The Most Reverend

Most Reverend

The Most Reverend is a style applied to certain religious figures.*In the Roman Catholic Church , all bishops are styled "The Most Reverend", as well as monsignors of the rank of protonotary apostolic de numero.*In the Roman Catholic Church , archbishops are styled "The...

 Ján Hirka (born 16 November 1923) is a retired bishop

Bishop

A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...

 of the Greek Catholic Church

Greek Catholic Church

The Greek Catholic Church consists of the Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine liturgical tradition and are thus in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, the Pope.-List of Greek Catholic Churches:...

 in Slovakia

Slovakia

The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...

.

Ján Hirka was born in Abranovce, Slovakia

Abranovce

Abranovce is a village and municipality in Prešov District in the Prešov Region of eastern Slovakia.In historical records the village was first mentioned in 1320....

 and ordained

Ordination

In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...

 a priest on 31 July 1949. Fr. Hirka was appointed Apostolic Administrator

Apostolic Administrator

An apostolic administrator in the Roman Catholic Church is a prelate appointed by the Pope to serve as the ordinary for an apostolic administration...

 of the Archeparchy of Prešov

Archeparchy of Prešov

The Archeparchy of Prešov is an archeparchy of the Slovak Greek Catholic Church which covers the territory of the Prešov Region. It has the suffragans of: Eparchy of Košice and Eparchy of Bratislava. As of 2004 it had 136,593 Greek Catholic faithful. and its seat is in Prešov.-History:The eparchy...

, when it was revived on 2 April 1969, after years of suppression under the Communist regime. This was in place of the existing Auxiliary Bishop

Auxiliary bishop

An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...

, Basil Hopko

Basil Hopko

Basil or Vasiľ Hopko was a priest and bishop of the Slovak Greek Catholic Church. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II for his martyrdom under Communist occupation.-Life:...

, who had survived years of imprisonment and torture at the hands of the Communists, because of complaints by nationalist members of the Church, who believed that a native Slovak should be the one to head the Church there.

He was finally appointed eparch on 21 December 1989 and ordained as a bishop on 17 February 1990. Hirka retired on 11 December 2002.

External links

• Catholic-Hierarchy
• Prešov Archeparchy (Slovak)