The unveiling ceremony of the memorial plaque of the Servant of God Father Jan Ivan Mastiliak CSsR took place on Wednesday, September 18, 2024, on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of his passage from time to eternity.
The memorial plaque was installed in the family home on Sazavského Street in Prešov. During the times of persecution of the Church and priests in Slovakia, Father Ivan lived in the attic and received people here for 20 years. In this house, he secretly taught 30 religious and diocesan priests who could not attend the seminary and therefore studied philosophy and theology in secret, precisely with Father Ivan.
The entire event took place under the auspices and with the blessing of the Archbishop and Metropolitan Jonaš Maxim. The ceremony was attended by political representatives of the city of Prešov. Among the representatives of the Church were two retired bishops, Vladyka Ján Babjak SJ, Vladyka Milan Chautur CSsR, the provincial of the Redemptorists of the Bratislava-Prague Province, Father Jozef Mihok CSsR, the Vice-provincial of the Redemptorists of the Michalovce vice-province, Father Miroslav Bujdoš CSsR.
The invitation was accepted by the members of the interrogation commission during the beatification process of the Servant of God Father Ivan. The most important thing was the presence of those who remembered him personally. Father Michal Zamkovsky CSsR was one of his students and testified that he studied secretly with Father Ivan. He said how he had to be careful with each visit, in order not to betray Father Ivan and end up in prison again. There was also the testimony of one of the daughters of the family who lived in the house and the memories of their life together with Father Ivan.
The celebration was a memorial to those who remember him and an encouragement to those who heard of him.
Miroslav Bujdoš CSSR
photo: Greek Catholic Redemptorists (Facebook)
Biography of Mr. Ján Ivan Mastiliak CSSR
Fr. Ján Mastiliak was born on 5.11.1911 in Nižný Hrabovec and entered the Redemptorist juniorate in 1922. He did his novitiate in Stropkov in 1928-1929. He completed the rest of his formation in the Prague province, studying at the Redemptorist Seminary in Obořište. He was ordained a priest in 1934 in Uzhorod. From 1937 he studied in Rome at the Pontifical Oriental Institute and then at the Gregorian. In 1944 he returned to Slovakia due to illness. For a short time, he was Rector in Michalovce and then from 1945, he became a professor at the Redemptorist seminary in Obořište.
At the beginning of the communist regime in Czechoslovakia he was arrested in 1950 and taken to the special trial held in Prague against the 10 most prominent ecclesiastical figures of Czechoslovakia. He was unjustly sentenced to life imprisonment, which was later changed to 25 years. He spent more than 15 years in communist prisons (Valdice, Mirov, Leopoldov). Fr. Ján Mastiliak is among the longest imprisoned Catholic priests in Czechoslovakia.
He then returned to Presov, where he performed simple ordinary works. After 1968 he was clandestinely appointed vice-provincial of the Redemptorists in Michalovce. He held this position until 1981. As a professor he devoted himself to the Redemptorist students: they could not officially study in the seminary, but he clandestinely taught them philosophy and theology and prepared them for the priesthood. He translated more than 100 popular and theological books from various languages, knowing as many as 14 foreign languages. He died in the fame of sanctity in Presov on 18.9.1989. He is buried in Michalovce.
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