Jan Guncaga was born on 15th July 1923 in Staskov, Slovak Republic. After finishing the secondary school in Martin and Bratislava, he studied at the University of Economy and at the Medical Faculty in Bratislava (1947-1952).
In the years 1948-1964 he was persecuted by the communist totalitarian regime because of his Christian conviction and work in the lay apostolate. As a political prisoner he spent the years 1952-1955 in cruel conditions of the Czechoslovak prisons.
1956-1964 he worked as worker and as laboratory technician and biochemist in the regional hospital in Banska Bystrica. As biochemist he was engaged in clinical research and published 7 original papers. He finished his medical studies in Berlin, Krakow and Bratislava in 1964-1966.
In 1966-1968 he was employed as doctor of medicine in the regional hospital in Banska Bystrica. In 1968 he participated actively in the national movement of the Catholic Church WORK OF THE COUNCIL RENEWAL as its central official. After the occupation of CSSR in 1968, he and his family went into exile because there was a threat that he would be persecuted and imprisoned again. He found political asylum in Switzerland.
In the years 1968-1974 he worked as internist-endocrinologist at the Basle University hospital. Simultaneously he conducted medical research in clinical osteology. He is author of 44 original scientific works on metabolic disorders, and co-author of medical textbooks.
In the years 1974-4983 he worked with the department of clinical pharmacology and osteological clinical research in the pharmaceutical company Hoffmann-La Roche, Basle. He coordinated clinical multicentric studies at numerous University hospitals in Western Europe, USA and Canada.
From 1971 to 1989 he was president of the national Christian organization in exile FEDERATION OF SLOVAK CATHOLIC INTELLECTUALS (USKI) which was one of the 80 national members of the international movement of the Catholic intellectuals PAX ROMANA since 1964. After the November revolution in CSSR, on 30th June 1990 he has been elected as president of the national FEDERATION OF SLOVAK CHRISTIAN INTELLECTUALS in Slovakia. Within the frame of this national organization he organized systematic national and international political seminars, pedagogic conferences, economic, scientific and theological symposia and educational workshops for young generation in the years 1990-1999.
His lifelong efforts focused on formation and education of committed Christians and on Christianization of secular professions. In this sphere he is author of three books: UNCONVENTIONAL CHRISTIAN (1997), UNCONVENTIONAL POLITICS AND SLOVAK IDENTITY (1998), and THE LAITY AS CHRISTIANS BY PROFESSION (1999).
On 22nd May 2000, honorary academic title DOCTOR HONORIS CAUSA was awarded to the author by TRNAVA UNIVERSITY, Slovakia, for his lifelong untiring voluntary commitment in lay apostolate, both at home and abroad, and for his scientific medical works.
Jan Guncaga died on 4th February 2010 at the age 86.