Old, Kingdom of Hungary, currently Hungary — September 15, 1920
Death data:
Trenton, NJ, USA — July 14, 1997
According to another source: July 10, 1997
Denomination:
Reformed
Ordination level:
bishop
Priestly ordination:
Kingdom of Hungary, currently Hungary — 1942
Episcopal consecration:
Detroit, MI, USA — 1968
Amerikai Magyar Református Egyház Keleti Egyházkerület
Biographical data
He completed his studies at the Reformed Secondary School in Kiskunhalas, Pest County, and then earned his pastoral degree from the Reformed Theological Seminary in Budapest² in 1942.³ He subsequently served as an assistant pastor for three years in Soltvadkert, Fót, and the congregation on Kálvin Square in Budapest. During this time, he was actively involved in the “Soli Deo Gloria” Christian organization and the youth movement, traveling throughout the country to learn about the problems affecting young people in the aftermath of World War II. In 1945, he became secretary of the YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association) in Budapest. In 1947, after the war, he won a two-year scholarship for postgraduate studies at Trinity College, University of Glasgow. In September 1947, he went to the United States at the invitation of Princeton Theological Seminary to continue his studies. There he earned a Master of Theology degree in 1948. During this same period, he also served as an assistant pastor in Hungarian Reformed churches in New Jersey and New York. In 1948, he was elected pastor of the Hungarian Reformed Church in Roebling, NJ. From 1954, he served as pastor of the Hungarian Reformed Church in Perth Amboy, NJ, for 20 years. He has been pastor of Allen Park since 1975. He has been a bishop since 1968. From 1954 to 1967, he was an editor of the Hungarian Church, and then its editor-in-chief from July 1968 until 1983. In 1959, he was elected dean and later bishop of the Eastern Diocese of the American Hungarian Reformed Church. He held this office for 18 years. He was editor of the Hungarian Reformed Ecumenical Periodical from 1954 to 1957 and co-editor from 1972 to 1973. From 1974 to 1976, he was editor of the Allen Park Church Herald, and in 1984, he was the publisher of the Annual Report. He published in Magyar Egyház, Magyar Élet in New York, and Testvériség. He compiled the Allen Park anniversary album 1941–1981 and the 20th-anniversary album in 1965, 1981, and 1985, respectively. He was a well-known presenter on Radio Free Europe. In 1990, the Ráday College in Budapest (more precisely, the Budapest Reformed Theological Academy) awarded him an honorary doctorate.
Domestic service locations
From
To
Place
Country
Church / institution
Position
1942 after
—
Soltvadkert
Kingdom of Hungary, currently Hungary
assistant pastor
1943 after
—
Fót
Kingdom of Hungary, currently Hungary
assistant pastor
1944 after
1945
Budapest
Kingdom of Hungary, currently Hungary
Kálvin téri Református Gyülekezet
assistant pastor
1945
1947
Budapest
Hungary
YMCA (Keresztyén Ifjúsági Egyesület)
secretary
Foreign service locations
From
To
Place
Country
Church / institution
Position
1947
1948
Princeton, NJ
USA
pursuing studies
1947
1948
New York, NY
USA
assistant pastor, while also helping out in churches in New Jersey
1947
—
Glasgow
United Kingdom
Trinity College-
postgraduate studies
1948
1954
Roebling, NJ
USA
pastor
1954
1975
Perth Amboy, NJ
USA
pastor
1959
1977
USA
Bishop of the Eastern Diocese of the Hungarian Reformed Church in America
1977
1997
Detroit, MI
USA
Allen Park
pastor
Literary activity
A Magyar Református Ökumené Időszakos Híradójának szerkesztője (1954−57), társszerkesztője (1972−1973), az Allen Park-i Church Herald szerkesztője (1974−1976), az Annual Report kiadója (1984). A Brief History of the Hungarian Reformed Church, Perth Amboy (NJ) (Perth Amboy, é. n.); A presbiter (Perth Amboy, é. n.). Publikált a Magyar Egyházban, a New York-i Magyar Életben, a Testvériségben. Az Allen Park-i jubileumi album 1941−1981 és a 20 éves album összeállítója 1965-ben.
Puskás Julianna - Kovács Ábrahám: Amerikai magyar református lelkészek életújra adattári rendszerben, 1891 - 2000., Debreceni Egyetemi Kiadó, 2017., 27-28.
Krónika, 1982-11-01., pp. 11.
Images
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Ábrahám Dezső: 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=262 (accessed: 2026-05-06).