Father Sudac

One of my commenters mentioned learning something new about the faith from reading about the Secular Franciscan Order Day of Recollection I'd attended on Saturday.

I learned something new myself on the Day.

Brother David told the story of his trip to Medjugorje to discern his vocation. As part of the trip, he visited the Croatian stigmatic priest, Father Zlatko Sudac, who, he was told, would give him his answer.

I had never heard of Father Sudac - and I did not know there were any stigmatics alive today.

Father Sudac not only reportedly has the stigmata - a cross on his forehead, wounds on his feet, wrists and side - he has the powers of discernment, prophecy and bilocation (being in two places at once).

So I looked up some information.

He was born on January 24, 1971. He is from the town of Vrbnik, on Krk island, in Croatia. He served in the Yugoslav army, then entered the seminary and was ordained June 29, 1998. He is a priest of the diocese of Krk, Croatia.

Father Sudac received the cross on his forehead in May 1999, on the Friday after the beatification of Padre Pio, the famed stigmatic priest. He was reportedly sent to the Gemelli Clinic in Rome, where, after an investigation it was concluded that his was not of human origin. He subsequently received the stigmata on his wrists, feet and side on October 4, 2000, the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, the first stigmatic in the history of the Church.

Fr. Sudac lives at the Bethany Retreat Center, which is located in the village of Cunski on the island of Mali Losinj - which is where Brother David visited him. Brother David said that in a private meeting - just him, Father Sudac and a translator - the Croatian priest told him that his vocation was to be a priest, and when he asked what order, Father Sudac said the order was already on his mind. As I noted in my previous post, Brother David had encountered four snoring Gray Friars in Medjubgorje, and that at that moment he'd thought he would join their order. Father Sudac's words confirmed that notion.

I don't know if there have been any official investigations other than the visit to Gemelli.

Is it possible? Yes, just look at Sts. Francis and Padre Pio. It's pretty remarkable, and Brother David is certainly convinced. I must read more about Father Sudac. Have any of my fellow travelers met him?