Servant of God Antonija Premrov

Antonija Premrov, sister Karmela (2 June 1912 – disappeared 14 January 1949, died some days after) was a Slovenian nurse, organist, and choirmistress. She was martyred by Communists because of her successful work with youth in her parish. She is currently in process of beatification by the Episcopal Conference of Slovenia. Her current title is Servant of God. Antonija was born into a devout Slovenian family on 2 June 1914, in Martinjak. Her mother was the farmer Marija Brence (1883–1967), and her father was the farmer Franc Premrov (1874–1948). She had ten brothers and sisters. She received the sacrament of confirmation on June 19, 1921. From a young age, she felt a calling to a consecrated life. In the early 1930s, she entered the convent of the Sisters of Mary of the Miraculous Medal. She trained as a nurse at the Vincentinum Institute in Ljubljana. In addition, she also learned to play the organ. After completing her studies in 1931, she started to work as a nurse at the sanatorium in the Šlajmer House, which was run by the Sisters of Mary of the Miraculous Medal, where she was employed for sixteen years. In 1947, the communist authorities closed the convent. Antonija Karmela was dismissed from her job at the sanatorium. She returned home to her parents and found work as a seamstress in a sewing workshop in Grahovo. In her free time, she cared for the sick in the surrounding area. At the request of the parish priest of the Cerknica parish, which at the time had no organist, she took on the role of organist and choirmistress. The choir was large and mostly made up of young people. Antonija Karmela was a very popular choirmistress and attracted many young people to participate. Antonija's work, which attracted young people, increasingly became a thorn in the side of the communist authorities. On the night of 1 November 1948, local communist activists threw stones at her house in an attempt to intimidate her.