Marija Petkovic
Encyclopedia
Marija Petković, also known as "The Blessed Mary of Jesus Crucified Petković" (Croatian
Marija od Propetoga Isusa Petković, Italian
Maria Di Gesù Crocifisso), (10 December 1892 - 9 July 1966) was the founder of the Catholic Congregation of the Daughters of Mercy. She was recognized by the Roman Catholic Church
as a Venerable
Servant of God
on 8 May 1998, and was beatified by Pope John Paul II
on 6 June 2003.
n island of Korčula
(at that time in Austria-Hungary
), the sixth of eleven children born to Marija Marinović and Antun Petković-Kovač. She died in Rome
, Italy
.
After elementary school, Petković enrolled in 1904 in Blato's municipal school, which had been recently founded by the Servants of Charity
, a Catholic order newly-arrived from Italy. After successfully completing the three-year program, she continued her studies at the School of Domestic Science, also directed by the Servants of Charity. In 1906 she became involved with the Daughters of Mary Association. About this time she revealed to Bishop Josip Marcelić of Dubrovnik
that she wanted to enter the convent, which marked the beginning of Marija's spiritual direction under the Bishop's care. On 21 November 1906, she made a private vow of chastity to the Lord
.
From 1909 to 1919 Petković was president of the Daughters of Mary. Although frail and frequently ill, in addition to her obligations in her parents' home, she provided catechesis and instruction in general subjects to the children of the families whose parents worked on her father's estate. In 1911 her father died, leaving her to help her mother care for the family and provide for the education of the other children. That labor, amid the destruction wreaked in Croatia by World War I
, was very influential in Petković's vocational discernment. She became involved in a number of Catholic organizations, and, in 1915, under the guidance of Bishop Josip, began her first new association, the Society of Catholic Mothers. In 1917 she assumed the responsibility of guiding the Third Order Franciscans. That same year, she began helping the Servants of Charity in the "soup kitchen" that they directed. In 1918, in front of the citizens of Blato, Petković made a formal promise to the Bishop to remain in Blato to help and live with the poor.
On 25 March 1919, Petković and her friend, Marija Telenta, entered the convent of the Servants of Charity. Two months later, however, the Mother Superior died and the other sisters, for political reasons, returned to Italy. Petković, her companion, and two other nuns were all that remained of the convent. Bishop Josip watched over and advised the four Sisters, especially Petković, whom he counseled in humility and service. She requested from him the Rule of the Third Order Franciscans, and, in the winter of 1919, opened three institutions in Blato: a day-recovery centre, a child-care facility, and an orphanage.
On 25 August 1920, in Prižba
(on the island of Korcula
), Petković wrote the first Constitutions of the Order of Daughters of Mercy, the Third Independent Order of St. Francis, setting forth their mission of spreading knowledge of divine love and mercy through charitable acts. Bishop Josip inaugurated the Order on 4 October, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi
. On that day, Petković received the name of Marija od Propetoga Isusa (Mary of Jesus Crucified) and was chosen as the Mother Superior of the Order. When the nuns in Blato had exhausted their own funds for helping poor and hungry children, She went to fertile plains of Slavonia
and Bačka
to solicit help for the orphans and widows, receiving, among other contributions, a donation from Pope Pius XI
. In return, Bishop of Bačka Apostolic Administration Ljudevit Lajčo Budanović asked Petković to found monasteries of her Order in Subotica and surrounding areas, so the locals could get the spiritual gain that nuns of her Order ccould provide them. Noticing that Bačka also had problems of numerous poor and abandoned children, in 1923, Petković acted quickly and opened Kolijevka Children’s Home in Subotica
, Home for sick and neglected children, after which she opened numerous centers for children in Croatia
(in Slavonia
particularly), Serbia
, and the Macedonia
.
Today Subotica still has that Children's Home, although the nuns of Petković's Order aren't in that Home anymore.
