Blessed Ioan Bãlan

4 August

Profile

Studied theology in Budapest, Hungary and in Vienna, Austria. Ordained a Romanian Greek-Catholic Rite priest on 7 July 1903. Served in Blaj, Romania, and then Bucharest, Romania in 1909, and then back to Blaj in 1919. Cathedral canon. Rector of the theological academy in 1921. Appointed bishop of Lugoj, Romania on 29 August 1936. Arrested by the Communist authorities in 1948 for remaining in the outlawed Catholic church. Confined first in monasteries, he was eventually sent to Sighet prison. Martyr.