Servant of God Stefan Singer

Stefan Singer (Strau, Kappel an der Drau, December 22, 1871 – Fölling near Graz, February 24, 1945) was a Slovene Roman Catholic priest, resistance fighter, and leader of the Slovene national movement in Carinthia. He died following his return from the Dachau concentration camp due to injuries sustained there. Between 1884 and 1893, Singer attended the gymnasium in Ferlach and subsequently the seminary. He was ordained in 1897 and served as a chaplain in Eisenkappel (Železna Kapla). In 1899, Stefan Singer was appointed pastor of Augsdorf near Velden (Logaves pri Vrbi) and the adjacent parish of Schiefling (Škofiče). Singer was a prominent member of the Catholic Political and Economic Association of Slovenes in Carinthia, which functioned both as a Slovene electoral association and a promoter of economic independence. Its activities included advocating for the use of the Slovene language in administration and education and the establishment of cooperative banks. Due to his leading role, Singer was constantly opposed by the government, to such an extent that his "case" was repeatedly discussed in the parliament in Vienna at the request of his party colleague and member of parliament Anton Korošec. In 1918, an assassination attempt was made on Singer, which he survived. Supported by the chairman of the electoral association, Janko Brejc, the future Prime Minister of Slovenia, Singer began his agitation after the collapse of the Dual Monarchy for the annexation of Carinthia to the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs, and during the plebiscite for accession to the newly formed SHS state. In 1918, Singer was a co-founder of the Carinthian National Council, which considered itself a branch of the national council in Ljubljana.