From 1920 to 1952, Petković was elected five times as the Superior General of the Daughters of Mercy. She traveled throughout Croatia
, Latin America
, and Italy
, opening 46 communities. The growing number of Sisters served in various social ministries, such as in nursing home
s, kindergarten
s, hospitals, nursery schools, parish work, and work in the seminaries. Beginning in 1936, the Order was prominent in Latin America and South America
. Petković lived in Argentina
from 1940 to 1952, promoting charity work in many countries in Latin America. In addition to catechesis, she organized instruction in hygiene, economics, homemaking, sewing and tailoring, knitting, nursing, and typing.
In 1952, Marija went to Rome
to purchase and set up the Congregation's headquarters. While there in 1954 she suffered a stroke which left her permanently paralyzed. In 1961, she concluded that her duty to the Congregation was no longer one of leadership but of sacrifice and suffering, prayer and offering herself to the Lord, and relinquished the office of Mother Superior that she had held for 40 years. She continued to follow the events in the Roman Catholic Church
and her Congregation, especially those changes brought about by the Second Vatican Council
, until age 74, when, exhausted from a life of service, Marija died. She was buried in the Roman cemetery of Campo Verano.
Three years later, her earthly remains were translated to the house chapel of the Congregation headquarters, where they remained until 1998 when they were translated to her native Blato and buried in the crypt of the monastery chapel of Christ the King.
vian submarine
BAP Pacocha
was rammed and sunk by a Japanese fishing trawler. Teniente Roger Cotrina Alvarado distinguished himself during the disaster– praying for Petković's aid, Cotrina displayed superhuman strength in opening a hatch against several thousands of pounds of water. That action prevented the immediate deaths of 22 crewmen, and Cotrina's subsequent heroic but merely temporal actions brought about their rescue.
On 28 February 1989, the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints began an investigation into the reports of that miracle
. On 8 May 1998, Pope John Paul II
confirmed the Congregation's initial report and decreed that Petković's heroic virtue
s be publicly declared, formally recognizing her as a "Servant of God," to be entitled "Venerable."
The Congregation issued their ruling on Petković's heroic virtues on 5 July 2002, and on the following 20 December issued a ruling recognizing the miraculous nature of the submarine rescue. On 6 June 2003, Pope John Paul II
celebrated her beatification
Mass
in Dubrovnik
, formally recognizing her as "Blessed."
Today, her Congregation has its branches, besides other countries, in Italy, Romania (by Greek Catholic community), Paraguay, Chile, Peru and Argentina.
The Sanctuary of Blessed Marija Petković is in her town of birth, Blato on the Dalmatian island of Korčula in Croatia.
Croatian language
Croatian is the collective name for the standard language and dialects spoken by Croats, principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina and other neighbouring countries...
Marija od Propetoga Isusa Petković, Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
Maria Di Gesù Crocifisso), (10 December 1892 - 9 July 1966) was the founder of the Catholic Congregation of the Daughters of Mercy. She was recognized by the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
as a Venerable
Venerable
The Venerable is used as a style or epithet in several Christian churches. It is also the common English-language translation of a number of Buddhist titles.-Roman Catholic:...
Servant of God
Servant of God
Servant of God is a title given to individuals by various religions, but in general the phrase is used to describe a person believed to be pious in his or her faith tradition. In the Catholic Church, it designates someone who is being investigated by the Church for possibly being recognized as a...
on 8 May 1998, and was beatified by Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
on 6 June 2003.
Biography
Petković was born in the small town of Blato on the CroatiaCroatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n island of Korčula
Korcula
Korčula is an island in the Adriatic Sea, in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia. The island has an area of ; long and on average wide — and lies just off the Dalmatian coast. Its 16,182 inhabitants make it the second most populous Adriatic island after Krk...
(at that time 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...
), the sixth of eleven children born to Marija Marinović and Antun Petković-Kovač. She died in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
After elementary school, Petković enrolled in 1904 in Blato's municipal school, which had been recently founded by the Servants of Charity
Servants of Charity
The Servants of Charity or 'Opera Don Guanella', is a male Catholic religious institute...
