A requiem Mass for the beloved priest will be celebrated at 12 PM, with funeral rites beginning at 1 PM. Since morning, the faithful have been gathering in front of the Church of St. Francis Xavier to pay tribute to a priest who was part of their most significant life moments for six decades.
Karlovac bid farewell on Wednesday to Monsignor Ferdinand Vražić, a priest whose pastoral work profoundly shaped the parish of St. Francis Xavier in Švarča. The news of his death brought together numerous faithful who had been arriving since early morning to pray outside the church for the soul of a priest who spent a full 60 years of his 64-year priestly service in this community.
The coffin bearing Monsignor Vražić's body was placed in front of the church in Švarča, and among the first to pay their respects was Mrs. Marija. "Our Ferdo, that's what we called him, always ready to talk and always full of wisdom," she told Radio Mrežnica.
Another parishioner, who did not hide her emotions, testified to how deeply the late priest was woven into her family life. "Father married me, baptized my children, married them too, and buried my husband-he marked every important event in my life," she recounted through tears.
Ferdinand Vražić's priestly journey began on August 17, 1963, as temporary administrator of the Parish of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Netretićko Završje, where he served until September 30 of the same year. He then spent six months as parish vicar at the Parish of St. Elijah the Prophet in Lipnik, from October 1, 1963, to March 10, 1964, after which he returned to Netretićko Završje, remaining there until September 5, 1965.
A turning point in his ministry came on July 26, 1965, when he was appointed the first administrator of the newly established Parish of St. Francis Xavier in Karlovac-Švarča. He served as parish priest of that community for fifty years, until his retirement on August 26, 2015.
In addition to his home parish in Švarča, Monsignor Vražić played a key role in the founding of the Parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Karlovac-Novi Centar, which was created by dividing the existing parishes of Karlovac-Švarča and Karlovac-Dubovac. He served as its temporary administrator for four years, from May 20, 1981, to March 1, 1985, and briefly took on the same role again in 2003, from August to October 12, following the illness and death of the then parish priest.
A requiem Mass for Monsignor Vražić will be celebrated at 12 PM, with funeral rites beginning at 1 PM in Švarča.
