Early life and education Lang was born in 1857 in
Lepšić near
Ivanić-Grad in a
devout Catholic family of father Dragutin Cof,
miller and mother Maria Cof,
baker. Josip was devout from an early age. He actively participated in his
parish life, often withdrawing to pray in silence. With the death of his father at the age of 38, the family experienced financial difficulties. His mother asked Cardinal
Josip Mihalović to accept him into the archdiocesan
orphanage, where his prayer intensified and his
priestly vocation matured. From 1875 to 1877, he attended the
seminary, where he distinguished himself with his ascetic life. The cardinal decided to send him to
Rome to continue his
theological studies. He stayed at the
Germanicum, and studied philosophy and theology between 1877 and 1883 at the
Gregoriana, earning
doctorate in philosophy in 1880.
Pre-episcopal service Upon his return to Zagreb, he was ordained a
priest on 16 September 1883. He served as a
chaplain in
Zlatar (1883–84),
spiritual leader () and
confessor at the
Sisters of Charity Hospital (1884),
schoolteacher of
pedagogy and
Italian at the Women's Teachers' School of the Sisters of Charity (1885–1900), spiritual leader (1900–08) and rector (1908–12) of the theological seminary in Zagreb and
parson of the cathedral parish of St. Mary's at
Dolac (1912–14). In 1898, he fell ill with
pneumonia and
pleurisy. He was the president-rapporteur of the Zagreb Curia, and also worked in the marriage court. When the Hungarian authorities resigned and retired some professors at the
University of Zagreb, a rebellion broke out among the students, which also included seminarians, as the
Faculty of Theology was part of the university. Due to the participation of the seminarians in the rebellion without the knowledge of their superiors, the senior priests of the seminary demanded Lang's resignation, which he accepted and left the seminary. He was appointed in 1898 as a member of the Archdiocese's Spiritual Committee (), in 1908 as a
canon of the
Zagreb Cathedral, in 1911 as an archdeacon of
Varaždin, and in 1912 as an
apostolic protonotary.
Episcopate In 1914, Lang was appointed as a procurator general to archbishop
Antun Bauer, who then asked emperor
Franz Joseph and the
Holy See to appoint Lang for his auxiliary bishop. Bauer consercrated him as auxiliary bishop of Zagreb on 26 February 1915. Soon after, on 18 April 1915 he was ordained as titular bishop of Alabanda. Lang encouraged charitable work during
World War I and the
aftermath, helping especially widows and orphans.
Last years From 1923 onwards, his
health steadily deteriorated, and in 1924 he suffered a
heart attack that left him
hospitalized. His health continued to deteriorate until his death. ==Writings==