Mgr. Stanislav Hočevar was born on the 12th November, 1945 in the village of Jelendol, Slovenia. He took his final vows after completing novitiate at the Salesians of Don Bosco and was ordained priest on the 29th June, 1973 in Ljubljana.
Following ordination, he took on care of education of the young in Želimlje Grammar School and was appointed headmaster of that institution in 1979. During that period, he also got his Master’s degree at the Faculty of Theology in Ljubljana. In 1988 he started a six-year mandate (renewed once) as a provincial in the Salesians province. He was then elected President of all Slovenian Salesian friars (nuns).
During the turbulent time in Serbia and Montenegro in the 90s, he took the initiative ‘Peace to you the Balkans’, and at the same time, together with all friars and nuns, set up St. Ann’s fund in order to offer help to families with many children.
Pope John Paul II appointed him Archibshop coadjutor in Belgrade on the 25th March, 2000. He then took on the responsability for the Belgrade diocese in 2001. On 16 April 2001 he was elected President of the Bishops’ Conference of Yugoslavia, later renamed International Bishops’ Conference of Saints Cyril and Methodius, an office he served until 2011.
Mgr. Hočevar participates in the COMECE Assembly with the status of Observer since March 2015.