Fr. Zlatko Sudac

He is a mystic who bears the stigmata on his wrists, feet, and side, as well as a bleeding cross on his forehead, all of which have been verified by Vatican doctors as not being of human origin. Having grown up in the Croatian town of Vrbnik as an average youth, Fr. Sudac (pronounced Soo-dahts) heard the call to the priesthood in his early 20s when he attended a seminar by Fr. Emile Tardiff. Fr. Sudac was ordained on June 29th, 1998 and was assigned to a parish on the island of Pag. Immersed in the parish life, he found himself very active and busy, but eleven months after his ordination something very unusual happened. On the 7th of May, 1999, Fr. Sudac received the first mark of the stigmata, in the form of a cross "imprinted" on his forehead. Fr. Sudac's Bishop sent him to the Gemelli Clinic in Rome, the hospital that treats the Holy Father, where he remained for about 40 days. He was subjected to intense investigation by a team of experts from a variety of medical disciplines and underwent numerous tests and procedures. The final report from the Gemelli Clinic concluded that Fr. Sudac was of sound mind and that, while the team could not confirm that the cross on Fr. Sudac's forehead was of Divine origin, it could state that there was no known medical explanation for the formation of that cross. Almost a year and a half after Fr. Sudac received the cross on his forehead, on October 4th, 2000, Fr. Sudac received the wounds of Christ on his wrists, feet and side. Interestingly, October 4th is the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, the first known stigmatist. Today, Fr. Sudac is the retreat leader at Bethany Retreat House on the island of Losinj. In addition, he has a natural gift for art and creates prints that adorn Churches, Chapels and private homes. Still a young man, Fr. Sudac places the future of his ministry in the hands of God. He is a priest in good standing with the Church, and he humbly submits to the authority of the Church in all matters related to his gifts and ministry.