Blaško Rajic
Encyclopedia
Blaško Stipan Rajić was a Bačka
Croat
Catholic
priest, writer and politician. He wrote poetry
and prose
works.
His areas of service was region Bačka, that at the time of his birth was a part of Hungary
(in Austria-Hungary
). After World War I
, his city of birth became part of newly created Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenians.
.
His service as priest began in Bačka, southern Hungary, in 1902, in villages with numerous Croat inhabitants. First, he was the chaplain in Dusnok
, where he stayed for few years. There he fought against Nasarenism.
In 1904 he's transferred to another village with numerous Croat inhabitants in southern Hungary, Hercegszántó
. There he has remained for three years. After chaplainship in Hercegszántó, the service brought him back to his Subotica, where he was the chaplain until 1911.
Later he became the vicar in Subotica, and on that service he remained until his death in 1951.
He's the author of the prayer book Duhovna mana.
, (Croatian national revival
) along with Bačka Croats and Ivan Antunović
.
After the death of priest Pajo Kujundžić in 1915, another Croat from Bačka, Rajić took the lead role among Croat priests in Bačka.
He has engaged himself intensely to pull Bačka into unified South Slavic country. Because of it, he travelled abroad and even participated at a Peace Conference in Paris.
After seeing how things have developed after 1918, he has disappointed in his political views.
September 22, 1919 he was a participant of the delegation of Bunjevci that went to Paris on conference to talk with foreign diplomats.
Rajić said himself, that he went into politics because the circumstances forced him to, all to help his Croat people.
Later, he was a leader of Bunjevac-Šokac Party
(Bunjevačko-šokačka stranka), and after disagreements with party leadership, he led People's party of Vojvodina (Vojvođanska pučka stranka), and later he turned to Croatian leader Stjepan Radić
, whose party, HSS
, Rajić resiliently supported.
During World War II
], his activity was interrupted. He was arrested and imprisoned on April 12, 1941. Greater Hungarian circles couldn't forgive him his struggle for separating Bačka and merging it to unified South Slavic state. Hungarian extremists have imprisoned him into the caserne of cavalry in Subotica, where they've tortured him. He was pulled out of there thanks to intercession of Croatian episcopate and Dr. Alojzije Stepinac.
With the mediation of Vatican
, he was interned on May 25, 1941 in Franciscan monastery in Budapest.
He returned to his previous service in Subotica in April 1943, and that way remained until its death in 1951.
His contemporaries witnessed about him as deep thinker and as a person with firm beliefs and attitudes.
He was the editor of the Croatian language-magazine from Subotica, Naše novine
, the organ of Land's Christian Socialist Party (Zemaljska kršćansko-socijalna stranka).
When he was in Zagreb April 23, 1939, leading the 50 deputies of Bunjevci and Šokci from Bačka, he said (and next day it was in Hrvatski dnevnik newspaper): ”Bunjevci i Šokci u Bačkoj... priznaju se za česti i uda onoga naroda koji živi u Međimurju, u Zagorju, u Lici pod Velebitom, na Hrvatskom Primorju, koji s nama isti jezik govori, najvećim dijelom istu vjeru ispovijeda, odgojen na grudima iste kulture, iz koje je ustao Ante Starčević i Stjepan Radić. Priznajemo se za česti hrvatskoga naroda, s kojim želimo dijeliti sudbinu u borbi i pregaranju za sve, što je Bog svakom narodu namijenio za čestiti, sretan i pravedan narodni život..."
Same year, on November 10, 1939, on a celebration organized on a subject of secession of Subotica from Hungary, he said (and next day it stated in Zagrebačke novosti: "Izrekli smo nebrojeno puta jasno i glasno i to su svi morali čuti, da smo mi Bunjevci članovi hrvatskoga naroda... Ne samo voljom, već i svim silama nastojat ćemo da... svi mi Bunjevci ostanemo, što smo od iskona bili, Hrvati Bunjevci u sklopu današnje države...".
Backa
Bačka is a geographical area within the Pannonian plain bordered by the river Danube to the west and south, and by the river Tisza to the east of which confluence is located near Titel...
Croat
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
priest, writer and politician. He wrote poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
and prose
Prose
Prose is the most typical form of written language, applying ordinary grammatical structure and natural flow of speech rather than rhythmic structure...
works.
His areas of service was region Bačka, that at the time of his birth was a part of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
(in Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
). After World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, his city of birth became part of newly created Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenians.
Biography
He attended elementary school in Subotica, while his middle school education (gymnasium) and studium (theology) he had in KalocsaKalocsa
Kalocsa is a town in Bács-Kiskun county, Hungary. It lies 88 miles south of Budapest. It is situated in a marshy but highly productive district, near the left bank of the Danube River. Historically it had greater political and economic importance than at present.Kalocsa is the Episcopal see...
.
Religious work
After ending the study, he became priest on June 24, 1902.His service as priest began in Bačka, southern Hungary, in 1902, in villages with numerous Croat inhabitants. First, he was the chaplain in Dusnok
Dusnok
Dusnok is a village in Bács-Kiskun county, in the Southern Great Plain region of southern Hungary.-Geography:It covers an area of and has a population of 3396 people .-Demography:...
, where he stayed for few years. There he fought against Nasarenism.
In 1904 he's transferred to another village with numerous Croat inhabitants in southern Hungary, Hercegszántó
Hercegszántó
Hercegszántó is a village in the Bács-Kiskun county of Hungary, famous for being the birthplace of footballer Flórián Albert....
. There he has remained for three years. After chaplainship in Hercegszántó, the service brought him back to his Subotica, where he was the chaplain until 1911.
