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The pastor

After finishing his studies at the grammar school of the Premonstratensian canons regular in Szombathely, he went on to study in the Catholic seminary. He was ordained priest on 12 June 1915.

A lelkipásztor

 

His bishop, count János Mikes first sent the newly ordained priest to start his ministry as chaplain in Felsőpaty (Vas County), and after a year and half of chaplaincy, he appointed him as teacher of religion at the state Grammar School in Zalaegerszeg.

With the objective of counterbalancing the overly radical measures taken by the revolutionary forces in 1918, he commenced his own weekly entitled Zalamegyei Újság (Zala County Newspaper), and took an active part in the activity of the Catholic People's Party founded by Nándor Zichy. As a result of his effective organizational work, in the course of which he explained the ideals and objectives of a political activity based on Christian values, the police arrested him on 9 February 1919.

In August 1919, after the fall of the proletarian dictatorship, he was allowed to return to Zalaegerszeg, where, as of 1 October, he was appointed as parish priest of the town with a population of twenty thousand. As parish priest, he considered the pastoral ministry as his foremost task; however, he also took an active part in public life. His bishop awarded him the title of abbot in 1924 for his merits.