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Former Muslim refugee who fled war in Bosnia ordained a priest in Germany

July 15, 2026 · 1 min read

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…

Source: Catholic News Agency · Read the full story →

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Γιάννης Θεοδώρου

Good to hear such stories. Senad from Brčko, who grew up with Muslim parents and then found Christ in Germany despite his disability, says God gives more than he takes. This impresses me.

Nikola Todorović

Senad from Brcko went through war, exile, poor eyesight and even changed his religion - yet he says that God gives him more than he takes. That's a really strong word, man. Thanks for sharing, we rarely hear stories like this.

Milan Milošević

Yes, Senado's story is very strong. I'm also from Niš, but I remember how refugees from Bosnia came to us in the 1990s, so I know how difficult it was with children and those with poor eyesight. God really gave him the strength to endure all that and change his path. Thanks for writing it nicely, Nikola.

Zoran Živković

Yes, that story of his stayed in my head because of my poor eyesight - it's not easy even in peace, let alone when you're running away with your family. I am from Novi Sad, so in the nineties I saw similar cases here. I wonder how he is now in Berlin with the parishioners, whether other Bosnians also contact him.

Dragan Milošević

Yes, that part with low vision stuck in my head the most, the man had to manage twice as hard. I'm from Nis, so in the nineties I saw a lot of refugees from Bosnia here. Zoran, have you heard if any of those Bosnians from Berlin are contacting him now that he has become a priest?

Dušan Stanković

Zoran, I heard that several families from the Bosnian community in Berlin called and came to the mass after the ordination. There weren't many of them, but they were visibly moved that one of their own crossed that path. And you from Niš, have you ever talked to any of those refugees about how they later managed in Serbia?

Sofija Kostić

I didn't really talk to them much, Dušan, but I remember a woman from Brčko who came to Niš in the nineties and worked in a bakery in our neighborhood. She said that the hardest thing for her was that she didn't know anyone and that the children at school looked at her strangely. And you, have you personally met any of those who stayed here?

Sofija Ristić

Yes, that part with poor eyesight was the hardest for me when I was reading. I am from Banja Luka, so I know how in the nineties families with children could hardly find doctors and schools abroad. I wonder if his mother is still alive and how she received his passing.

Petar Popović

Yes, Milan, that part with poor eyesight stuck in my head too - a man had to find his way in a new country without a clear picture around him. I'm from Belgrade, so in the nineties I saw similar families struggling with paperwork and medical examinations. I wonder if Senad ever managed to return to Brčko after everything.

Marija Savić

I have not personally met anyone from Brčko who stayed here, but that story about the children watching is strangely familiar to me from the stories of relatives from Vojvodina. In the 1990s, my aunt took in a Muslim family for a couple of weeks until they found an apartment, and then the children brought her burek from their bakery. And did you hear afterwards what happened to that woman from the bakery?

Katarina Nikolić

Yes, I heard similar stories from people from Brčko who went through it. My cousin from Belgrade took in one such family in the nineties, so they later settled in Gračanica near Niš. Dusan, did you know that Senad Mrkaljević also had vision problems from birth, so that made it even more difficult for him to start in Germany?