Richard Róth, a Roman Catholic priest and pastor of the Diocese of Cleveland. He was ordained a priest in the United States in 1918, and early in his career he played a pivotal role in organizing Cleveland’s second Hungarian Roman Catholic parish, the St. Margaret of Hungary Parish. In the history of the Hungarian Catholic diaspora, he is known primarily as the first administrator of what would later become St. Margaret Parish.
He was born on June 5, 1892, but his place of birth and family background cannot be determined based on currently available sources. He was ordained a priest in the United States in 1918 and subsequently entered the service of the Diocese of Cleveland. According to contemporary Hungarian press reports and diocesan sources, he began his priestly ministry among the Hungarian faithful in Cleveland. At that time, the Diocese of Cleveland already had a Hungarian ethnic parish, the Church of St. Elizabeth of the House of Árpád; but the number of Hungarian Catholics living in the upper part of Buckeye Road was growing rapidly, making it necessary to organize a new parish.
In 1918, Bishop John P. Farrelly of Cleveland appointed Richárd Róth as administrator of the newly formed St. Margaret of Hungary Mission. His task was to organize the pastoral life of the community and prepare for the establishment of an independent parish. At first, the faithful gathered at temporary locations; they celebrated their first Mass on August 17, 1919, in the chapel of St. Mary’s Orphanage. Richárd Róth’s work laid the groundwork for the mission to be granted the status of an independent parish in December 1921. Ernő Rickert became the parish’s first appointed pastor at that time, and he was already overseeing the construction of the new church.
At the same time, Richárd Róth also served at the St. Elizabeth Parish of the House of Árpád in Cleveland. The 1921 diocesan directory lists him as an assistant to Pastor Julius Szepessy, with the parish on Buckeye Road listed as his residence. During his tenure, the St. Elizabeth Parish remained Cleveland’s most significant Hungarian Catholic center, while the establishment of the St. Margaret Parish gradually relieved some of the burden on the mother church.
At the end of 1921, he was assigned to St. Boniface Parish in Cleveland. According to the parish’s centennial history, he served there from December 1, 1921, to January 27, 1927. The available sources do not make it clear whether he served as an assistant pastor or in another clerical capacity, but his name consistently appears among the parish’s clergy.
Very little information has survived regarding his life after 1927. Based on currently known public sources, it is not possible to reconstruct with complete certainty his subsequent place of service or the date of his retirement, if any. What is certain is that he remained a priest of the Diocese of Cleveland and passed away on January 19, 1960. He was laid to rest at Calvary Cemetery in Cleveland, where his grave can still be found today.