Croatian sisters who built a school on a swamp in Argentina

Nearly a century ago, Croatian nuns arrived in Argentina to help emigrants seeking a better life far from their homeland. On marshland, among impoverished families, they built a school that continues to educate new generations to this day.

In the Our People, Their Places series, Matija Jerković tells their moving story, as well as that of a Croatian emigrant’s grandson who became a spokesperson for the Catholic Church in Argentina.

From Buenos Aires to the green Argentine pampas, from Tierra del Fuego to the Andes, Croatian priests and nuns have supported emigrants for decades. They helped them preserve their faith while finding their place in their new homeland.

One place where the Croatian community has left a lasting mark is Dock Sud, a neighborhood on the outskirts of Buenos Aires where the Zagreb Sisters of Charity have served since 1934.

Croatian Sisters Who Transformed an Argentine Neighborhood

The Sisters of Charity arrived in Argentina on July 30, 1934, at the invitation of Franciscan priest Leonard Rusković. Their initial mission was to help Croatian emigrants preserve their faith, but they soon realized that people also needed education, employment and better living conditions.

“The sisters saw the needs and decided to stay because, as Sisters of Charity who dedicate their lives to those in need, they recognized that this was exactly where they belonged,” explains Sister Marija Edita Lukić.

Dock Sud looked very different back then. Instead of paved streets, there were dirt roads, marshland and modest houses built of tin and wood.

The sisters began gathering children, teaching them to read and write, and helping mothers who went out to work. They also helped Croatian immigrants find employment.

“Many sisters have told stories of how they waited for Croatians arriving by ship and then went to bakeries, butcher shops and other businesses to find them jobs,” recalls Sister Marija Samuela Vilenica.

A School Built on a Swamp, with Classrooms Underwater

Despite poverty and difficult living conditions, the sisters persevered. The school’s foundation stone was laid on December 26, 1935, and classes began in 1936.

Life in Dock Sud, however, presented many challenges. Because of its proximity to the La Plata River and frequent flooding, water would enter the classrooms, leaving school furniture floating in the rooms.

“In our archives, I found photographs of four sisters rowing through the streets of Dock Sud,” Sister Samuela says.

Ninety years later, the former marshland is home to a large educational complex comprising a school, a theater and the Church of Christ the King.

The Croatian legacy remains visible in the neighborhood. One street was named Prolaz sestara milosrdnica iz Zagreba (Passage of the Sisters of Charity from Zagreb). Students also painted a mural honoring the nuns, inspired by the famous photograph of the Beatles crossing Abbey Road.

From Croatian Emigrant to Spokesperson for the Church in Argentina

Another link between Croatia and Argentina is priest Máximo Jurčinović, spokesperson for the Argentine Bishops’ Conference.

His grandfather was among the many Croatian emigrants who crossed the ocean by ship in search of safety and work.

“My grandfather left his homeland, like many of his compatriots who came here because of wars or in search of work. Most of the Croats who came were people accustomed to hard work and great effort. Our ancestors are extremely important to us,” Jurčinović emphasizes.

Although he once dreamed of becoming a sports journalist, he eventually chose the priesthood. His passion for the media remained, and today he holds an important communications role in the Argentine Church.

Jurčinović has also visited Croatia, where he was particularly struck by the warmth of the people.

“I was pleasantly surprised by their kindness, their attitude toward others and their sense of humor. We Croats are not cold. There is no distance or excessive formality in our relationships with people,” he recalls.

Pope Francis Changed the Way the Church Communicates

The Argentine Bishops’ Conference, where Jurčinović works, has a special connection to Pope Francis, who led the organization before moving to Rome.

Reflecting on Francis’s pontificate, Jurčinović says the late pope changed the way the Church communicates with the world.

“I think Pope Francis restored the Church’s place among the important topics discussed around the world. He achieved this not so much through words as through gestures. I believe that was precisely his great revolution,” Jurčinović says.

He also recalls that Francis was much more reserved when he served as an archbishop in Argentina than he later appeared as pope.

“Francis came as a real surprise to many because he was not that kind of person here in Argentina. When he arrived in Rome, he began to show a different way of relating to people and a different approach to pastoral ministry,” he explains.

A Mission That Continues Today

Although generations of Croatian emigrants have come and gone, and their descendants now mostly speak Spanish and are integrated into Argentine society, the Croatian nuns’ mission continues.

Sister Marija Samuela Vilenica teaches religious education, but her work extends well beyond the classroom. One particularly moving experience involved visiting a seriously ill man who lived in extremely modest conditions.

“He did not ask for money or any extraordinary help. He only said, ‘Sister, thank you for coming to see me and listen to me.’ I believe that answers the question of why I came here. This is the mission and calling God had for me,” Sister Samuela says.

The story of the Croatian sisters in Argentina is a testament to generations of people who, far from their homeland, supported their fellow Croatians and everyone else in need.

Nearly a century after the first sisters arrived, their legacy lives on through education, faith and everyday acts of compassion.

Croatian traces in Argentina have not disappeared. As Matija Jerković concludes, they have simply taken new forms with each passing generation.