Memorial service for the children – innocent victims of the Ustasha’s concentration camp in Sisak

Memorial service for the children – innocent victims of the Ustasha’s concentration camp in Sisak

His Eminence Metropolitan Dr. Porfirije of Zagreb-Ljubljana served the commemoration – memorial rite (panichida) for the children – the innocent victims of the Ustasha’s concentration camp which operated from August 1942 until January 1943. The rite took place at the Children’s graveyard in Sisak (Croatia) on October 10, 2015.

His Eminence was concelebrated by presbyters Veselin Ristic and Daniel Nikolic as well as by deacon Branimir Jokic.

So called Shelter for refugee children was under the direct control of the ustasha and physician  Dr. AntunNajzer. The Camp functioned at many locations in the town of Sisak, in the building of former Sokolana, in the convent of Saint Vinko sisterhood, in a warehouse of the Rajs saltworks, in one primary school in Novi Sisak and the so called Karanteni.

 Children had been transported to these locations from Kozara, Slavonija, Banija and Kordun during five five months. Despite the action for the sake of releasing children from the Camp, undertaken by humanitarian worker Diana Budisavljevic with few hard-working righteous men and the great advocacy of Ante Dumbovic, nevertheless around 7.000 children went through the Camp. A memory plate at the Children’s Graveyard indicates that 2.000 children lost their lives.

Source: Metropolitanate of Zagreb-Ljubljana