Djordje Bogic

The holy Hieromartyr Đorđe (George) Bogić, a parish priest of Našice, (Свети свештеномученик Ђорђе Богић, парох нашички) was killed for the faith in 1941.

Life

Đorđe was born in Pakrac on February 6, 1911. He completed grammar school in Nova Gradiška and seminary in Sarajevo. On May 25, 1934, Đorđe was ordained a priest in Pakrac. Đorđe then performed his duties in the parishes of Majar and Bolmače, after which he was moved to Našice, where he happened to be at the beginning of World War II.

Martyrdom

His afflictions were recorded in the book Magnum Crimen, written by Viktor Novak (Zagreb 1948, pages 641-642):

"In the night of June 17, 1941, Feliks Lahner, a milkman from Našice, accompanied with two Ustašas into Father Đorđe's apartment and ordered him to come with them immediately so as to question him. He obeyed their order and got into the car waiting in front of his apartment and was taken towards some field. Fr. Đorđe was brought to a grazing field, out of Našice, near the Chapel of St. Martin, and was killed there. Before dying, Fr. Đorđe had endured great suffering. The Ustašas tied him to a tree, cut off his ears, nose, and tongue and tore his beard together with the skin. After that they picked his eyes out, thereat swearing at him viciously. In the end, one Ustasa cut his chest and belly open, took out Djordje's intestines, and wrapped them around his neck. Only then had Fr. Đorđe completely collapsed, after which the Ustašas cut the rope that Djordje was tied to the tree with. His body fell to the ground, where the Ustašas fired at him and finished killing him. The person guilty of these martyr afflictions was a Roman Catholic priest from Našice, Sidonije Solc. One of the witnesses said: "He (Fra Solc) had our parish priest Đorđe Bogic killed in the most monstrous manner. They took him out of his apartment in the middle of the night and butchered him."

Đorđe's body remained in the same place the whole night, till the afternoon of the next day. Around 16:00 (4 PM), the Gypsies were ordered to take the corpse to Brezik colony and to bury it in the graveyard.

Canonization

At the regular session of the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church in 1998, Protopresbyter Đorđe was canonized, and his name was entered in the list of names of the Serbian Church Saints.

Troparion

(Tone 4)

O holy Hieromartyr Djordje, you lent yourself to the apostles' way of life and succeeded them on their throne. Inspired by God, you found confirmed your meditation by practice and prayer; wherefore you became a perfect teacher of truth, fighting for the faith unto the shedding of your blood. Intercede with Christ God that He may save our souls.