V GOSPODOVEM VINOGRADU
Anton Vovk je po končani gimnaziji vstopil v ljubljansko bogoslovje in bil 29. junija 1923 posvečen v duhovnika. Zanj je bil to, kakor je zapisal, »najbolj srečen spominski dan« življenja. Pred očmi je imel le en sam cilj: biti dober dušni pastir. Najprej je to lahko uresničeval kot kaplan v Metliki, od leta 1926 pa sprva kot kaplan v Tržiču, od leta 1928 pa kot tamkajšnji župnik. V pozdravnem govoru je dejal: »Morda zato tudi kdo od mene programa pričakuje. Prav nič nisem v zadregi zanj. Moj program je moja prisega, ki sem jo položil Bogu in svojemu škofu ob instalaciji. Dobil sem iz rok svojega škofa okrog vratu štolo, znak duhovske oblasti. Duhovska oblast je predvsem zdravniška in sodniška. Daj Bog, da bi mogel biti vsem dober zdravnik in razsodnik v dušnih zadevah, pa tudi pomočnik v časnih stvareh, ki so v zvezi s srečnim notranjim dušnim življenjem!« Z osemindvajsetimi leti je bil tudi najmlajši župnik v ljubljanski škofiji. V času vodenja župnije se je izjemno izkazal tako na pastoralnem kot tudi na prosvetnem in socialnem področju. Izkazal pa se je tudi s svojo hudomušnostjo, s katero je osvajal tržiške farane. V oznanilih je leta 1931 med drugim tako pisal glede uradnih ur župnijske pisarne in zapis zaključil: »Če ni doma župnika, naj pokliče vsak koga gg. kaplanov. Tudi ob drugem času lahko in radi postrežemo, a često bi želeli malo več reda. Ima n. pr. med jedjo rad mir še pes – pa tudi Vovk!«
Po dvanajstih letih vodenja tržiške župnije so ga poklicali v Ljubljano, kjer je bil 2. septembra 1940 umeščen za stolnega kanonika. Svoje delovanje je sklenil takole: »Življenja, dela, veselja in skrbi sem doživel dosti. Bogu naj bo vse darovano, kateri naj mi bo ob sodbi za tržiška leta milostljiv.« Gospodova milost ga je spremljala tudi v vseh nadaljnjih službah, v katerih ni manjkalo bridkosti in trnja preizkušenj, a je vse vdano prenašal, zaupajoč v Gospoda.
SLIKA: Sestra Marija in sestra Katarina z možem Antonom Dolarjem ter otroci (Katarina, Ivana in Marija) na obisku pri bratu v Tržiču leta 1933. Od leve si proti desni sledijo: škofova nečakinja Katarina Dolar, por. Katnik, škofov svak Anton Dolar, škofova sestra Katarina (Katra) Dolar, škofova nečakinja Ivanka Dolar, por. Tavčar, škofova sestra Marija (Mica) Vovk, škofova, škofova nečakinja Marija Dolar, (takrat še) duhovnik Anton Vovk. (Vir: NŠAL 107, šk. 60, Album 2)
dr. Miha Šimac, Jure Sovinc
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IN THE VINEYARD OF THE LORD
After he finished high school, Anton Vovk entered the Ljubljana Seminary and was ordained on 29 June 1923. For him, this was, as he wrote, ‘the happiest day to remember.’ He had a single goal before him: to be a good priest and shepherd. His first opportunity to fulfil this role was as a chaplain in Metlika, then in Tržič as a chaplain from 1926, and as parish priest from 1928. In his salutatory address, he said, ‘Perhaps some of you expect me to unveil my agenda. This puts me in no difficulty. My agenda is my oath, which I gave to God and my Bishop at the Ordination. My Bishop put a stole around my neck, a sign of spiritual authority. Spiritual authority is related primarily to healing and judicial matters. May God grant that I shall be a good healer and judge in spiritual matters to everyone, as well as an assistant in temporal matters that are related to a blissful spiritual life.’ At twenty-eight, he was the youngest parish priest in the Diocese of Ljubljana. During his time as parish leader, he excelled in pastoral, educational and social areas. He also had a great sense of humour, which helped him win over the parishioners of Tržič. In his announcements in 1931, he wrote, among other things, about the office hours of the parish and concluded the note, ‘In case the parish priest is not at home, you should call one of the chaplains. We can and will serve you at other times as well, but we would often like to function in a more orderly fashion. Even the dog likes peace and quiet during meals - and so does Vovk*!’ (*vovk is the Slovene word for wolf)
After twelve years of heading the Parish of Tržič, he was called to Ljubljana, where he was appointed Cathedral Canon on 2 September 1940. He concluded his ministry as follows: ‘I have experienced much life, work, joy and worry here. May everything be offered to God, may He be merciful upon me judging my years in Tržič.’ The Lord’s grace also accompanied him throughout all his subsequent ministries, where there was no lack of bitterness and thorns of tribulation, but he endured everything faithfully, trusting in the Lord.
FIGURE: Vovk’s sister Marija and sister Katarina with her husband Anton Dolar and their children (Katarina, Ivana and Marija) visiting their brother in Tržič in 1933. From left to right: the bishop’s niece Katarina Dolar, married Katnik, the bishop’s brother-in-law Anton Dolar, the bishop’s sister Katarina (Katra) Dolar, the bishop’s niece Ivanka Dolar, married Tavčar, the bishop’s sister Marija (Mica) Vovk, the bishop’s niece Marija Dolar, Anton Vovk (at the time still a priest). (Source: Ljubljana Archdiocesan Archives 107, box no. 60, Album 2)
Prevod/translation: Katarina Ropret, Gregor Timothy Čeh