not the first to die, she would be called to God in another way. Although
at 12 Gonxha believed she had received her life’s calling, she did nothing
more about it. For the next six years, she continued her schooling and par-
ticipated in church activities. There was, for the moment, no more talk
about becoming a nun.
FATHER JAMBREKOVIC
Father Franjo Jambrekovic, a young Jesuit priest of Croatian descent,
arrived at the Sacred Heart parish in 1925. He was destined to exert a
great influence on Gonxha. Among the many innovations that Father
Jambrekovic carried out was the introduction of a parish library in which
Gonxha soon passed countless hours reading. Father Jambrekovic also es-
tablished the Sodality of Children of Mary, a Catholic organization for
young girls that the Jesuits had created. Gonxha joined. Finally, Father
Jambrekovic started a Catholic youth group that sponsored walks, parties,
concerts, and other outings for the boys and girls of the parish.
Most important for Gonxha, Father Jambrekovic passed on to the
members of Sacred Heart news of the missionary efforts that the Jesuits
had undertaken. In 1924, he explained, a group of Yugoslav Jesuits had
gone to Bengal, India. From their outpost, the missionaries wrote impas-
sioned letters describing the horrible conditions under which the poor
and the infirm lived. Father Jambrekovic read some of these letters to in-
terested parishioners. On occasion, a missionary came to Sacred Heart to
discuss the Jesuits’ work in India and to solicit donations. Father Jam-
brekovic was enthusiastic in his support of these efforts, and spoke often
about them. Gonxha assisted by pointing out to the younger children the
location of India on a world map. After the arrival of Father Jambrekovic,
she also became more active in the prayer groups of the sodality, which of-
fered prayers for the success of Catholic missions. She told a cousin who
was earning extra money by giving mandolin lessons to send the money to
the poor in India.
The zeal with which Father Jambrekovic spoke of the Jesuit missions in
India sparked a renewed sense of devotion in Gonxha. She was already
immersed in church activities, singing in the choir, helping to organize
parish festivals, and teaching the younger children their catechism. Her
love of teaching and her deep religious fervor prompted her to consider
the possibility of doing missionary work. As a young girl, she had dreamed
of working with the poor of Africa. The more she heard about the mis-
sions in India, however, the more she was drawn to the possibility of work-
ing there.
SKOPJE 9