Pastor

The Hungarian Catholic mission was founded in the San Francisco Bay Area in the early 1960s. The mission operates on the beautiful Campus of the Woodside Priory Benedictine Community and School, located in Portola Valley, California. Since 1963, Father Maurus has been an active member of the Benedictine Community. For the last 25 years, Father Maurus has also performed duties as the Pastor of the Hungarian Catholic Mission. Our mission statement is to promote Hungarian values of faith, culture and charity to the approximate 5,000 – 6,000 Hungarians living in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Father Maurus was born in 1937 in Hahot, Hungary and fled communist oppression after the ill-fated 1956 Hungarian Revolution. He spent six months in refugee camps in Austria and Holland before emigrating to Canada. In 1963, Father Maurus moved to Portola Valley, California to join the Benedictine Community. After his university studies, Father Maurus started his teaching carrier at Woodside Priory. He has 43 years of academic experience and 49 years experience serving the Hungarian-American community.

Father Maurus’ education includes a Bachelor of Philosophy and Science from Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota, operated by Saint John’s Benedictine Abbey. He completed his theological studies at Saint Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, California and earned a Masters degree in Sacred Theology. Father Maurus was ordained in 1972. His awards include “Pro Cultura Christina” from the Hungarian Catholic Bishops Conference in 2007. The Hungarian government in 2009 also recognized Fr. Maurus with the Golden Cross award, for his work with the Hungarian community in the United States.