Štefan Novák (4 December 1879 – 5 September 1932) was a Greek Catholic hierarch who, from 1913 to 1918, served as the bishop of the Eparchy of Presov (present-day Slovak Catholic Eparchy of Prešov). On 4 December 1879, he was born in

Ubľa Ubľa is a border village and municipality in Snina District in the Prešov Region of north-eastern Slovakia on the border with Ukraine. History In historical records the village was first mentioned in 1567. Geography The municipality lies at an ...

, Zemplín,

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

(present-day

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

) as the son of a Rev. John Novak, a Greek Catholic priest. Despite being orphaned at a young age, he was supported by two clergymen during his secondary education, Canon Julius Drohobecky (later Bishop of the

Eparchy of Križevci Eparchy ( gr, ἐπαρχία, la, eparchía / ''overlordship'') is an ecclesiastical unit in Eastern Christianity, that is equivalent to a diocese in Western Christianity. Eparchy is governed by an ''eparch'', who is a bishop. Depending on the ...

) and Chancellor

Antal Papp Antal Papp (17 November 1867 – 24 December 1945) was a Ruthenian and Hungarian Greek Catholic hierarch. He was bishop of the Ruthenian Catholic Eparchy of Mukacheve from 1912 to 1924, Apostolic Administrator of the new created Hungarian Gree ...

(later Bishop of the

Greek Catholic Eparchy of Mukachevo The Greek Catholic Eparchy of Mukachevo is an eparchy (diocese) associated with the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church under an unidentified status and territory located in the west of Ukraine, roughly equivalent with Zakarpatska Oblast. The epar ...

). Bishop Julius Firczak, seeing potential in the young student, decided to send him to the Latin Rite seminary in

Esztergom Esztergom ( ; german: Gran; la, Solva or ; sk, Ostrihom, known by alternative names) is a city with county rights in northern Hungary, northwest of the capital Budapest. It lies in Komárom-Esztergom County, on the right bank of the river Danu ...

to study theology. After being ordained as a priest on 9 January 1905 at

Holy Cross Cathedral Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

Uzhhorod Uzhhorod ( uk, У́жгород, , ; ) is a city and municipality on the river Uzh in western Ukraine, at the border with Slovakia and near the border with Hungary. The city is approximately equidistant from the Baltic, the Adriatic and the B ...

, he continued his studies in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, where in 1906 he graduated as a Doctor of Sacred Theology with high honors. Upon returning to Uzhhorod, he was appointed Prefect and Assistant Professor at the Greek Catholic Seminary. However, two years later, in 1908, he was released from his duties at the Seminary to become the personal tutor of Count Mauricius Palfy's children. The Count was in the diplomatic service in Rome and had the privilege of having great influence in Vatican circles. When the Episcopal see in Prešov became vacant due to the death of Bishop

Ján Vályi Ján Vályi or János Vályi (22 September 1837 – 19 November 1911) was a Slovak Greek Catholic hierarch. He was the bishop of Slovak Catholic Eparchy of Prešov from 1883 to 1911. Born in Vencsellő, Austrian Empire (present day – Hungar ...

on 19 November 1911, it was Count Palfy who recommended that Štefan Novák be appointed as his successor. Thus, he was appointed as the Bishop of the Eparchy by the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...

on 20 November 1913 at the age of 33 and then consecrated on 11 January 1914. The principal

consecrator A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churche ...

was Bishop

, and the principal co-consecrator were Bishop Augustín Fischer-Colbrie and Bishop

József Lányi de Késmark József () is a Hungarian masculine given name. It is the Hungarian name equivalent to Joseph. Notable people bearing this name include: * József Braun (also known as József Barna; 1901–1943), Hungarian Olympic footballer * József Cserm ...

. Bishop Novák resigned on 1 October 1918. He died in

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

on 5 September 1932.

References

1879 births 1932 deaths People from Snina District 20th-century Eastern Catholic bishops Slovak Greek Catholic bishops {{RC-bishop-stub