PRIEST FROM CHICAGO RECEIVES THE ORDER OF SAINT SAVA: Father Djuro was one of those who reconciled the two Serbian churches, wrote textbooks, and helped the poor and refugees… (PHOTO)

In Chicago, His Eminence Metropolitan Longin presented the Order of Saint Sava (First Archbishop) to priest Djuro Krošnjar, awarded by the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church as a sign of honor and recognition. The ceremony was held on Sunday, October 5, following the Divine Liturgy at the Church of Saint Basil of Ostrog in Chicago, where Father Djuro had served for many years as the parish priest.

Djuro Krošnjar was born in 1946 and grew up in the village of Čemernica in Kordun, where he attended elementary school. His calling to the Church led him to Belgrade, where, upon the recommendation of his parish priest, he enrolled at the Saint Sava Theological Seminary and graduated in 1967.

After completing his studies, his family emigrated to St. Louis, Missouri, with the help of his uncle. Before joining them, Father Djuro had to complete a year and a half of military service in the Yugoslav People’s Army, stationed in Kosovo and Metohija, where theology students were often sent. Upon arriving in St. Louis, he became active in the local Serbian Orthodox community — he sang in the church choir for several years, participated in concerts, trips, and even the recording of an album.

In June 1976, he married Ann Andrić in Minnesota. That same year, Bishop Irinej Kovačević ordained him as a deacon, after which he faithfully served as the bishop’s deacon and later as diocesan secretary. After several years, he was ordained a priest and continued his dedicated work in the diocesan office. Together with his wife Ann, he worked in the education committee, where they prepared six textbooks for Sunday school in religious studies, Serbian language, and history.

God blessed them with two children — Marija and Petar.

FATHER DJURO KROŠNJAR – A LIFE OF FAITH AND SERVICE

Throughout the years as a deacon, diocesan secretary, secretary of the church court, and later as a priest, Father Djuro accompanied Metropolitan Irinej on travels as part of the delegation for the reconciliation and unification of the Serbian Orthodox Church, in cooperation with Bishop Atanasije and Metropolitan Amfilohije.

His missionary work extended to Serbia during the war years, when he helped deliver humanitarian aid through the organization International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC), as well as countless shipments of medical and food supplies sent by the diocese.

He also served with Bishop Irinej at the consecration of the bridge near Bijeljina on the Drina River, built by Slobodan and Mira Pavlović from Chicago, to serve all the people of that region during the war and times of great hardship.

On one later trip, Father Djuro attended the funeral of +Patriarch Pavle in Belgrade — a hierarch he personally knew from earlier years, before his elevation to the patriarchal throne. In the following decades, he continued visiting monasteries throughout Serbia — from Kordun to Kosovo — offering both prayerful and material support.

In addition to his church work, he selflessly helped refugees who came to America — providing them with housing, food, employment, social and medical assistance. His home and heart were always open; no one in need was ever turned away.

After eight years of service in the diocese and with the bishop, and after the completion of the construction of the New Gračanica Monastery, Father Djuro was appointed parish priest at the historic Old Resurrection Church on Palmer Square in Chicago, where he served for 16 years. He then served for nine years at the Holy Resurrection Cathedral, also in Chicago. His final parish was the Church of Saint Basil of Ostrog, where he served for 13 years. Under his pastoral care, the parish achieved financial stability, grew in membership, and became a strong and active missionary community with a church school.

Even after a serious illness, Father Djuro never missed services or office work until the illness returned. He continues to help those in need — both locally and abroad — through his prayers, donations, and support for monasteries, churches, and charitable organizations. His life stands as a testament to unwavering faith, humble service, and deep compassion for others.

SERVICE TO HIS PEOPLE AND CHURCH

Throughout his entire working life, Father Djuro Krošnjar dedicated himself to the well-being of the Serbian people and the Serbian Church, both in America and in the Homeland. He was the initiator and participant in numerous efforts to build and restore Serbian holy sites. He particularly distinguished himself in the restoration of Serbian churches in his native Kordun, which had been destroyed and burned by the Ustaše during the NDH and later by the Communists after the war, while the few remaining churches were mined and demolished during the wars of the 1990s and the renewed suffering of the Serbian people in Croatia.

Following the call of Patriarch Pavle in February 1991 to overcome the divisions within the Serbian Church in America, which had occurred in 1963, he was appointed as a member of the delegation that successfully concluded negotiations in Belgrade and reestablished church unity among Serbs in the diaspora.