Bernát Sommer (dates of birth and death unknown) was a Roman Catholic priest in the Diocese of Szepes and a Hungarian pastor serving in the United States.
He completed his studies in Igló, where he is listed in school records as a Roman Catholic student at the Lutheran high school. Little is known about the early years of his priestly ministry. Around 1899, he served as an assistant pastor; if the information pertains to the Diocese of Szepes, his place of service was presumably Szepeshely (Szepeskáptalan), the seat of the bishopric and the cathedral chapter. In 1896—when civil marriage was introduced—he married couples without them having first entered into a civil marriage, for which he was fined 400 koronas or, in the event of failure to pay, sentenced to 20 days’ imprisonment.
In 1905, he served at the parish in Lucski (now Lúčky, Slovakia) in Liptó County. According to local parish records, he took over the parish on July 24, 1905, but his tenure lasted only a few months; he was succeeded by another priest that same year.
In 1906, he moved to the United States. In Dayton, Ohio, he became the first pastor of the Hungarian Roman Catholic Parish of St. Stephen, which had been established at that time. The historical directory of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati lists him as the head of the parish from 1906 to 1908. His task was to organize the new Hungarian parish and provide its initial pastoral care. He was succeeded by Adam Blucz in 1908.
According to a later account in American local history, he was also in contact with the Hungarian Catholic community in Northampton, Pennsylvania, in 1913, and his efforts to organize the St. Peter and Paul Charitable Society are linked to the guidance of Father Bernard Sommer.
Around 1927, he returned and settled in Hollólomnic, which at that time was part of Czechoslovakia. The date of his death is unknown.
Sommer Bernát: 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=1008 (accessed: 2026-09-22).
Last modified: September 18, 2026 13:46 |
Opened: 0 times