Ján Hirka

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Coat of arms of Ján Hirka, Greek Catholic administrator (1969–1989) and Bishop of Prešov (1989–2002)

Ján Hirka (born November 16, 1923 in Abranovce , Prešov County, † April 10, 2014 in Prešov , Eastern Slovakia ) was a Slovak Greek Catholic bishop who headed the Prešov Archeparchy from 1989 to 2002 .

Live and act

Hirka came from a farming family, attended school in Abranovce and from 1936 to 1944 the church high school. He graduated from high school on May 3, 1944. Then he entered the seminary in Prešov and began studying theology. His bishop Pavol Peter Gojdič sent him to the Faculty of Theology at Charles University in Prague for further studies . Auxiliary Bishop Vasil Hopko ordained him as a priest on October 31, 1949 in the seminary chapel in Prešov . Ordinations in the cathedral were prohibited by the state.

After the factual dissolution of the Greek Catholic Church by the Slovak regime on April 28, 1950, he went underground to carry out his pastoral activities. He earned his living doing unskilled labor without an official work permit, which he was denied. Arrested by the State Security on October 22, 1952, he was in custody for six months and was sentenced on April 28, 1953 to three years in prison for "obstructing the surveillance of churches and religious communities (Section 173 Str.GB)". He was released on July 4, 1953 with the amnesty of President Antonín Zápotocký .

On October 19, 1955, he was arrested again along with several priests and nuns. The charge of high treason was dropped and he was sentenced on September 4, 1956 to two and a half years in prison for “pooling hostilities against the republic”. He was deported to a forced labor camp (mining). After his release on March 20, 1958, he was not allowed to return home because he was banned from staying in the Kraje Prešov and Košice for five years . Working underground again, he performed social services (hospital, fire brigade ).

Pope Paul VI appointed Jan Hirka on April 2, 1969 as Apostolic Administrator of Prešov, an appointment as bishop was not allowed by the state. The episcopal ordinariate consisted of a two-room apartment in a suburb of Prešov. After the “ gentle revolution ”, Pope John Paul II appointed him Bishop of Prešov on December 21, 1989. He was ordained bishop by Cardinal Jozef Tomko on February 17, 1990 with a large number of bishops from all over the world. It was the first episcopal ordination after the fall of the “Iron Curtain” in Czechoslovakia.

His work for the rebuilding of his diocese Prešov was tireless. This earned him many honors and awards. The highlight was the visit of Pope John Paul II to Slovakia in 1995 and the beatification of his predecessor and mentor Pavol Peter Gojdič in 2001.

On reaching the age limit, he offered Pope John Paul II his resignation, which he accepted with effect from December 11, 2002.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Zomrel emeritný Prešovský biskup Ján Hirka († 90). Report on topky.sk dated April 10, 2014 (Slovak, accessed April 10, 2014).

Web links
predecessor Office successor
Pavol Peter Gojdič Bishop of Prešov
1989–2002 		Ján Babjak SJ
personal data
SURNAME Hirka, Jan
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Slovak clergyman, Greek Catholic bishop of Prešov
DATE OF BIRTH November 16, 1923
PLACE OF BIRTH Abranovce , Prešov district
DATE OF DEATH April 10, 2014
Place of death Prešov , Eastern Slovakia