She Died at Just 26 Years Old, and Her Story Still Touches Hearts Today

It is said that saints are buried twice – once in the ground, the second time in the archive. For decades one such story waited for its time – the story of Danici Široli. The memory of her burned year after year in the candles on her grave.

The Croatian Little Therese

Also called the "Croatian Little Therese," this Croatian teacher and poet passed away with a reputation for holiness in her 26th year, on September 2, 1926, in Zagreb. Her autobiography, diaries, correspondence, and poems testify to her spiritual maturation through internal and external sufferings.

She spontaneously learned to place Jesus into every situation she faced when she was still a little girl, when after school, enduring injustice and beatings from her teacher, she would stay for a long time praying in the church. In those tears in front of the tabernacle, she found not just comfort in God, but love.

In the fourth grade, on Candlemas, she strongly experienced a call to religious life. Her peers often considered her unusual because it was so natural for her to be in God's presence, but they loved her too. During this period, Danica began writing poetry.

On Her 19th Birthday, She Makes a Vow to God

With the flaring up of the First World War, her health problems began. First lung catarrh, then the Spanish flu, followed by severe nerve inflammation. Despite this struggle, she finished her education and started her path as a teacher.

The call to a consecrated life became stronger within her, and on her 19th birthday, she made a vow of virginity to God. Fearing her departure to a convent, her father demanded that she continue her pedagogical education. When she was finally on the verge of entering the Ursuline convent in Varaždin, a decisive and insurmountable obstacle awaited her.

A doctor determined that she was suffering from tuberculosis. She spent her remaining years in prayer and writing. "My Jesus, my God, thank You for everything. That I can barely stand on my feet — is it strange? And yet I can still do so much," was the last thing she wrote while caring for her sick father.

Remembering spiritual giants, Jesuit Father Josip Antolović would write about her: "Danica also belongs to holy Zagreb – the Zagreb of Bishop Kažotić, Bishop Lang, Ivan Merz, Marica Stanković, Fr. Ante Antić, Cardinal Stepinac, and so many other heroes and heroines of the spirit." Their life testimony is a great encouragement for us.