Who was awarded the City of Glina's lifetime achievement award and for what?

It was posthumously awarded to Mons. Juraj Jerneić for his entire priestly work, saving church heritage in 1991, and the renewal of religious life after Operation Storm.

Who accepted the award on behalf of Mons. Jerneić?

At the ceremonial session on August 6, 2026, the award was accepted by his brother, Nikola Jerneić.

Croatia

Priest Who Saved Church Treasures Receives Lifetime Achievement Award from Glina

Q: What is the most significant building created through the efforts of Mons. Jerneić in Glina?

After returning to liberated Glina, he initiated the construction of the new parish church of St. John of Nepomuk, which was consecrated in 2001.

Q: What state honors did Mons. Jerneić receive?

For his loyalty to the homeland, he was decorated with the Order of Danica Hrvatska with the image of Katarina Zrinska, the Homeland Gratitude Memorial, and the Order of the Croatian Trefoil.

A.G. · Prije 3h | 3 min

Mons. Juraj Jerneić posthumously awarded the Statue of Ban Josip Jelačić. The recognition was accepted by his brother on City Day.

Summary

Mons. Juraj Jerneić, a priest and longtime pastor in the Glina area, was posthumously awarded the City of Glina's lifetime achievement award on August 6, 2026.
He distinguished himself in 1991 when he saved valuable church inventory before the occupation, and after Operation Storm he revived religious life and built the Church of St. John of Nepomuk.
He served as director of the Pontifical Mission Societies, worked with Caritas, built organs, and received three high state honors for his loyalty to the homeland.

The City of Glina has paid its highest tribute to a man who left an indelible mark on its recent history. At the ceremonial session of the City Council held on August 6, 2026, Mons. Juraj Jerneić, a priest of the Archdiocese of Zagreb, was posthumously awarded the Statue of Ban Josip Jelačić, a lifetime achievement award.

The prestigious recognition was accepted by his brother, Nikola Jerneić, and presented by Mayor Ivan Janković and City Council President Goran Bakšić. The presentation on Glina's City Day symbolically rounded off the life journey of a priest whose fate was closely intertwined with the suffering and renewal of this region.

Saved Church Inventory Just Before the Occupation

Before and after the Homeland War, Mons. Jerneić served as pastor of the parishes of St. Francis Xavier in Viduševac and the Transfiguration of the Lord in Mala Solina. The pivotal moment came in 1991 when, just before the area fell under occupation, he organized the transfer of valuable church inventory to free territory. In doing so, he saved a precious part of the sacral heritage from destruction.

During the war years, he did not sever ties with his displaced parishioners. He cared for them while serving in the parish of Odra, sharing the uncertainty of exile with them. Immediately after the end of the military-police operation Storm, he was appointed pastor in Glina and Maja, where he immediately initiated the construction of the new parish church of St. John of Nepomuk. That church was consecrated in 2001 as a symbol of the return and renewal of religious life.

From Missionary Service to Building Organs

Mons. Jerneić's priestly ministry extended beyond the boundaries of the parish. From 2009 to 2022, he served as director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the Archdiocese of Zagreb and as the archbishop's delegate for missions. For years, he also held responsible positions in Caritas of the Archdiocese of Zagreb, and was known as a passionate builder and restorer who used his own skills to craft several church organs.

For his loyalty to the homeland, he received high state honors: the Order of Danica Hrvatska with the image of Katarina Zrinska, the Homeland Gratitude Memorial, and the Order of the Croatian Trefoil. He passed away on December 22, 2025.

As stated in the award rationale, Mons. Jerneić did not merely serve in Glina, he shared its wartime fate, preserved what could be saved, and returned when it was time to rebuild. His legacy remains not only in church records, but in the restored churches and the people to whom he devoted a large part of his life.