl, Сомбор, ; ; ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the West Bačka District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The city has a total population of 41,814 (), while its adminis ...

(1983–1985), until in the summer of 1985 he was appointed administrator of the parish of St. Paul in Bač. Then, in 1991, he was transferred to

, where he served as a spiritual director in the Minor Seminary Paulinum and archivist of the Episcopal Ordinariate. From 1994 to 2006, he served as secretary of the Diocese of Subotica. At the same time he served as the parish priest in the parish of St. Peter and Paul in

Bajmok Bajmok ( sr-Cyrl, Бајмок; , ) is a village located in the municipality of Subotica, in the North Bačka District, Vojvodina, Serbia. The village is ethnically mixed and its population numbered 7,414 inhabitants as of 2011 census. Name In S ...

(1998–2008), and then from 2011 to 2016 in the parish of Mary Mother of the Church in

, and at the same time he was the rector of the Marian shrine Bunarić. Since 2016 until 2020, he was the pastor of the parish of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in

. He was the

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

of the Diocese of Subotica since 2005 until 2020 and was a member of the Liturgical Council of the International Bishops' Conference of Saints Cyril and Methodius from 1999 to 2009.

Prelate

On 8 September 2020, he was appointed by

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

as third diocesan bishop of

. On 14 November 2020, he was consecrated as bishop by Bishop László Német and other prelates of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

in the

Cathedral of St. Theresa of Avila The Cathedral of St. Theresa of Avila (Serbian language, Serbian and , ) is a Latin Catholic cathedral and minor basilica located in Subotica, Serbia, the seat of the Diocese of Subotica. It is Dedication (ritual), dedicated to Saint Theresa of Av ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Večerin, Slavko 1957 births 2022 deaths People from Subotica Croats of Vojvodina Croats of Serbia University of Zagreb alumni 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Serbia Bishops appointed by Pope Francis