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

Reiter József SJ

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Deceased

Birth data:: Győr, Kingdom of Hungary, currently Hungary — 1696 circa
Death data:: 1769 circa
Denomination:: Roman Catholic
Ecclesiastical status:: religious
Diocese / Order:: jezsuita (Societas Jesu)

Ordination level:: priest
Entry into religious life:: Nagyszombat, Kingdom of Hungary, currently Trenčín, Slovakia — 1712

Biographical data

József Reiter, S.J., was born in Győr in 1696. He entered the Society of Jesus in Nagyszombat in 1712. He completed part of his religious studies in Graz, then interrupted his theological training to travel to the Viceroyalty of Peru, where, after completing his studies, he was ordained a priest. From 1736 to 1767, he served at the Jesuit reduction of Santa María Magdalena de los Itonamas, part of the Mojos Missions, where he served as superior for a long time. Under his leadership, Magdalena became a well-organized, economically prosperous mission settlement, complete with workshops, plantations, livestock, and a richly furnished church. In the early 1740s, he received the Portuguese exploratory expedition led by Manuel Félix de Lima here. The indigenous residents of the mission staged a military demonstration for the visitors, with which Reiter presumably intended to demonstrate the settlement’s defensive capabilities. He was later reprimanded by the Spanish authorities for hosting the Portuguese. In 1767, he was appointed vice-superior of the Mojos Missions. When the Jesuits were expelled, he was deported despite his illness; he presumably died in 1769 during the sea voyage back to Europe. The exact place and date of his death are unknown.

Foreign service locations

From	To	Place	Current name, country	Church / institution	Position
1724	1769	Magdalena, Perui Alkirályság	Bolívia	Magdalena missziós telep	missionary

Life timeline

Birth

1696

Győr, Kingdom of Hungary, currently Hungary

Entry into religious life

1712

Nagyszombat, Kingdom of Hungary, currently Trenčín, Slovakia

Service abroad

1724 – 1769

Magdalena, Perui Alkirályság, currently Bolívia

Magdalena missziós telep

missionary

Death

1769

Sources

Babarczi Dóra, Magyar jezsuiták Brazíliában a 18. század közepén, doktori értekezés, Szegedi Tudományegyetem, Bölcsészettudományi Kar, Történettudományi Doktori Iskola – Modernkori program, Szeged, 2011. in: https://doktori.bibl.u-szeged.hu/id/eprint/1439/1/Babarczi_MAGYAR_JEZSUIT%C3%81K_dolgozat.pdf
Bartusz-Dobosi László: Magyar jezsuiták a XVII-XVIII. századi Latin-Amerikában, in: https://www.tavlatok.hu/83/83centenarium.htm

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Citation for this entry

Reiter József SJ: 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=925 (accessed: 2026-09-13).

Last modified: July 13, 2026 14:46 | Opened: 19 times