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

Paulovics Róbert

Paulovics Róbert
Deceased
Birth data:
Esztergom, Kingdom of Hungary, currently Hungary — June 5, 1863
Death data:
Allentown, PA, USA — January 1, 1922
According to another source: January 12, 1922
Denomination:
Roman Catholic
Ecclesiastical status:
diocesan
Diocese / Order:
Esztergom-Budapest (korábban: Esztergom)
Ordination level:
priest
Priestly ordination:
1885
Other name used:
Paulovits
Biographical data
Róbert Paulovics (listed in some sources as Róbert Paulovits or Robert J. Paulovits) was born on June 5, 1863, in Esztergom. He was ordained a priest in 1885 within the Archdiocese of Esztergom. He began his pastoral ministry as an assistant pastor in Vajka, then served as a catechist in Somorja. In the years that followed, he served again in Vajka and Somorja, and later moved to Kalocsa as a catechist.

In 1897, he emigrated to the United States, where he first became an assistant pastor at St. Elizabeth’s Hungarian Parish in Cleveland. A year later, he was appointed head of the St. Stephen Hungarian Parish in Toledo, where he served as parish priest until 1905. He spent a short time in Perth Amboy, and then, from 1905 to 1908, he served as pastor of the Hungarian Catholic community in Dillonvale, Ohio.

In 1908, he was called to Columbus, where he was entrusted with organizing the city’s Hungarian Catholics. He played a significant role in the establishment of the St. László Hungarian parish and was one of its first pastors. Subsequently, from 1909 to 1913, he ministered to the Hungarian faithful in Connellsville, Pennsylvania, where he served as pastor of the St. Imre parish. During his ministry, he also participated in initiatives to preserve the memory of the Hungarian victims of the Darr mining disaster.

From 1914 to 1916, he was the Hungarian pastor in Windber, and from 1917 to 1918, he served as the Hungarian pastor at the Church of the Sacred Heart in Philadelphia. He spent the final years of his life leading the Hungarian parish of St. Stephen in Allentown, where he served as pastor from 1918 until his death.

He passed away in Allentown in January 1922 (sources differ regarding the exact date of his death, citing both January 1 and January 12). His work is associated with the first generation of Hungarian Catholic pastors in the United States. He played a pivotal role in organizing and strengthening several Hungarian parishes that were being established at the time, particularly in the history of the Hungarian Catholic communities in Toledo, Dillonvale, Columbus, Connellsville, and Allentown.

According to some sources, he joined the Society of Jesus during his lifetime; however, this is not supported by the register of Hungarian Jesuits, so this information currently requires further research.
Domestic service locations
From To Place i Current name, country i Church / institution Position
1885 Vajka, Austro-Hungarian Monarchy Vojka nad Dunajom, Slovakia assistant pastor
1886 Somorja, Austro-Hungarian Monarchy Šamorín, Slovakia religious educator
1887 Vajka, Austro-Hungarian Monarchy Vojka nad Dunajom, Slovakia assistant pastor
1888 Somorja, Austro-Hungarian Monarchy Šamorín, Slovakia religious educator
1896 circa Kalocsa, Austro-Hungarian Monarchy Hungary religious educator
Foreign service locations
From To Place Current name, country Church / institution Position
1897 1898 Cleveland, OH, USA Szent Erzsébet R. K. Egyházközség assistant pastor
1898 1905 Toledo, OH, USA Szent István R. K. Egyházközség parish priest
1905 1906 after Perth Amboy, NJ, USA
1907 1908 Dillonvale, OH, USA Jézus Szentséges Szíve R. K. Egyházközség parish priest
1909 Columbus, OH, USA Colombus, OH Szent László R. K. Egyházközség founding pastor
1909 1913 Connellsville, PA, USA Szent Imre R. K. Egyházközség parish priest
1914 1916 Windber, PA, USA parish priest
1917 1918 Philadelphia, PA, USA Jézus Szíve templom Hungarian pastor
1918 1922 Allentown, PA, USA Szent István R. K. Egyházközség parish priest
Life timeline
Birth
Esztergom, Kingdom of Hungary, currently Hungary
Service in the homeland
Vajka, Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, currently Vojka nad Dunajom, Slovakia
assistant pastor
Priestly ordination
Service in the homeland
Somorja, Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, currently Šamorín, Slovakia
religious educator
Service in the homeland
Vajka, Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, currently Vojka nad Dunajom, Slovakia
assistant pastor
Service in the homeland
Somorja, Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, currently Šamorín, Slovakia
religious educator
Service in the homeland
Kalocsa, Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, currently Hungary
religious educator
Service abroad
18971898
Cleveland, OH, USA
Szent Erzsébet R. K. Egyházközség
assistant pastor
Service abroad
18981905
Toledo, OH, USA
Szent István R. K. Egyházközség
parish priest
Service abroad
19051906
Perth Amboy, NJ, USA
Service abroad
19071908
Dillonvale, OH, USA
Jézus Szentséges Szíve R. K. Egyházközség
parish priest
Service abroad
Columbus, OH, USA, currently Colombus, OH
Szent László R. K. Egyházközség
founding pastor
Service abroad
19091913
Connellsville, PA, USA
Szent Imre R. K. Egyházközség
parish priest
Service abroad
19141916
Windber, PA, USA
parish priest
Service abroad
19171918
Philadelphia, PA, USA
Jézus Szíve templom
Hungarian pastor
Service abroad
19181922
Allentown, PA, USA
Szent István R. K. Egyházközség
parish priest
Death
Allentown, PA, USA
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Citation for this entry
Paulovics Róbert: 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=858 (accessed: 2026-07-07).
Last modified: July 5, 2026 21:53 | Opened: 81 times