A man who arrived in Germany as a refugee after fleeing the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been ordained a Catholic priest, an exceptional case in that he was born into a Muslim family and embraced Christianity as an adult.
According to the Catholic Churchʼs news site in Germany, 41-year-old Senad Mrkaljevic was ordained a priest a few weeks ago by the archbishop of Berlin, Heiner Koch, at St. Hedwigʼs Cathedral.
“Many people fear that faith will take something away from them. My experience is exactly the opposite: God gives me much more. That is what I want to convey to others,” the new priest stated.
Born in 1984 in Brčko in the former Yugoslavia, Mrkaljevic grew up in a Muslim family where religion did not play a central role.
“Catholics, Orthodox Christians, and Muslims lived peacefully alongside one another back then,” he recalled. However, the outbreak of the war in Bosnia in 1992 forced his family to seek refuge, first in Austria and later in Germany.
“As a child, it was hard to grasp what fleeing meant, and I quickly felt like an outsider in Germany,” he recounted.
Compounding these difficulties, Mrkaljevic has a congenital visual impairment, which made integrating into school life more challenging.
His journey toward the Catholic faith began around the age of 23, when he started reading the Bible and secretly visiting the church every Sunday morning. He felt afraid the first time he entered a church. “Going in there was quite a challenge for me. I kept asking myself, ‘Is what you’re doing right?’” he recalled.
Over time, he realized he no longer wanted to hide. “I didn’t want to lead a double life,” he explained. In 2009, he was baptized during the Easter Vigil, a decision his family initially found difficult.
“It was a problem for my mother; she tried to make me change my mind,” he recounted. Even so, he decided to move forward.
After completing his theology studies at the Lantershofen seminary for adult vocations in 2023, he was assigned first as a deacon and later as a chaplain to St. Edith Stein Parish in Berlin’s Neukölln district, an area with a significant Muslim population.
Mrkaljevic said he believes that, given his background, he can become a bridge-builder between Christians and Muslims.
He also noted that, over time, his decision was met with respect by his loved ones. “My conversion and my decision to become a priest were acknowledged by my Muslim family in Bosnia as well as by my siblings,” he said. His mother even attended his priestly ordination.
Looking ahead to his new ministry, Mrkaljevic expressed his desire to provide spiritual accompaniment to people and “to proclaim the good news.”
“It is never in vain, however few we may be. I myself have experienced how much it has enriched me, and that is what I want to share with others,” he said.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.