Marosfalvy, László (Father)

Fr. László Marosfalvy died peacefully in the Lord on 7 April at Rene Goupil House, Pickering.He was born on Sept.15, 1932 in Veszprém, Hungary. His father was a professional officer in the Hungarian Army, and he served in both World Wars. Les attended various Catholic high schools and graduated after the secularization of the schools in 1951. He felt a vocation to become a Jesuit, but he was unable to gain admittance to the suppressed Society at that time, and so he applied to the diocesan seminary in Szombathely. After the closure of the seminary, he went to the central seminary in Budapest, where between 1952 to 1956 he obtained a licentiate in theology.

On July 30, 1952, Leslie secretly entered the Jesuit novitiate and pronounced his first vows in 1955 and was ordained a priest in Szombathely on June 17, 1956. Later during the Hungarian revolution, he escaped into Austria at the beginning of 1957. In Austria, at first, he was teaching religion in the Hungarian Emigrant High School in Kammer. Then, to complete his theological studies, he was sent to Rome (1957-1959), where he obtained a B.Phil. degree from the Gregorian University.

In 1959 Les was missioned to Canada, where he completed his previous theological studies gaining an M. A. from Regis College, Toronto. He made his tertianship in Cleveland (1961-62), and then he was applied to the Upper Canada Province and was sent to Winnipeg to teach mathematics at the St. Paul’s High School. Taking summer courses, he also obtained an M.A. in Mathematics from Fordham University. While teaching in Winnipeg, Les introduced the students into the use of computers. In 1979 he went to Toronto and participated with his vast knowledge of computer-programming in the administration of the Jesuit Province. In the newly erected Hungarian novitiate in Toronto he served as Socius to the Master of Novices, where he was also for a brief period the superior before the closure of the novitiate in 1992.

Les returned then to Hungary and was socius to the Novice Master in Szeged. Between 1995-2002 he worked in the economic and financial administration of the Hungarian Province. In 2003 Les returned to Toronto, where he ministered at St. Elizabeth Parish, Willowdale, first as a chaplain, then between 2006-08 as pastor. After 2008, he continued in the parish as assistant to the pastor. Due to a lung infection he moved to Rene Goupil House in 2020. Right up to his death, he attended three meals daily, and attended daily Mass, and every communal event. He died there peacefully on 7th April 2024.