Greek Catholic priest, dean. His father was János Szabados, a Greek Catholic priest, and his mother was Mária Musztyánovics. He completed his theological studies in Uzhhorod, and on April 20, 1902, he was ordained a priest by Bishop Gyula Firczák of Munkács. His first assignment, from 1902 to 1905, was in Antalóc, Bereg County.
In 1905, he moved to the United States. His first known assignment in the U.S. was in Patton, Pennsylvania, where he served from 1905 to 1907. In July 1907, he was transferred to Johnstown, where he succeeded Antal Csucska as pastor of the St. Mary’s Greek Catholic parish. The parish was a significant center for Rusyn Greek Catholics in the city and its surrounding area. During Szabados’s long tenure in Johnstown, the new parish house at 413 Power Street was built at a cost of approximately $15,000. The Library of Congress’s Historic American Buildings Survey documentation records both the date of his appointment and the construction of the parish house.
His ministry in Johnstown is documented by several contemporary sources. The February 24, 1910, issue of the *Pittsburgh Catholic* mentions him as a priest at the Greek Catholic Church in Johnstown. He approached the authorities regarding a local matter after a man used a recommendation from the Szabadó to raise funds. A list of American Greek Catholic priests compiled in 1911 also listed him as being in Johnstown. He is also listed in contemporary Hungarian Greek Catholic almanacs as the pastor of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Johnstown, with an address at 413 Power Street.
In addition to his pastoral work, he was also involved in the cultural and media life of the local Rusyn community. In 1920, he became the editor of *Chranitel’* (Guardian), a Rusyn-language periodical launched in Johnstown. The paper published church and community news, as well as reports on parish life and financial data, and was published for about two years. From 1924 onward, he served within the Greek Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, and in 1925 he became dean of the Johnstown Deanery.
The most difficult period of Szabados’s ministry was linked to the crisis facing the American Greek Catholic Church in the 1930s. The Holy See’s decree *Cum data fuerit*—and in particular the issue of celibacy among the Greek Catholic clergy—sparked a serious conflict within the American Rusyn communities. Szabados stood by Bishop Basil Takach, while in Johnstown, parishioners opposed to the decree organized a committee in 1932 with the aim of defending the Eastern Rite. The conflict even went to court: the literature refers to the proceedings in Cambria County as Nicholas Szabados v. Michael Buchovsky. The group opposing episcopal jurisdiction sought to have the St. Mary’s community recognized as a church independent of the bishop, but the court proceedings concluded in favor of Bishop Takach’s side. The conflict led to a lasting schism: in 1937, some of the dissenting parishioners established the Christ the Savior Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Parish in Johnstown.
Szabados served in Johnstown until 1938, meaning he led the parish for more than thirty years. His wife was Irma Csucska (1880–1947), was the daughter of Antal Csucska, a Greek Catholic priest, and Hermina Seregélyi. They had several children. Their son, Andrew Szabados (1903–1911), died as a child in Johnstown. Their other son, Nicholas John Szabados (1912–1998), pursued a career in law: he attended the University of Pittsburgh and Georgetown University Law School, then worked as an assistant district attorney for Cambria County and later as a staff member at the Bethesda Naval Hospital.
The news of Irma Csucska’s death appeared in the Johnstown press on June 12, 1947. Miklós Szabados outlived his wife by about two and a half years. He died in early February 1950; the exact date of his death could not be definitively determined from the sources examined so far. According to the Cambria County Library System’s newspaper index from that period, the obituary for Rev. Nicholas Szabados appeared in the Johnstown Tribune on February 8, 1950. The index lists the date of publication, not the date of death, so February 8 cannot be used as the date of death.

Chranitel' (Guardian) című ruszin nyelvű periodika szerkesztője