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

Hajnal Imre Zénó OFM, Isten szolgája

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Deceased

Birth data:: Vaskó, Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, currently Vacso, Romania — October 25, 1900
Death data:: Gyékényes, Kingdom of Hungary, currently Hungary — April 1, 1945
Denomination:: Roman Catholic
Ecclesiastical status:: religious
Diocese / Order:: ferences (Ordo Fratrum Minorum) (Marianus rendtartomány)

Ordination level:: priest
Entry into religious life:: August 27, 1917
First (temporary) vows:: August 27, 1918
Perpetual vows:: Veszprém, Kingdom of Hungary, currently Hungary — July 30, 1924
Priestly ordination:: Nagykanizsa, Kingdom of Hungary, currently Hungary — June 29, 1925
Place of burial:: Gyénényesi temető
Gyékényes, Hungary

Biographical data

Birth name: József Pulvermann. He entered the order in 1917. He took his perpetual vows on August 27, 1924. He was ordained a priest on June 29, 1925. That same year, he had his name Hungarianized to Hajnal. In 1945, the residents of Nagyatád, where he served as parish priest, sought refuge in Gyékényes. From there, on April 1, 1945, Soviet troops marched the civilians as a column toward Gola, Croatia. Pál Martincsevics, together with the parish priest of Gyékényes, accompanied the group in his priestly vestments, but after a few kilometers, the two priests were shot dead by Bulgarian soldiers. His beatification is currently underway; the diocesan investigation began in 2011, and on November 18, 2013, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints received the case file. A memorial was erected in his honor in Gyékényes on June 8, 1991.

Domestic service locations

From	To	Place i	Current name, country i	Church / institution	Position
1925	1928	Veszprém, Kingdom of Hungary	Hungary		vicar and prefect of the minor seminary
1928	1930	Nagykanizsa, Kingdom of Hungary	Hungary		Church administrator in Kiskanizsa and director of the Third Order
1930	1931	Szombathely, Kingdom of Hungary	Hungary		assistant pastor, religious education teacher
1933		Esztergom, Kingdom of Hungary	Hungary	Páduai Szent Antal gimnázium	prefect
1936	1937	Esztergom, Kingdom of Hungary	Hungary	Páduai Szent Antal gimnázium	prefect and English teacher
1938		Nagykanizsa, Kingdom of Hungary	Hungary		parish priest
1939	1945	Nagyatád, Hungary			parish priest, leader of the religious community, master of the lay brothers, administrator and catechist of the parish, member of the discretorium of the Felsősegesd monastery, the chronicler and librarian of the house, and the leader of various parish groups

Foreign service locations

From	To	Place	Church / institution	Position
1933		New York, NY, USA	Szent István R. K. Egyházközség	assistant pastor
1934	1935	Roebling, NJ, USA	Nagyboldogasszony R. K. Egyházközség	missionary
1936		Bordentown, NJ, USA

Life timeline

Birth

October 25, 1900

Vaskó, Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, currently Vacso, Romania

Entry into religious life

August 27, 1917

First (temporary) vows

August 27, 1918

Perpetual vows

July 30, 1924

Veszprém, Kingdom of Hungary, currently Hungary

Priestly ordination

June 29, 1925

Nagykanizsa, Kingdom of Hungary, currently Hungary

Service in the homeland

1925 – 1928

Veszprém, Kingdom of Hungary, currently Hungary

vicar and prefect of the minor seminary

Service in the homeland

1928 – 1930

Nagykanizsa, Kingdom of Hungary, currently Hungary

Church administrator in Kiskanizsa and director of the Third Order

Service in the homeland

1930 – 1931

Szombathely, Kingdom of Hungary, currently Hungary

assistant pastor, religious education teacher

Service abroad

1933

New York, NY, USA

Szent István R. K. Egyházközség

assistant pastor

Service in the homeland

1933

Esztergom, Kingdom of Hungary, currently Hungary

Páduai Szent Antal gimnázium

prefect

Service abroad

1934 – 1935

Roebling, NJ, USA

Nagyboldogasszony R. K. Egyházközség

missionary

Service abroad

1936

Bordentown, NJ, USA

Service in the homeland

1936 – 1937

Esztergom, Kingdom of Hungary, currently Hungary

Páduai Szent Antal gimnázium

prefect and English teacher

Service in the homeland

1938

Nagykanizsa, Kingdom of Hungary, currently Hungary

parish priest

Service in the homeland

1939 – 1945

Nagyatád, Hungary

parish priest, leader of the religious community, master of the lay brothers, administrator and catechist of the parish, member of the discretorium of the Felsősegesd monastery, the chronicler and librarian of the house, and the leader of various parish groups

Death

April 1, 1945

Gyékényes, Kingdom of Hungary, currently Hungary

Sources

OFM-M 1949.;
http://www.nullaev.hu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=937:hajnal-zeno-1900-1945&catid=29&Itemid=130✓
Máté: 209.;
HSZI: 457-458.
https://nagyatadi.plebania.hu/?page_id=988✓

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Citation for this entry

Hajnal Imre Zénó OFM, Isten szolgája: 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=360 (accessed: 2026-07-07).

Last modified: June 23, 2026 10:05 | Opened: 81 times