 His parents were József Zsemlits, shoemaker and Anna Karlovics.Between 1864 and 1868 he served as chaplain in Beltinci (), and later as parish priest in Alsószölnök () and in Gornja Lendava (in Hungarian "Felsőlendva", now Grad, Slovenia) from 1887 to his death in 1891.In 1871, he wrote the book "Návuk od szvétogá potrdjenyá szvesztva", which was published in Graz, Duchy of Styria.