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

Sommer Bernát

Sommer Bernát
Deceased
Birth data:
ismeretlen
Death data:
ismeretlen
Denomination:
Roman Catholic
Ecclesiastical status:
diocesan
Diocese / Order:
Szepes
Ordination level:
priest
Priestly ordination:
ismeretlen
Place of burial:
ismeretlen
Biographical data
Bernát Sommer (dates of birth and death unknown) was a Roman Catholic priest, a member of the Diocese of Szepes, and a Hungarian pastor serving in the United States.

He completed his studies in Igló, where he is listed in school records as a Roman Catholic student at the Lutheran high school. Little is known about the early years of his priestly ministry. Around 1899, he served as an assistant pastor; if the information pertains to the Diocese of Szepes, his place of service was presumably Szepeshely (Szepeskáptalan), the seat of the bishopric and the cathedral chapter. However, this still needs to be confirmed by the diocesan sematism.

In 1905, he served at the parish in Lucski (today Lúčky, Slovakia) in Liptó County. According to local parish records, he took over the leadership of the parish on July 24, 1905, but his tenure lasted only a few months; he was succeeded by another priest that same year.

In 1906, he moved to the United States. In Dayton, Ohio, he became the first pastor of the Hungarian Roman Catholic parish of St. Stephen, which had been established at that time. The historical directory of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati lists him as head of the parish from 1906 to 1908. His task was to organize the new Hungarian parish and provide its initial pastoral care. He was succeeded by Adam Blucz in 1908.

According to a later account of local American history, in 1913 he was also in contact with the Hungarian Catholic community in Northampton, Pennsylvania, and links the organization of the St. Peter and Paul Charitable Society to the guidance of Father Bernard Sommer. Since this information has not yet been confirmed by contemporary church sources, his ministry in Northampton cannot be considered proven.

His life after 1908, as well as the place and date of his death, are currently unknown.
Domestic service locations
From To Place i Current name, country i Church / institution Position
1899 circa Szepeshely, Hungary assistant pastor
1905 Lucski, Austro-Hungarian Monarchy Lúčky, Slovakia parish priest
Foreign service locations
From To Place Current name, country Church / institution Position
1906 1908 Dayton, OH, USA Szent István templom founding pastor
1913 1913 Northampton, PA, USA Our Lady of Hungary Church pastor
Life timeline
Service in the homeland
Szepeshely, Hungary
assistant pastor
Service in the homeland
Lucski, Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, currently Lúčky, Slovakia
parish priest
Service abroad
19061908
Dayton, OH, USA
Szent István templom
founding pastor
Service abroad
19131913
Northampton, PA, USA
Our Lady of Hungary Church
pastor
Sources
  • MKL: Dayton;
  • Török: 136p.
  • Evangélikus főgymnasium, Igló, 1879, 24p.
  • Alkotmány, 1899-09-19 / 225. szám, pp.2.
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Citation for this entry
Sommer Bernát: 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=1008 (accessed: 2026-09-13).
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