He emigrated to the United States with his parents as a child. He completed his studies at St. Procopius College in Lisle, Illinois; Duquesne University; and the Saints Cyril and Methodius Seminary in Pittsburgh. He was ordained a priest on May 20, 1956. His sister, Magdolna, became a nun under the name Sister Ambrosia and passed away in 2013. He was an unmarried pastor. In Hazleton, he decorated the church with stained-glass windows and built royal and deacon’s doors for the iconostasis. He encouraged the parish choir to sing and often taught simple hymns to the congregation after Sunday liturgies. He faithfully visited the sick and those in confinement.