Senad Mrkaljevic ordained as Catholic priest in Berlin

Senad Mrkaljevic, born into a Muslim family in Bosnia and Herzegovina, has been ordained as a Catholic priest by Archbishop Heiner Koch of Berlin at St. Hedwig's Cathedral.

Mrkaljevic fled the war in Bosnia as a child in 1992, eventually settling in Berlin via Vienna. His interest in Christianity began in childhood through contact with Orthodox Christians and televised liturgies featuring Pope John Paul II. Following a personal crisis in 2007, he began attending Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary in Berlin and eventually decided to convert to Catholicism.

His journey to the priesthood involved significant personal challenges, including navigating a difficult reaction from his mother regarding his conversion. After initially pausing his theological studies in 2010, he completed his secondary education and worked as a nursing assistant before continuing his religious vocation. He currently serves in a Berlin parish within a large Muslim immigrant community.