, a Catholic order newly-arrived from Italy. After successfully completing the three-year program, she continued her studies at the School of Domestic Science, also directed by the Servants of Charity. In 1906 she became involved with the Daughters of Mary Association. About this time she revealed to Bishop Josip Marcelić of Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its total population is 42,641...
that she wanted to enter the convent, which marked the beginning of Marija's spiritual direction under the Bishop's care. On 21 November 1906, she made a private vow of chastity to the Lord
Yahweh
Yahweh is the name of God in the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jews and Christians.The word Yahweh is a modern scholarly convention for the Hebrew , transcribed into Roman letters as YHWH and known as the Tetragrammaton, for which the original pronunciation is unknown...
.
From 1909 to 1919 Petković was president of the Daughters of Mary. Although frail and frequently ill, in addition to her obligations in her parents' home, she provided catechesis and instruction in general subjects to the children of the families whose parents worked on her father's estate. In 1911 her father died, leaving her to help her mother care for the family and provide for the education of the other children. That labor, amid the destruction wreaked in Croatia by 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...
, was very influential in Petković's vocational discernment. She became involved in a number of Catholic organizations, and, in 1915, under the guidance of Bishop Josip, began her first new association, the Society of Catholic Mothers. In 1917 she assumed the responsibility of guiding the Third Order Franciscans. That same year, she began helping the Servants of Charity in the "soup kitchen" that they directed. In 1918, in front of the citizens of Blato, Petković made a formal promise to the Bishop to remain in Blato to help and live with the poor.
On 25 March 1919, Petković and her friend, Marija Telenta, entered the convent of the Servants of Charity. Two months later, however, the Mother Superior died and the other sisters, for political reasons, returned to Italy. Petković, her companion, and two other nuns were all that remained of the convent. Bishop Josip watched over and advised the four Sisters, especially Petković, whom he counseled in humility and service. She requested from him the Rule of the Third Order Franciscans, and, in the winter of 1919, opened three institutions in Blato: a day-recovery centre, a child-care facility, and an orphanage.
On 25 August 1920, in Prižba
Prižba
Prižba is a small village on the island of Korčula in Croatia. Korcula is part of the Dalmatian coast and it belongs to the Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Prizba is part of the Municipality of Blato ....
(on the island of Korcula
Korcula
Korčula is an island in the Adriatic Sea, in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia. The island has an area of ; long and on average wide — and lies just off the Dalmatian coast. Its 16,182 inhabitants make it the second most populous Adriatic island after Krk...
), Petković wrote the first Constitutions of the Order of Daughters of Mercy, the Third Independent Order of St. Francis, setting forth their mission of spreading knowledge of divine love and mercy through charitable acts. Bishop Josip inaugurated the Order on 4 October, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi
Francis of Assisi
Saint Francis of Assisi was an Italian Catholic friar and preacher. He founded the men's Franciscan Order, the women’s Order of St. Clare, and the lay Third Order of Saint Francis. St...
. On that day, Petković received the name of Marija od Propetoga Isusa (Mary of Jesus Crucified) and was chosen as the Mother Superior of the Order. When the nuns in Blato had exhausted their own funds for helping poor and hungry children, She went to fertile plains of Slavonia
Slavonia
Slavonia is a geographical and historical region in eastern Croatia...
and Bačka
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...
to solicit help for the orphans and widows, receiving, among other contributions, a donation from Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI , born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, was Pope from 6 February 1922, and sovereign of Vatican City from its creation as an independent state on 11 February 1929 until his death on 10 February 1939...
. In return, Bishop of Bačka Apostolic Administration Ljudevit Lajčo Budanović asked Petković to found monasteries of her Order in Subotica and surrounding areas, so the locals could get the spiritual gain that nuns of her Order ccould provide them. Noticing that Bačka also had problems of numerous poor and abandoned children, in 1923, Petković acted quickly and opened Kolijevka Children’s Home in Subotica
Subotica
Subotica is a city and municipality in northern Serbia, in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina...
