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100th anniversary of the birth of Ján Chryzostom Korec

€10 silver collector euro coin

The obverse side of the coin
The reverse side of the coin

Ján Chryzostom Cardinal Korec (22 January 1924 – 24 October 2015) was born in Bošany, near Nitra. In 1939 he entered the Society of Jesus. Following the suppression of religious orders under the communist regime in Czechoslovakia, he had to return to civilian life. In secret, he was ordained a priest in 1950 and a bishop in 1951. Prohibited from publicly exercising his episcopal ministry, he worked as a labourer while serving as a leader of the underground Church. He was imprisoned for several years for his religious activities among students. His keen spiritual insight stood out in a wide range of published works. Although his focus was on spiritual literature, he also wrote about the difficulties of religious life in Slovakia. In January 1990 he became rector of the Seminary of Ss Cyril and Methodius in Bratislava, and the following month Pope John Paul II named him Bishop of Nitra. On 28 June 1991 the Pope made him a cardinal. He is buried at St Emmeram’s Cathedral, Nitra.