 Jaroslav had two brothers, Ludovit and Edward, both pastors, now deceased.Vajda himself pastored parishes in Cranesville, Pennsylvania, (1945-1949); Alexandria, Indiana, (1949-1953); Tarentum, Pennsylvania, (1953-1963); and St. Louis Missouri (1963-1976).Vajda received musical training in childhood and began translating classical Slovak poetry at age 15, when three delegates from the cultural institute of Slovakia visited his father's home and left a box of books of Slovak literature.