In the camp I learned to do a good job, which helped to obscure my gloomy thoughts
Stáhnout obrázek
Viktor Olos was born on August 4, 1927 in the village Hubová. His father Ondrej Olos was a shoemaker. His mother Katarína (née Jarošová) took care of the household and their sons, Viktor and three years younger Vojtech. Viktor went to six-year elementary school in his native village and then he studied at grammar school in Ružomberok. Viktor Olos comes from a family with strong Christian beliefs and was an altar boy from an early childhood. After graduating in 1947 he decided to enroll at theological seminary in Spišská Kapitula, where Bishop Ján Vojtašák worked back then. However, he didn`t manage to finish his five years long studies, because in 1950 the seminary was forcibly closed down by the communist government. Viktor Olos went home and worked as an accountant in Mošovce, where he assisted with administration work for the establishment of agricultural cooperatives. Later in 1952 the State Security arrested him. More than a yearlong investigation was carried out in Ružomberok and led to the trial, which took place on January 14, 1954. After the Olos & co trial, he was sentenced to 6 years of imprisonment for associating with young worshipers and for hiding a priest, Štefan Nahálka, who was being wanted. He was transferred to a labor camp in Valdice where he was processing feathers. After a year he was moved to camp Vojna (War) in Příbram, where along with other inmates worked on building sites. In 1958 he was released from prison and after his return home, he worked in timber yard until 1968. Since his Catholic beliefs kept strong through his prison time as well as the following years, he decided to enroll at the Faculty of Theology in Bratislava and to go back to his studies. In 1970 he was ordained a priest in Bratislava and worked as a chaplain in Ružomberok. From 1975 until 2006 he was a priest in Valaská Dubová and then he retired. To this day he regularly celebrates Holy Masses in Ľubochňa.
