The sisters of the Daughters of Divine Charity, which were established in Vienna in 1868 by Franciska Lechner, began its work in 1882 in Sarajevo, where the nuns came at the invitation of Archbishop Josip Stadler. At the Convent of Saint Mary’s Home in Pale, opened in 1911, the 1941 war has caught five sisters: Sr. M. Jula Ivanišević, Sr. M Berchmana Leidenix, Sr. M Krizina Bojanc, Sr. M Antonija Fabjan and Sr. M Bernadeta Banja. On the 11 December Serbian fighters called “chetniks” looted the house, burned it down and forced five sisters to walk in the direction of Goražde Their four-day way of the cross at freezing temperatures and snow, along with the interrogations, has led to Sjetline, where the 76-year old Berchmana, exhausted from the walk and all the events, was separated from the group and forced to remain behind. Other sisters reached Goražde on 15 December 1941 and were placed in the military barracks on the 2nd floor. On the same evening, the chetniks broke into the room with the impure intentions and assaulted them. In defense of their human dignity, sisters broke loose from hands of their attackers and one by one jumped out through the window. The cetnicks have killed injured nuns with knives and thrown their bodies into the River Drina. Sr. Berchmana was killed eight days later, on 23 December in Sjetlina.
The Pope Benedict XVI has authorized the Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saint to promulgate the Decree on the martyrdom of the servants of God Martyrs of Drina whom the sisters first became the Blessed Daughters of Divine Charity. No earthly remains has left behind them, their grave is River Drina but their religious life, which ended in martyrdom still speaks strongly and can be an example to all believers. The central place of worship of Martyrs of Drina will be in the church Sisters of the Daughters of Divine Charity St. Rosary at the Banjski Brijeg in Sarajevo and the beatification ceremony will be held in Sarajevo on 24 September 2011.