Later he became the vicar in Subotica, and on that service he remained until his death in 1951.
He's the author of the prayer book Duhovna mana.
Political work
He early joined Illyrian movementIllyrian movement
The Illyrian movement , also Croatian national revival , was a cultural and political campaign with roots in the early modern period, and revived by a group of young Croatian intellectuals during the first half of 19th century, around the years of 1835–1849...
, (Croatian national revival
Romantic nationalism
Romantic nationalism is the form of nationalism in which the state derives its political legitimacy as an organic consequence of the unity of those it governs...
) along with Bačka Croats and Ivan Antunović
Ivan Antunovic
Ivan Antunović was the bishop of Kalocsa, Hungary, Croatian writer and one of the most prominent people among the Bunjevci and Šokci of his time...
.
After the death of priest Pajo Kujundžić in 1915, another Croat from Bačka, Rajić took the lead role among Croat priests in Bačka.
He has engaged himself intensely to pull Bačka into unified South Slavic country. Because of it, he travelled abroad and even participated at a Peace Conference in Paris.
After seeing how things have developed after 1918, he has disappointed in his political views.
September 22, 1919 he was a participant of the delegation of Bunjevci that went to Paris on conference to talk with foreign diplomats.
Rajić said himself, that he went into politics because the circumstances forced him to, all to help his Croat people.
Later, he was a leader of Bunjevac-Šokac Party
Bunjevac-Šokac Party
Bunjevac-Šokac Party was a political party of Croats the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes) part of province of Bačka ....
(Bunjevačko-šokačka stranka), and after disagreements with party leadership, he led People's party of Vojvodina (Vojvođanska pučka stranka), and later he turned to Croatian leader Stjepan Radić
Stjepan Radic
Stjepan Radić was a Croatian politician and the founder of the Croatian Peasant Party in 1905. Radić is credited with galvanizing the peasantry of Croatia into a viable political force...
, whose party, HSS
Croatian Peasant Party
The Croatian Peasant Party is a center and socially conservative political party in Croatia.-Austria-Hungary:The Croatian People's Peasant Party was formed on December 22, 1904 by Antun Radić along with his brother Stjepan Radić. The party contested elections for the first time in the Kingdom of...
, Rajić resiliently supported.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
], his activity was interrupted. He was arrested and imprisoned on April 12, 1941. Greater Hungarian circles couldn't forgive him his struggle for separating Bačka and merging it to unified South Slavic state. Hungarian extremists have imprisoned him into the caserne of cavalry in Subotica, where they've tortured him. He was pulled out of there thanks to intercession of Croatian episcopate and Dr. Alojzije Stepinac.
With the mediation of Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
, he was interned on May 25, 1941 in Franciscan monastery in Budapest.
He returned to his previous service in Subotica in April 1943, and that way remained until its death in 1951.
His contemporaries witnessed about him as deep thinker and as a person with firm beliefs and attitudes.
He was the editor of the Croatian language-magazine from Subotica, Naše novine
Naše novine
Naše novine were the half-monthly magazine from Subotica in Bačka. This magazine was being published while Subotica was part of Hungary in Austria-Hungary....
, the organ of Land's Christian Socialist Party (Zemaljska kršćansko-socijalna stranka).
Rajić and Croat national revival
He was known by his persisting on Croat national consciousness of Bunjevci.When he was in Zagreb April 23, 1939, leading the 50 deputies of Bunjevci and Šokci from Bačka, he said (and next day it was in Hrvatski dnevnik newspaper): ”Bunjevci i Šokci u Bačkoj... priznaju se za česti i uda onoga naroda koji živi u Međimurju, u Zagorju, u Lici pod Velebitom, na Hrvatskom Primorju, koji s nama isti jezik govori, najvećim dijelom istu vjeru ispovijeda, odgojen na grudima iste kulture, iz koje je ustao Ante Starčević i Stjepan Radić. Priznajemo se za česti hrvatskoga naroda, s kojim želimo dijeliti sudbinu u borbi i pregaranju za sve, što je Bog svakom narodu namijenio za čestiti, sretan i pravedan narodni život..."
Same year, on November 10, 1939, on a celebration organized on a subject of secession of Subotica from Hungary, he said (and next day it stated in Zagrebačke novosti: "Izrekli smo nebrojeno puta jasno i glasno i to su svi morali čuti, da smo mi Bunjevci članovi hrvatskoga naroda... Ne samo voljom, već i svim silama nastojat ćemo da... svi mi Bunjevci ostanemo, što smo od iskona bili, Hrvati Bunjevci u sklopu današnje države...".
Works
- Bunjevčića : crtice iz života bunjevačkih Hrvata, Hrv.knjiž. društvo sv. Jeronima, 1937.
Literature
- Geza Kikić: Antologija proze bunjevačkih Hrvata, Matica Hrvatska, Zagreb, 1971.
- Geza Kikić: Antologija poezije bunjevačkih Hrvata, Matica Hrvatska, Zagreb, 1971.
External links
- An International Symposium Southeastern Europe 1918-1995 Zvonik Rajićevi dani HIC Međunarodni znanstveni skup Jugoistočna Europa 1918.-1995. Blaško Rajić i HSS Somborska deklaracija i njeno značenje za bačke Hrvate Bunjevačko-šokačka stranka 1920.-1926. Zvonik Kojim je jezikom govorio Blaško Rajić Antologija proze bunjevačkih Hrvata Antologija poezije bunjevačkih Hrvata Subotičke novine Pod istom zastavom (Rajićeva slika)