Person DS/UK/1342 Kiss; Lajos (1935-2001); Jesuit Priest Kiss Lajos 1935-2001 Jesuit Priest Male Born 27 August 1935. Entered the English Province of the Society of Jesus 26 September 1962. Ordained as a Roman Catholic priest 25 July 1971. Final Vows in the Society of Jesus 8 September 1988. Died 24 September 2001, Barbados.

Lajos Kiss (usually known as Louis) was born on 27 August 1935 in Hungary. His father was not a member of the communist party so when Kiss left school he was not allowed to study engineering or to be a fireman, was permitted to work in forestry. His faith made him more suspect to the authorities. He did his National Service when he was 20 and the 1956 Revolution broke out at that time. His regiment had been involved in the uprising so he had to flee the country and came to England. Within a year he was at Osterley where he stayed for five years. Initially he was attracted by becoming a Franciscan but after three years at Osterley he decided to be a Jesuit. Kiss joined the Society at Harlaxton on 26 September 1962 and after first vows went to Heythrop for two years of philosophy. In 1966 Kiss went to Heythrop for theology, during which time he took flying lessons at Kidlington. When Heythrop moved to London in 1970 he went with it and was based at Southwell House. In 1971 Kiss was ordained, priest in Austria and then went to Guyana where he served a number of missions and in 1974 spent a year at the Guyana Technical Institute. In 1981 he returned to the UK, working in London then Liverpool. He then went to Toronto to work with the Hungarians in exile in Canada. He made a formal transfer to the Hungarian Province in June 1987. In 1994 he returned to Guyana and transferred to the British Province in October 1994. He continued to work in Guyana and was based at Rupununi and at Lethem, where his flying abilities proved useful. He set up a bee-keeping project at Lethem. His death on 24 September 2001 occurred when he was taken ill while swimming during a holiday in Barbados. His Requiem Mass was held at St Aloysius Church Barbados and he is buried there. Member of the British Province of the Society of Jesus List of the dead; Letters & Notices vol. 95, pp. 327-333 National Council on Archives, Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997 Yes Mallen 09/05/2019 CURIA\mallen 04/06/2021 43bd365d-847f-438f-bf9e-f620c7010a85