A poet, a translator, a teacher, a priest and a missionary Gorazd Zvonický, proper name Andrej Šándor was born on June 29, 1913 in Močarany (today a city district of Michalovce) as the fifth of eight children and was raised in a poor peasant family. After finishing the primary school, work in the field was waiting for him, but he was interested in spiritual values and as soon as he had the opportunity, he began the study at Salesians in the seminary in Šaštín with the help of an important keen Michalovce priest, ThDr. Štefan Hlaváč. After returning from obligatory military service he made the monastic vows (in 1940), passed the school-leaving examinations in Kláštor pod Znievom (in 1942) and continued his theology studies in St. Beňadik and St. Kríž nad Hronom. He was ordained in 1948. He was active in Trnava and Michalovce.
He got in the isolation camp for clergymen in Podolínec after the “Barbarian night”. In 1950, he managed to escape and emigrate through the Morava River. After a short stay in Italy he leaves for twelve years for Argentina, where he worked as a Salesian priest in Buenos Aires. After the foundation of Slovak Institute of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Rome (in 1963) he comes to Rome to join the work of the institution. He became the editor of poetry edition Lyre (Lýra), a member of presidium of the Slovak Institute in Rome and a professor of humanities at Anton Bernolák secondary school at the Slovak Institute of Saints Cyril and Methodius. The Rome appearance represents the most important chapter of the poet's life. Its specific results are many literary, pedagogical and organisational activities. He was awarded the Knightly Order of Merit of the Italian Republic for service to Italian culture by the President of Italy on June 29, 1993. After 42 years in exile he visited the Slovak Republic in 1992. He died in Rome on July 27, 1995 and his remains were transferred to the National Cemetery in Martin.
He had published his poetry juvenilia already during his studies in Šaštín. His first book of poetry Sowing the Pearls (Sejba perál) was published in Trnava in 1943. The scope of the exile literary works of Zvonický is particularly admirable. The author's poetry is feelingful synthesis of Christian values and honest relationship to homeland. Also his translation work deserves great attention.
                                                                                                                                                                     Ján Vallo