Background
Varnava was born Vojislav Nastić in Gary, Indiana, on January 31, 1914 into a family of Serbian immigrants. His father and mother were Atanasije and Zorka Nastić.
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Varnava Nastic
Edit ProfileEducation
Vojislav attended high school in Sarajevo, graduating in 1933.
Career
His feast is October 30 on Julian Calendar. He continued his education at the University of Belgrade"s Faculty of Orthodox Theology, graduating in 1937. After graduating he taught as a catechist in two high schools in Sarajevo.
In 1940, Vojislav took monastic vows in Mileševa Monastery, receiving the name Varnava.
Varnava was ordained hierodeacon by Metr. Petar of Dabar-Bosna.
Dn. Varnava remained in Sarajevo during World World War World War II Croatian fascists, however, tried to force him to join the "Croatian Orthodox Church" which they had organized to subvert the Serbian population in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Dn. Varnava categorically refused this. Soon he had to leave Sarajevo in order to save his life.
After war he was ordained hieromonk and raised to the rank of protosyncellus by Bishop Nektarije of Zvornik and Tuzla.
Varnava auxiliary bishop to the Patriarch of Serbia with the title Bishop of Hvosno, with the responsibility of administering the Diocese of Dabar-Bosna.
He is consecrated by Patriarch Gavrilo, Bishop Nektarije, and Bishop Vikentije of Zletovo and Strumica on May 20, 1947. In his new position Bishop
Varnava began openly criticizing the new communist regime for mistreating the church.
He was soon arrested and sentenced to twenty years in prison. Bishop Varnava was subjected to torture, lack of food, and was kept in the most isolated wing of the prison.
But Bishop Varnava remained calm.
Every day he sang the troparia and other hymns. The communist Government even arranged an accident in order to get rid of him in which he broke his legal
Although the communist secret police, OZNA, did not allow doctors to provide him any medical help, he recovered. He was released after accident to house arrest in the Gomionica Monastery in the Diocese of Banja Luka until his release in 1960.
He died on November 12, 1964, in suspicious circumstances, leading some historians to believe that he was poisoned by OZNA.
