Pavol Šajgalík (born 13 November 1964) a Slovak

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. He has served as the ordinary of the Military Ordinariate of Slovakia since 2025.

Biography

Pavol Šajgalík was born on 13 November 1964 in

Bratislava Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...

. He was educated at the grammar school in Bratislava and studied electrical engineering at the

Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava (STU) () is the biggest and oldest university of technology in Slovakia. In the 2012 Academic Ranking of World Universities it was ranked in the first 150 in Computer Science, the only university in ...

, graduating in 1988. During his studies, at the age of 22, he joined the

Order of Friars Minor Capuchin The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (; postnominal abbr. OFMCap) is a religious order of Franciscan friars within the Catholic Church, one of three " First Orders" that reformed from the Franciscan Friars Minor Observant (OFMObs, now OFM), the ...

and, lacking the official content from authorities of Communist Czechoslovakia, he secretly studied theology. After the

Velvet Revolution The Velvet Revolution () or Gentle Revolution () was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations against the one-party government of the Communist Pa ...

, he studied pastoral theology at the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (, ) is a public university, public research university in Vienna, Austria. Founded by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, Duke Rudolph IV in 1365, it is the oldest university in the German-speaking world and among the largest ...

. He made his perpetual vows on 25 March 1993, and was ordained a priest on 15 August 1993. In 1995, he graduated and returned to Slovakia to serve various functions with his Order. In 2004, he joined the newly established military ordinate of Slovakia and was responsible for pastoral care of police officers in Bratislava. Between 2010 and 2014 he was responsible for pastoral care at the Saint Michal Hospital in Bratislava. In 2014, he obtained a doctorate in pastoral theology from the University of Vienna. From 2019 to 2025 he was responsible for pastoral care of Slovaks in Switzerland. In 2025, Šajgalík was named bishop of the Military Ordinariate of Slovakia by the

Pope Leo XIV Pope Leo XIV (born Robert Francis Prevost, September 14, 1955) has been head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State since May 2025. He is the first pope to have been born in the United States and North America, the fir ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sajgalik, Pavol 1964 births Living people University of Vienna alumni 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Slovakia Bishops appointed by Pope Leo XIV People from Bratislava