Saint Sava (Trlajić)

Sava Trlajić (Serbian Cyrillic: Сава Трлајић; 19 July 1884 – August 1941) was a bishop of the Serbian Orthodox Church serving as Bishop of the Eparchy of Gornji Karlovac in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia from 1938 until the beginning of World War II. He was martyred by the Ustaše in the Nazi puppet state of the Independent State of Croatia sometime in August 1941. The Serbian Orthodox Church venerates him as a saint, with the titles of new martyr and hieromartyr. He was born as Svetozar Trlajić to his parents Stevan and Jelisaveta (née Karakašević) in Mol on 18 July 1884. His education included the primary school in his hometown, a grammar school in Novi Sad, and seminary of Sremski Karlovci. He then went on to graduate from the Faculty of Law at the University of Belgrade and passed the qualifying examination for judges at the Faculty of Law at the University of Zagreb. In 1909, he was ordained a deacon by the Bishop of Timișoara and then as a priest ten days later. As a parish priest, he served at parishes in Peška and Bašaid. Early in 1927, he was appointed to an administrative position, and later principal secretary, of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Church of Serbia. When his wife died, he took monastic vows on 27 October 1929 in the Krušedol Monastery, being tonsured with the name Sava. Soon afterward he became rector and archimandrite of the Krušedol Monastery. On 30 September 1930, Sava was elected Auxiliary Bishop of Sremski Karlovci. He was consecrated there by Patriarch Varnava, Bishop Emilijan of Timok, Bishop Jovan of Niš, Bishop Tihon of the Eparchy of Zahumlje and Herzegovina, and Bishop Simeon of Zletovo and Strumica. As Patriarchal Vicar Bishop Sava chaired the diocesan council of the Archbishopric of Belgrade and Karlovci. From early 1937, Bishop Sava chaired the ecclesiastical court. He was appointed Bishop of Gornji Karlovac on 22 June 1938, with his residence in Plaški.