, Home for sick and neglected children, after which she opened numerous centers for children in Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
(in Slavonia
Slavonia
Slavonia is a geographical and historical region in eastern Croatia...
particularly), Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
, and the Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
.
Today Subotica still has that Children's Home, although the nuns of Petković's Order aren't in that Home anymore.
From 1920 to 1952, Petković was elected five times as the Superior General of the Daughters of Mercy. She traveled throughout Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, opening 46 communities. The growing number of Sisters served in various social ministries, such as in nursing home
Nursing home
A nursing home, convalescent home, skilled nursing unit , care home, rest home, or old people's home provides a type of care of residents: it is a place of residence for people who require constant nursing care and have significant deficiencies with activities of daily living...
s, kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
s, hospitals, nursery schools, parish work, and work in the seminaries. Beginning in 1936, the Order was prominent in Latin America and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. Petković lived in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
from 1940 to 1952, promoting charity work in many countries in Latin America. In addition to catechesis, she organized instruction in hygiene, economics, homemaking, sewing and tailoring, knitting, nursing, and typing.
In 1952, Marija went to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
to purchase and set up the Congregation's headquarters. While there in 1954 she suffered a stroke which left her permanently paralyzed. In 1961, she concluded that her duty to the Congregation was no longer one of leadership but of sacrifice and suffering, prayer and offering herself to the Lord, and relinquished the office of Mother Superior that she had held for 40 years. She continued to follow the events in the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
and her Congregation, especially those changes brought about by the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
, until age 74, when, exhausted from a life of service, Marija died. She was buried in the Roman cemetery of Campo Verano.
Three years later, her earthly remains were translated to the house chapel of the Congregation headquarters, where they remained until 1998 when they were translated to her native Blato and buried in the crypt of the monastery chapel of Christ the King.
Beatification
On 26 August 1988, the PeruPeru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
vian submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
BAP Pacocha
BAP Pacocha (SS-48)
BAP Pacocha was a submarine of the Marina de Guerra Peruana named for the 1877 Battle of Pacocha, in which the Peruvian ironclad Huascar clashed with the Royal Navy...
was rammed and sunk by a Japanese fishing trawler. Teniente Roger Cotrina Alvarado distinguished himself during the disaster– praying for Petković's aid, Cotrina displayed superhuman strength in opening a hatch against several thousands of pounds of water. That action prevented the immediate deaths of 22 crewmen, and Cotrina's subsequent heroic but merely temporal actions brought about their rescue.
On 28 February 1989, the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints began an investigation into the reports of that miracle
Miracle
A miracle often denotes an event attributed to divine intervention. Alternatively, it may be an event attributed to a miracle worker, saint, or religious leader. A miracle is sometimes thought of as a perceptible interruption of the laws of nature. Others suggest that a god may work with the laws...
. On 8 May 1998, Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
confirmed the Congregation's initial report and decreed that Petković's heroic virtue
Heroic virtue
Heroic virtue is a phrase coined by Augustine of Hippo to describe the virtue of early Christian martyrs and used by the Roman Catholic church. The Greek pagan term hero described a person with possibly superhuman abilities and great goodness, and "it connotes a degree of bravery, fame, and...
s be publicly declared, formally recognizing her as a "Servant of God," to be entitled "Venerable."
The Congregation issued their ruling on Petković's heroic virtues on 5 July 2002, and on the following 20 December issued a ruling recognizing the miraculous nature of the submarine rescue. On 6 June 2003, Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
celebrated her beatification
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
in Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its total population is 42,641...
, formally recognizing her as "Blessed."
Today, her Congregation has its branches, besides other countries, in Italy, Romania (by Greek Catholic community), Paraguay, Chile, Peru and Argentina.
The Sanctuary of Blessed Marija Petković is in her town of birth, Blato on the Dalmatian island of Korčula in Croatia.