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

Sipos D. József

Sipos D. József
Deceased
🌍
Birth data:
Joliet, IL, USA — May 23, 1904
Death data:
Hammond, IN, USA — March 28, 1983
Denomination:
Roman Catholic
Ecclesiastical status:
diocesan
Diocese / Order:
Fort Wayne – South Bend, IN, USA
Ordination level:
priest
Priestly ordination:
Kalocsa, Kingdom of Hungary, currently Hungary — December 21, 1929
Biographical data
An American-born Hungarian Roman Catholic priest who served as pastor of the Hungarian Holy Trinity Parish in East Chicago for several decades. He was born in Joliet, Illinois, to a Hungarian family. He completed his theological studies in Hungary and prepared for the priesthood in Kalocsa. He was ordained a subdeacon on June 16, 1929, a deacon on November 3, and a priest on December 21, 1929. After his ordination, he returned to the United States, where he entered the service of the Diocese of Fort Wayne. His first known place of ministry was East Chicago, where he served as an assistant pastor from 1930 to 1931. He was subsequently assigned to Gary, where he served as a pastor beginning in 1932. He took over leadership of the Hungarian Holy Trinity Parish in East Chicago in the mid-1930s. The parish was one of the significant Hungarian Catholic communities established in the early 20th century: its first church was built by Benedek Rajcsányi in 1906, and its first permanent pastor was Oszkár Szilágyi, OSB, who took office in 1907. The parish school was built in 1928, and instruction was provided by the Daughters of Divine Love. During Sipos’s tenure, the parish served not only as a religious center but also as a social and cultural hub for East Chicago’s Hungarian population. A work on the city’s history published in 1947 specifically documented its activities. In 1937, Sipos purchased a large building for the parish, located just one block from the church. The property was converted into a community and recreation hall, which hosted parish events and also served as a significant source of income for the parish. His long tenure in East Chicago is also documented by contemporary secular sources. The Hammond Times, 1948. This serves as direct contemporary evidence that he was still actively serving the Hungarian Catholics in the area in the late 1940s. Sipos was associated with the Holy Trinity Parish in East Chicago for nearly three decades. A significant portion of his priesthood fell during the period when Hungarian ethnic parishes established in the United States still functioned as independent institutions, providing for the religious life of Hungarian immigrants and their descendants. His pastoral work thus also served to preserve the Hungarian-speaking and cultural community. In 1962, he retired from active parish ministry. After his retirement, he lived first in Hammond and then, beginning in 1972, in Highland. He remained connected to the local Catholic community and the Diocese of Gary. He passed away in Hammond on March 28, 1983, at the age of 78, after more than fifty-three years of priestly service.
Foreign service locations
From To Place Current name, country Church / institution Position
1930 1931 East Chicago, IN, USA assistant pastor
1932 1935 before Gary, IN, USA parish priest
1935 1962 circa East Chicago, IN, USA Szentháromság R. K. Egyházközség parish priest
1962 1971 Hammond, IN, USA retired
1972 1983 Highland, IN, USA retired
Life timeline
Birth
Joliet, IL, USA
Priestly ordination
Kalocsa, Kingdom of Hungary, currently Hungary
Service abroad
19301931
East Chicago, IN, USA
assistant pastor
Service abroad
19321935
Gary, IN, USA
parish priest
Service abroad
19351962
East Chicago, IN, USA
Szentháromság R. K. Egyházközség
parish priest
Service abroad
19621971
Hammond, IN, USA
retired
Service abroad
19721983
Highland, IN, USA
retired
Death
Hammond, IN, USA
Sources
Images
Photo
Click an image to enlarge. Navigation: ← →, close: Esc.
Places related to this person on the map
birth priestly ordination domestic service foreign service death burial
Similar and related clergy
Citation for this entry
Sipos D. József: 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=991 (accessed: 2026-09-13).
Last modified: August 7, 2026 22:45 | Opened: 21 times