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

Frey Ferenc Dezső OFM, Dr.

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Deceased

Birth data:: Szigetvár, Magyar Népköztársaság, currently Hungary — January 17, 1919
Death data:: Cincinnati, OH, USA — July 12, 1999
Denomination:: Roman Catholic
Ecclesiastical status:: religious
Diocese / Order:: ferences (Ordo Fratrum Minorum) (Marianus rendtartomány)

Ordination level:: priest
Entry into religious life:: Búcsúszentlászló, Kingdom of Hungary, currently Hungary — 1937
First (temporary) vows:: ismeretlen
Perpetual vows:: ismeretlen
Priestly ordination:: 1943
Place of burial:: ismeretlen
Other name used:: Frank Desiderius Frey

Biographical data

Dezső Frey, OFM (known in the United States as Frank Desiderius Frey), was a Franciscan friar and pastor. He was born on January 17, 1919, in Szigetvár. In 1937, he entered the Hungarian Province of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Búcsszentlászló, where he received the religious name Desiderius. During his theological studies, he earned a doctorate in moral theology and was ordained a priest in 1943.

After his ordination, he served in Esztergom. During the political upheaval following World War II, he was part of Cardinal József Mindszenty’s circle, and as one of the priests opposing the communist regime, he was arrested in 1946. According to his memoirs, he spent two years in prison and was then sentenced to sixteen years of forced labor in the lead mines of Siberia. With the help of his friends, he escaped and made his way to Austria, where he came into contact with the American Franciscans.

In 1950, he arrived in the United States, in the city of Cincinnati. He studied English for a year at St. Anthony’s friary in Mt. Airy; this was already his seventh known language. In 1956, he became a U.S. citizen. In the United States, he served as a pastor for nearly four decades at various parishes and institutions of the Franciscan Order.

His known places of service include Cincinnati (Ohio), Hamilton (Ohio), Louisville (Kentucky), and Emporia (Kansas). In 1987, he was appointed pastor of St. Mary’s Parish in Metamora, Illinois, but shortly thereafter suffered a stroke that significantly impaired his ability to speak and write. He spent the final years of his life in quiet retirement at St. Clement’s Monastery in St. Bernard, Ohio.

Domestic service locations

From	To	Place i	Current name, country i	Church / institution	Position
1943	1946	Esztergom, Kingdom of Hungary	Hungary		pastor

Foreign service locations

From	To	Place	Position
1950 circa		Cincinnati, OH, USA
1952 circa		Hamilton, NJ, USA
1956 circa		Louisville, KY, USA
1956	1958	Hamilton, NJ, USA
1963	1987	Emporia, KS, USA
1987		Metamora, IL, USA	parish priest
1987	1999	St. Bernard, OH, USA	on sick leave

Life timeline

Birth

January 17, 1919

Szigetvár, Magyar Népköztársaság, currently Hungary

Entry into religious life

1937

Búcsúszentlászló, Kingdom of Hungary, currently Hungary

Service in the homeland

1943 – 1946

Esztergom, Kingdom of Hungary, currently Hungary

pastor

Priestly ordination

1943

Service abroad

1950

Cincinnati, OH, USA

Service abroad

1952

Hamilton, NJ, USA

Service abroad

1956

Louisville, KY, USA

Service abroad

1956 – 1958

Hamilton, NJ, USA

Service abroad

1963 – 1987

Emporia, KS, USA

Service abroad

1987

Metamora, IL, USA

parish priest

Service abroad

1987 – 1999

St. Bernard, OH, USA

on sick leave

Death

July 12, 1999

Cincinnati, OH, USA

Sources

https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/12280761/✓
https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/108458295/✓
https://newspaperarchive.com/Hamilton-daily-news-journal-jan-26-1952-p-4/✕
KMVÉ: 1951, 1955-1958
Hivatalos Közlöny, 1913., pp. 301.
http://www.bishopaccountability.org/news555/1999_Necrology_Franciscan_Friars_Cincinnati_etc.pdf✓

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Citation for this entry

Frey Ferenc Dezső OFM, Dr.: 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=290 (accessed: 2026-07-07).

Last modified: May 23, 2026 11:30 | Opened: 88 times