Fr Ladislaus Fazekas

Early Life

Ladislaus Fazekas was born in Komarum. Hungary on December 15, 1913.  He received his early education at Szombathely. He studied civil law as well as undertaking ecclesiastical studies at the diocesan seminary in Szombathely. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 19, 1938. He did parish work for a time, and subsequently was chaplain to the Hungarian Forces in Russia. During that time he wrote a good deal for Cardinal Mindzenti’s Catholic Newspaper.

In 1945 he went to Germany as a refugee and was in charge of the spiritual welfare of fellow nationals in the diocese of Passau. Later he went to Italy where on August 1, 1950 he embarked on the SS Amarapoora at Geneva to come to Australia. There were 607 migrants on board including 70 Hungarians. He arrived at Newcastle in NSW on September 15.

Life in Australia

Fr Fazekas arrived in Adelaide on November 22, 1950 and was appointed chaplain to all the migrants at the Woodside Migrant Camp where there were a number of Hungarian migrants. Initially he resided at Woodside in the migrant camp.  While continuing as chaplain to the Hungarian Community, in June 1952 he was appointed assistant priest in the Woodville parish.

In January 1955 he moved to reside at ‘The Pines’ at Plympton where he acted as chaplain to the Good Shepherd Sisters. He became firmly entrenched in the life of the archdiocese and in November 1965 he was incardinated as a priest of the archdiocese, thus leaving his allegiance to the diocese of Szombathely in Hungary.

He died quite suddenly at his residence at ‘The Pines” on August 26, 1971.

A Latin Funeral Mass was celebrated by Fr Ferriggi at the ‘Regnum Marianum’ Hungarian Centre at Hackney on August 29. The next day a Solemn Requiem Mass was celebrated in St Francis Xavier’s Cathedral and the burial took place at West Terrace Cemetery.

May he rest in peace.