From Muslim Refugee to Catholic Priest

This 41-year-old man has been a Catholic priest for a few weeks now. He was ordained at St. Hedwig’s Cathedral in Berlin by Archbishop Heiner Koch. This makes him a true exception in Germany: apparently, there are no other Catholic priests in the entire country with a similar background

Around seven million Muslims live in Germany. One of them was Senad Mrkaljevic. He converted to Catholicism a few years ago and is now a priest. This makes him an exception.News When he entered a church for the first time in his life, in his early twenties, he initially felt unsure. «It was quite an ordeal for me to go in there,» says Senad Mrkaljevic. «I asked myself: ‘Is what you’re doing right?'»

On a summer day in Berlin, Senad Mrkaljevic recounts his life story, which has not always been easy. He was born in Brčko, in what is now Bosnia and Herzegovina. «I remember that coexistence between religions worked well in my neighborhood back then. For example, as a child, I watched an Orthodox Christian liturgy on television at our Serbian neighbors’ house, and afterwards I said, ‘I want to be an Imam.’ The neighbor replied, ‘Why don’t you become a parish priest?’ We laughed together; a few years later, when the war broke out, that would no longer have been possible.»

Senad and his family fled the civil war in their conflict-ravaged hometown, heading first to Vienna. Later, they moved to Berlin. «It wasn’t an easy time,» he recalls. «I struggled to adapt to school.» The Muslim faith had not played a major role in his family. «Curiously, as a teenager, I was the only one who fasted during Ramadan,» he says with a laugh. He admits that he has perhaps always been «a religious seeker.» At the age of 23, he began reading the Bible. He also started attending church on Sunday mornings at 8:00 a.m. «At first, I did it in secret. Back then, I was living with my older brother. When I got back from church, he was still asleep.» But eventually, it became a burden. «I didn’t want to lead a double life.» When he considered being baptized as a Catholic, he also decided to tell his family about this new direction in his life. «It was a particular problem for my mother. She gave me a real dressing-down,» Senad recalls

Nevertheless, he stood firm in his plan and was baptized. He fully understood their reservations: although his Muslim family had never been particularly religious, Islam had naturally provided them with a sense of identity while living in a foreign country. «When Yugoslavia fell apart, the Muslim faith gave us an identity.»

«I thought long and hard before deciding if this was the right path for me,» he says. Yet, he was certain that he also needed to maintain contact with his mother, who still disapproved of his plan. «I knew that cutting off contact wouldn’t be good for my soul. And my life wouldn’t have turned out well then.»

He completed his studies in 2023. He states that he persevered, «with God’s help», against all odds; giving up was never an option. «That is something I want to convey to others in my work as a priest,» he says. He also emphasizes: «Just as with Christians, there are many secular Muslims who adhere to Islam primarily out of family tradition.» Consequently, he views himself as a bridge between the two religions. «Interestingly, my conversion and my decision to be ordained as a priest met with great approval from my Muslim family in Bosnia as well as from my siblings,» Senad notes. His background is reflected in his assignment as chaplain to the St. Edith Stein parish in Berlin-Neukölln, a district with a high Muslim population. «For me, it is about tolerance among Christians, Jews, Muslims, and non-believers,» says Senad, who enjoys attending Hertha Berlin soccer matches with parishioners and likes pork “currywurst.”

His mother has come to accept his life as a priest; like his siblings, she attended his ordination a few weeks ago.

«I asked myself: ‘Is what you’re doing right?'»

Many years ago, when I was a severely troubled and suicidal pre-teen, I prayed to Jesus Christ for guidance and said to Him that I would follow Him anywhere, even through the gates of hell, if He would protect me from any and all evil influences.

He has done this.

I have followed Him as I agreed to do.

I have found myself in many strange and unexpected places and situations. Many times I asked myself if what I was doing was right, and I always felt God's inner voice reminding me of my commitment to following Jesus and His to protecting me from all evil influences.

I did not commit suicide.

I sought help from a psychiatrist and clinical psychologist, a wonderful man. My mother objected. She was horrified. "What if anyone finds out?" she fretted. I ignored her. I got a job after school to pay him. When he realized that I was suicidal, he said to me: "I will meet with you any time for as long as you need me." I knew he meant this. I was careful not to take advantage of him. When I left to go off to college and medical school, I still owed him $100. After my first year of medical school, I sold my microscope for $100 and took it to him. He said, "Do you really think you have to do this?" I replied: "Yes." He was a godsend, the answer to my prayers. His coming into my life, his help, his kindness and unselfish care were a gift from Jesus Christ.

Many other wonderful people, influences, and discoveries came into my life, all gifts from Jesus Christ.

I fought hard against mental illness, confusion, misconceptions, and severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) resulting from sexual molestation by three teen-age boys when I was 3 years old. Jesus Christ led me out of this horrible, chaotic wilderness into His light and the fabulous, wonderful, happy life I have now.

Today I am happy, well adjusted, rich, and at peace, with wonderful children and grandchildren, marriage to the same brilliant, beautiful, loving woman for 67 years, and a life I wish everyone could have.

My daughter is now a psychiatrist. She treats PTSD.

My son-in-law recently said to me: You are a great man."

And all through every day and every night I constantly give thanks to Jesus Christ for saving me, redeeming me, and bringing me from terrible misery into indescribable joy.

One gift, of many, is this realization: Giving thanks--gratitude--is a form of love. If it's not, it's not gratitude; it's something else. When people ask, "Do you love God?", it sometimes conjures up unlikely visions of affection for a being of infinity whom the human mind cannot comprehend and for whom affection must be affected or even faked. Jesus Christ is the form of God Whom we can understand and for Whom we can feel affection. But, even if we cannot comprehend God in all His infinite wonder, commitment, surrender to Him, and gratitude are forms of love of which we are all capable.

There is a place where joy, love, beauty, wisdom, and truth are all the same thing. When one finds this place, on stands naked before Almighty God, unto Whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from Whom no secrets are hidden. And we understand God's love for us and His presence in Jesus Christ. If fact, God's presence is everywhere. That place is within us. It is our souls. It's worth seeking, working hard for, surrendering to Jesus for, praying for His salvation for.

I found that place.

Jesus Christ led me there.

He will lead you there too.

All I had to do was believe in Him with all my heart and surrender to Him.

That's all you have to do.

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