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

Illés J. Edmund OFM

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Denomination:: Roman Catholic
Ecclesiastical status:: religious
Diocese / Order:: ferences (Ordo Fratrum Minorum)

Ordination level:: priest
Other name used:: Illés Ede (Ödön)

Biographical data

A Roman Catholic Franciscan friar of Hungarian descent who served as a pastor in the United States. No comprehensive biographical information about him has survived. According to the information available so far, he served in DeWitt, Michigan, between 1958 and 1961, in Flint in 1962, and then in Roebling, New Jersey, from 1963 to 1965, serving as pastor of the Roman Catholic Parish of the Assumption in the latter location.

A Hungarian state security report mentions a Franciscan friar named Edmund J. Illés who defected to the West during the 1956 revolution. At the time the report was written, he was living in DeWitt, Michigan, and pursuing university studies. According to the document, he worked alongside Provincial Superiors Király and Medveczky.

The report also details his regular correspondence. According to the report, he maintained contact with József Füzess, a professor at the Pontifical Seminary (Esztergom, 10 J. Bottyán St.), from whom he requested reports on the situation of the Catholic Church in Hungary. According to the document, he also passed on information he obtained about church affairs in Hungary to his American contacts.

The state security file also reports that he monitored initiatives aimed at supporting the Catholic Church in Hungary, particularly the use of aid and donations for church purposes. According to the report, he objected to the disorganized manner in which such aid was delivered to Hungary and sought more effective solutions.

The document also names another of his correspondents in Hungary: Mrs. Gyula Szabó, who acted as an intermediary in a matter involving Irén Balyák, a resident of 25 G. Harsányi Street in Debrecen.

It is likely that Edmund J. Illés and Ede Illés OFM, who appear in the state security report, are the same person, based on their affiliation with the Franciscan Order and the information related to DeWitt; however, this must be verified using additional sources.

Foreign service locations

From	To	Place	Church / institution	Position
1958	1961	Dewitt, MI, USA
1962		Flint, MI, USA
1963	1965	Roebling, NJ, USA	Nagyboldogasszony R. K. Egyházközség	parish priest

Life timeline

Service abroad

1958 – 1961

Dewitt, MI, USA

Service abroad

1962

Flint, MI, USA

Service abroad

1963 – 1965

Roebling, NJ, USA

Nagyboldogasszony R. K. Egyházközség

parish priest

Sources

KMVÉ: 1958-1965;
Miklósházy: 2001
ABTL: 4.1. – A–3177., 118.

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● birth ● priestly ordination ● domestic service ● foreign service ● death ● burial

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Citation for this entry

Illés J. Edmund OFM: 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=451 (accessed: 2026-10-30).

Last modified: October 13, 2026 13:17 | Opened: 52 times