Servant of God Angela Brecelj

Angela Brecelj (7 October 1916 – 12 July 1944) was a Slovenian shop assistant. She was a devout Catholic who was abducted and later killed by communists during World War II. She is considered a martyr by some. Angela was born on 7 October 1916 into a Slovenian family in Žapuže. Her mother was the shopkeeper Emilija Brecelj (1887–1960), and her father was the master carpenter Jože Brecelj (1885–1944), a brother of the physician and politician Anton Brecelj. (Despite the same surname, it appears her parents were not related.) She was the second child, with an elder sister Marica Brecelj (1914–1944), a shop assistant and martyr. During Angela's birth year, her father was drafted into the army in World War I. While working in a workshop he lost an eye, but he was not released from military service until the war ended. After the war the family had another daughter, who died in childhood, and five sons, among them Bogomil Brecelj (1925–2011), a priest that was also involved in the arts, and Martin Brecelj (1930–1944), a martyr. Angela's family was strongly patriotic. Her father participated in many cultural institutions. He was a member of the Lavrič Library and reading room, the Catholic Educational Society, the Craftsmen's Association and hunting club, and the Orel gymnastics society, and he served in the municipal assembly. After elementary school, Angela attended a cooking course run by the School Sisters of St. Francis of Christ the King in Tomaj. After completing the course, she worked as a shop assistant in her mother's store, where she remained employed until her death. She also looked after her five younger brothers, ensuring they completed their chores. On Sundays, she helped her sister Marica, who was the head of the Sodality of Virgin Mary in Šturje coordinating stage plays for children and youth. The Italian Fascist authorities did not appreciate the work of girls from Sodality.