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

Simor György SJ

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Birth data:: Bácsalmás, Kingdom of Hungary, currently Hungary — November 23, 1919
Death data:: Jamaica, NY, USA — July 3, 1996
Denomination:: Roman Catholic
Ecclesiastical status:: religious
Diocese / Order:: jezsuita (Societas Jesu)

Ordination level:: priest
Entry into religious life:: August 24, 1938
Priestly ordination:: Leuven, Belgium — August 24, 1950
Other name used:: Szommer; George Simor

Biographical data

He entered the order on August 24, 1938. He completed his novitiate in Manréza. From 1942 to 1944, he studied philosophy in Košice. From 1945 to 1947, he served as a college prefect in Satu Mare. He then left the country. He completed his theological studies in Leuven from 1948 to 1951. He was ordained a priest on August 24, 1950.
In 1961, he left the order and, according to sources, married Suzanna B. Stastna.
In the 1960s, he was a librarian at Washington University in St. Louis and an expert on rare books.
From 1966 until his death, he was a professor at the Pratt Institute; in addition, starting in 1971, he served as chief acquisitions librarian—or, as an earlier source put it, chief gifts librarian—at the library of the City University of New York Graduate Center.In 1973, he was honored with the Outstanding Educator of America Award for his work in library education. He retired in 1991 and subsequently worked as an archival consultant.
According to the U.S. Social Security Death Index (SSDI), she passed away in 1996.
The Pratt Institute still maintains the George Simor Merit Award in Archival Management, as well as a library and information science scholarship fund named after George Simor. Pratt specifically describes it as a fund established in memory of a former faculty member of the institution.

Foreign service locations

From	To	Place	Church / institution	Position
1951	1952	Toronto, ON, Canada	Szent Erzsébet R. K. Egyházközség	assistant pastor
1952		Hamilton, ON, Canada	Magyarországi Szent István templom	assistant pastor
1953	1958	Toronto, ON, Canada	Szent Erzsébet R. K. Egyházközség	parish priest
1958	1961	New York, NY, USA		order superior

Literary activity

A Hírnök és A Szív c. újságok szerkesztője
George Simor: Guide to the Archives of the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America.

Life timeline

Birth

November 23, 1919

Bácsalmás, Kingdom of Hungary, currently Hungary

Entry into religious life

August 24, 1938

Priestly ordination

August 24, 1950

Leuven, Belgium

Service abroad

1951 – 1952

Toronto, ON, Canada

Szent Erzsébet R. K. Egyházközség

assistant pastor

Service abroad

1952

Hamilton, ON, Canada

Magyarországi Szent István templom

assistant pastor

Service abroad

1953 – 1958

Toronto, ON, Canada

Szent Erzsébet R. K. Egyházközség

parish priest

Service abroad

1958 – 1961

New York, NY, USA

order superior

Death

July 3, 1996

Jamaica, NY, USA

Sources

Bikfalvi: 207-208.
Török: 368.

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

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Citation for this entry

Simor György 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=996 (accessed: 2026-09-13).

Last modified: August 26, 2026 21:19 | Opened: 1 times