He was born in the United States, but his family returned to Hungary when he was a young child. He entered the order in Hungary on July 30, 1934. From 1934 to 1937, he completed his novitiate and studied rhetoric at Manréza in Zugliget. He studied philosophy in Budapest from 1938 to 1939 and in Košice in 1940. In 1941, he served as a section supervisor at the Pius Gymnasium in Pécs. From 1942 to 1944, he studied theology in Szeged. He was ordained a priest on June 25, 1944. In 1946, he completed his tertianship at Manréza. He remained in Hungary during the dispersion.