Bishop István Katona, apostle of Divine Mercy and honorary member of the Faustinum Association, died on Tuesday, October 21, at the age of 97.
He was born on October 3, 1928, in Nagykáta. He studied theology in Szeged and was ordained a priest in 1953.
In December 1989, he was ordained a bishop and began serving in the Diocese of Vác. The Bishops’ Conference entrusted him with the task of assisting and coordinating the work of reviving Catholic schools. He fulfilled this task until 1996 as chairman of the Catholic School Board. From 1997, he was auxiliary bishop in Eger, and in 2013 he retired. He was chairman of the national board of the Mercy Foundation.
In 2003, after reaching the age of 75, he submitted his resignation to the Pope, but Pope John Paul II asked him to continue his service. In 2013, 85-year-old István Katona was the oldest active bishop in Europe.
Bishop Katona spread the message of God’s mercy, which was passed on by Saint Faustina, and cared for the formation of the apostles of Divine mercy from Faustinum Association in the Hungarian language.
Let us pray to the merciful God that the late Bishop Catona may enter into heavenly joy and receive his reward for his apostolic efforts, especially for spreading the message of God’s mercy.
