Sárközújlak, Kingdom of Hungary, currently Livada Mică, Romania — July 22, 1866
Death data:
Sárközújlak, Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, currently Livada Mică, Romania — April 22, 1910
Denomination:
Greek Catholic
Ecclesiastical status:
diocesan
Diocese / Order:
Munkács
Ordination level:
priest
Priestly ordination:
Munkács, Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, currently Mukacsevo (Мукачево), Ukraine — October 16, 1892
Biographical data
A Greek Catholic priest and pastor of the Greek Catholic Diocese of Munkács, who carried out missionary work among Hungarian and Rusyn Greek Catholic believers in the United States during the first decade of the 20th century. His father was József Seregély, a Greek Catholic priest, and his mother was Teréz Mária Voloscsuk. He completed his theological studies at the seminary in Uzhhorod. He was ordained a priest by Bishop Gyula Firczák of Munkács on October 16, 1892. He began his ministry as an assistant pastor in his native village, Sárközújlak (1892–1895), then in Bilke (1895–1897), and subsequently in Csepe (1897–1903). According to the parish registers of the time, during these years he primarily provided pastoral care to Rusyn- and Hungarian-speaking Greek Catholic parishioners. In 1905, the Greek Catholic Diocese of Munkács sent him to the United States, where he became the pastor of the Greek Catholic community in Charleroi, Pennsylvania. At that time, the town was a major industrial center for Hungarian, Rusyn, and other Central European immigrants, where a rapidly growing Greek Catholic community had formed. One of the significant events during his ministry in Charleroi was the tornado on April 27, 1907, which completely destroyed the wooden church built in 1899. Emil Seregély played a decisive role in organizing the reconstruction. According to the June 6, 1907, issue of the *Monessen Daily Independent*, the construction plans for the new church and the bids for the work were available for viewing at his address in Charleroi, which proves that he also oversaw the construction process. The new church, built of brick and stone, was completed by the end of that same year, ensuring the continuity of pastoral care for the congregation. During his ministry in the United States, he contributed to the joint pastoral care of Greek Catholic parishioners of various nationalities—Hungarians, Rusyns, and other Eastern European immigrants. His work coincided with a period of consolidation for Greek Catholic communities in the United States, when numerous new churches and parishes were established in the industrial regions of Pennsylvania. In early 1910, due to his health, he returned to his native village, where he passed away on April 22, 1910, at the age of only 43. His wife was Anna Berlányi (1874–1899), the daughter of István Berlányi, a Greek Catholic priest, and Amália Kaminszky. Their marriage was short-lived, as his wife died at a young age.
Seregélly Emil: 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=987 (accessed: 2026-09-13).
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