János Scheffler
Hungarian bishop (1887-1952)
Feast: 17 May (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
János Scheffler was born at Kálmánd, then in Hungary and now in Romania, on 29 October 1887, studied at Satu Mare and Budapest and was ordained on 6 July 1910. From 1940 he taught canon law at Cluj, and in 1942 he became Bishop of Satu Mare.
Sensitive to the social problems of his time, he protected the oppressed and persecuted. Imprisoned by the communist regime at Jilava, subjected to forced labour, humiliation and scalding showers, he turned his suffering into apostolate, catechesis and prayer, and died a martyr in 1952.
The miracles
As a martyr, beatified without a miracle.
Why that counted as sanctity
A bishop who turned the cruelty of a communist prison into prayer and teaching.
The cause
The cause continues. No postulation address is published here yet. Favours received through this person’s intercession, and offers of help, are best sent to the religious order or congregation they belonged to, or to the diocese where the cause was opened; either will pass them to the postulation.
- Dicastery for the Causes of Saints - biography: János Scheffler
- Wikidata Q719040 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — János Scheffler (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.