On June 19, 2026, after a long illness, Minka (Marija) Fabjan, a true pillar of the Economy of Communion in Eastern Europe, passed away
by Antonella Ferrucci
Born in Slovenia in 1952, Minka spent the last 30 years of her life in Croatia, at the Faro Citadel in Križevci—near Zagreb—where she moved with her husband Rudi and their three children, Marija, Peter, and Meta. She had joined the Focolare Movement as early as 1973, bringing with her her creative intelligence and characteristic faithfulness. She says of herself during that period:
«Like all young people in the 1970s, I, too, carried great ideals in my heart: to create a better world. I was studying economics and believed that our generation would be able to find a ‘third’ way—neither socialism nor capitalism.»
Inspired by that great ideal, when Chiara Lubich launched the EoC in Brazil just a couple of years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Minka welcomed the announcement with keen interest and decided to dedicate herself to that “third way.” Soon, small businesses began to spring up in the Citadel as well, providing jobs for the unemployed. Minka also played a role in the founding of the “Raggio di sole” daycare center, where she served as the first director. Together with her husband Rudi, she promoted and helped grow the Economy of Communion in Croatia and around the Faro Citadel over the years, with the first meetings taking place as early as 1999. In February 2009, twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, she organized the 1st EoC International Conference, designed specifically for Eastern Europe, which opened a new path for entrepreneurs, students, and academics from over ten Balkan and Danube nations, united by the desire to deepen their understanding of the EoC entrepreneur’s vocation and to respond, through the culture of giving, to the region’s political and economic complexities.
Building on this initial momentum, Mariapoli Faro has, over the years, become the venue for historic regional and European conferences aimed at strengthening the network between businesses, and Minka has always been its driving force. Here is a brief overview. In 2012, the second Southeast European Congress laid out guidelines for 2031, addressing the severe economic crisis of the time through the sharing of best practices and transnational dialogue. In October 2014, Mariapoli Faro became the “center” of Europe when Križevci hosted the 5th gathering of European EoC entrepreneurs: It was a true feat to welcome participants speaking thirteen different languages to develop startups together, explore pathways to inclusion for the poor, and harmonize the family-work balance, ultimately demonstrating that the EoC enterprise “thinks globally but acts locally.”
The training of the younger generations has been a fundamental pillar of this journey, which took shape starting with the historic “Winter School” weekend in February 2013, titled “You and Me—Together for a New Economy,” which took place in the snow at Križevci with about 130 participants—including 80 young people from Eastern Europe—and continued over the years, leading up to initiatives related to the Prophetic Economy and the #ZeroHunger project.
The 25th anniversary of the global founding of the EoC was celebrated at Mariapoli Faro in February 2016 with a major conference marked by a strong festive atmosphere. Over 120 people—including entrepreneurs, workers, and students—reaffirmed the grassroots dimension of the sharing of goods and concrete aid to the poor, bringing to light a flourishing local creativity. In recent years, the Economy of Communion has made a decisive qualitative leap, moving beyond the confines of the citadel to reach the academic world and civil society. The Faculty of Economics and Business at the University of Zagreb has become a key partner, hosting major conferences in 2018 and January 2020.
Minka was known and deeply loved throughout the EoC world, of which she was a true pioneer and apostle: having participated over the years in all the international congresses and global events, many of us had the joy of knowing and appreciating her; today, messages of recognition and affection are pouring in from all over the world. Maja Calfova writes, on behalf of everyone:
“I want to express my immense gratitude to Minka for her concrete love for every person and for her tireless dedication to transforming ideas into realized projects, always with a special focus on the poorest, but also for her constant support of entrepreneurs and all those involved in the EoC. We entrust Minka to the Father’s embrace, confident that the seed of goodness she has sown in all our communities will continue to bear fruit among us.”
As we stand in solidarity with her family, who cared for her with immense love until her very last breath, we are certain that the Economy of Communion in Eastern Europe will continue its journey, for so many people have now embraced Minka’s ideals and inspiration—among them her son Peter. For this, we thank him.