Janos was born December 17, 1931 in Hungary as the second of three children. Both of his brothers would follow in his footsteps to become priests as well.
Janos began his novitiate in 1950 with the Cistercians at Zirc. He would choose the Christian name of Anasztaz (greek for Resurrection). When the communist regime began suppressing all religious houses in Hungary, the novice master Lawrence Sigmond moved all of the young men in the abbey to live with families in the town. They then continued their formation in fellowship out of these homes, but in private and with much secrecy. Janos was able to attend seminary in Budapest and in Gyor and on June 19 1955, he was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Sandor Kovacs.
As a chaplain in Saint Gotthard, the communist party frequently visited and made threats against him and was offered to be reassigned by the bishop. His rely was frank -
I am not afraid
On December 15, 1957 Janos was called to a nearby town to give last rites to an ill man. The boy who summoned him was a an altar server at the parish, and so Janos knew and trusted him. As they made their way to the town, Janos was ambushed and stabbed 32 times - the entire trip had been a communist trap. He was found that morning dead, still holding the Eucharist in his hands. He would be granted the title "Hungarian Tarcisus" because of this.
His family held a large funeral at the Salesian church of Saint Quirinus on December 18th. His ordination motto was inscribed upon the tomb:
All things work together for good to those who love God (Romans 8:28)
Pope John Paul II began the beatification process in Feburary of 2001 and on November 8th, 2017 Pope Francis confirmed that Jonas died as a victim in hatred of the faith. The solemn liturgy took place on May 1, 2018 by Cardinal Angelo Amato in Szombathely, Hungary.
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