Historical directory of Hungarian, Hungarian-descended, and Hungarian-speaking clergy serving abroad

Merész Ferenc Gáspár (O.Cist)

Merész Ferenc Gáspár (O.Cist)
Deceased
🌍
Birth data:
Detroit, MI, USA — March 16, 1915
Death data:
Székesfehérvár, Hungary — October 6, 1986
Denomination:
Roman Catholic
Ecclesiastical status:
diocesan
previously: religious
Diocese / Order:
ciszterciek (Ordo Cisterciensis) (1950-ig) → Székesfehérvár
Ordination level:
priest
Entry into religious life:
August 29, 1935
First (temporary) vows:
August 30, 1936
Perpetual vows:
January 3, 1942
Priestly ordination:
June 21, 1942
Biographical data
He was born in the United States. His parents were Ferenc Misz and Eszter Veres. Shortly after their return to Hungary, his father passed away, and they settled in Egerfarmos. He began his high school studies in Eger at the Cistercian school, then, starting in the fifth grade, attended the Cistercian high school in Buda, where he graduated in 1935. On August 29, 1935, he entered the Cistercian Order. He took his first vows on August 30, 1936, and his perpetual vows on January 3, 1942. He was ordained a priest by Bishop Gyula Czapik of Veszprém on June 21, 1942. He studied theology in Zirc and graduated from Pázmány Péter Royal University with a degree in Hungarian and Latin, qualifying him to teach those subjects. He was not really cut out to be a teacher; he was more interested in pastoral ministry. In 1950, when the members of the Fehérvár monastery were deported, he was staying at the Szárazrét parish, but the next day he voluntarily joined them. After the dissolution of the order, he became part of the Diocese of Székesfehérvár. He was characterized by a deep devotion to the Virgin Mary, which he also expressed in his poems. He died suddenly of a heart attack.
Domestic service locations
From To Place i Current name, country i Church / institution Position
1942 1943 Budapest, Kingdom of Hungary Hungary student teacher
1943 1944 Székesfehérvár, Kingdom of Hungary Hungary high school teacher and youth preacher
1944 1945 Zirc, Kingdom of Hungary Hungary assistant pastor
1945 1948 Székesfehérvár, Kingdom of Hungary Hungary high school teacher and church sexton
1948 1986 Székesfehérvár, Hungary Szárazrét Assistant pastor (1948–1950), then parish priest; in the meantime, he was interned in Előszállás in 1950
Literary activity
„Kérjétek az aratás Urát!” Székesfehérvár, 1946.
Life timeline
Birth
Detroit, MI, USA
Entry into religious life
First (temporary) vows
Perpetual vows
Priestly ordination
Service in the homeland
19421943
Budapest, Kingdom of Hungary, currently Hungary
student teacher
Service in the homeland
19431944
Székesfehérvár, Kingdom of Hungary, currently Hungary
high school teacher and youth preacher
Service in the homeland
19441945
Zirc, Kingdom of Hungary, currently Hungary
assistant pastor
Service in the homeland
19451948
Székesfehérvár, Kingdom of Hungary, currently Hungary
high school teacher and church sexton
Service in the homeland
19481986
Székesfehérvár, Hungary
Szárazrét
Assistant pastor (1948–1950), then parish priest; in the meantime, he was interned in Előszállás in 1950
Death
Székesfehérvár, Hungary
Sources
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Citation for this entry
Merész Ferenc Gáspár (O.Cist): personal record. In: Historical directory of Hungarian, Hungarian-descended, and Hungarian-speaking clergy serving abroad. Available at: https://www.diaszporalelkipasztorok.hu/persons_v2/view.php?id=733 (accessed: 2026-07-07).
Last modified: June 22, 2026 21:26 | Opened: 120 times