His parents were Rev. György Hodobay and Anna Mihalics; he had nine siblings, including Msgr. Andor Hodobay. His wife was Éva Csiszárik, and they had three children. He was ordained a priest on December 21, 1868. In 1896, he emigrated to the United States, where he served in Greek Catholic communities in Pennsylvania. During the period of conflict within the American Rusyn–Hungarian Greek Catholic Church, he belonged to the so-called “Eperjes” faction, and according to several sources, he acted as a staunch advocate for Hungarian ecclesiastical and national interests.