CEO of Joliet nonprofit celebrating family member’s elevation to archbishop

On Feb. 14, Pope Francis recently named Dražen Kutleša as archbishop of Zagreb, the capital city of Croatia, and two Romeoville residents couldn’t be prouder.

Dražen Kutleša is the cousin of Ivan Kutlesa of Romeoville, the husband of Ines Kutlesa of Romeoville, chief executive officer of Guardian Angel Community Services in Joliet.

Ivan Kutlesa and Ines Kutlesa are still absorbing the news that Dražen Kutleša is now the archbishop of Zagreb and a future cardinal of the Catholic church, Ivan Kutlesa said.

“It really is something. We still can’t believe it,” Ivan Kutlesa said. “But it’s not come to us as a surprise, really, when we think of our cousin Dražen and the amazing person he is.”

Dražen Kutleša is also president of the Catholic Bishop’s Conference in Croatia since 2022, a five-year term, Ivan Kutlesa said.

Priests run in the families of both Ivan Kutlesa and Ines Kutlesa.

Returning the favor to God for His blessings

Ines Kutlesa said her uncle is a priest. Ivan Kutlesa said 19 priests and nuns from his ancestral village of Prisoje “are currently serving the Catholic church.”

Some of these 19 are missionaries, Ivan Kutlesa said. One cousin was a missionary in the Congo in Africa for 50 years, from 1972 to 2022, Ivan Kutlesa said. All these vocations to religious life are from the same hamlet of 30 houses, which is known colloquially as “Little Vatican,” Ivan Kutlesa said.

“It’s always been the case, especially in our region, especially being Croatian,” Ivan Kutlesa said. “We’ve always been good Croatian patriots and also very religious people, basically. We’ve always been a faithful flock to the Catholic church. We’ve obviously returned the favor to God for basically everything He’s given us.”

—  “We’ve always been a faithful flock to the Catholic church. We’ve obviously returned the favor to God for basically everything He’s given us.” Ivan Kutlesa, cousin of Dražen Kutleša, a new archbishop in Croatia

Ivan Kutlesa said Dražen Kutleša came from Prisoje, the same village in which Ivan Kutlesa’s parents hailed and where Ivan Kutlesa has visited family, Dražen Kutleša included.

Dražen Kutleša attended Ruđer Bošković Gymnasium in Dubrovnik for high school and then the College of Theology of Vrhbosna in Sarajevo, a seminary school, Ivan Kutlesa said.

Later, while Dražen Kutleša was serving as a diocesan priest in Croatia, a bishop sent him to study canon law at the Pontifical Urban University in Rome. Dražen Kutleša earned his doctorate in canon law in 1995, Ivan Kutlesa said.

In the early 2000s, Dražen Kutleša returned to Croatia and served as a monsignor, Ivan Kutlesa said. Pope Benedict the 16th eventually named Dražen Kutleša as archbishop of the Poreč-Pula, Ivan Kutlesa said.

Poreč and Pula are two towns in Northern Croatia that combined to be a diocese in the Catholic church, Ivan Kutlesa said.

“They are in the region up near the Italian border, well-known for truffles up there – and wine,” Ivan Kutlesa said. “It’s a very big tourist attraction in Croatia.”

A family legacy of service

Ines Kutlesa said she is “very excited and proud of this moment” – and proud of the Kutlesa name, too.

“We have such a depth of service to the church and the community,” Ines Kutlesa said, “which I’ve also tried to emulate through my work at Guardian Angel.”

Ivan Kutlesa said one of his cousins will soon become a priest and is currently a deacon in Switzerland. The cousin lives in Switzerland because the cousin’s parents emigrated there and he has Swiss citizenship, Ivan Kutlesa said.

That citizenship is necessary to be a member of the Pontifical Swiss Guard in Switzerland, as his cousin is, Ivan Kutlesa said.

“He actually protected Pope Benedict the 16th and Pope Francis,” Ivan Kutlesa said “He was only one of three Croatians, of Croatian origin or background, in Switzerland that served as a Swiss Guard.”

Ivan Kutlesa said his cousin will celebrate his first Mass in March in Switzerland. The cousin will then celebrate a Mass in Rome and then in Prisoje, his parents’ village, in August, with Swiss Guards present in full uniform.

“He’s only in his early 20s – 23, 24 – and he’s a handsome guy,” Ivan Kutlesa said. “All the women are going crazy that he’s not available anymore.”

KNOW MORE

* Dražen Kutleša was recently named as archbishop of the capital city of Croatia

* Dražen Kutleša is the cousin of Ivan Kutlesa, the husband of Ines Kutlesa, chief executive officers of Guardian Angel Community Services in Joliet.

* Dražen Kutleša came from Prisoje, the same village in which Ivan Kutlesa’s parents hailed.

* Ivan Kutlesa said 19 priests and nuns from his ancestral village of Prisoje “are currently serving the Catholic church.”