Calvin Synod Herald, 1976 (76. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1976-09-01 / 9-10. szám
REFORMÁTUSOK LAPJA 5 nyi arrived in Cleveland, Ohio and organized a church. After this beginning, other churches were organized. Actually, it was not an easy task to organize a church since many of these early Hungarians felt that they would not stay in this country, and were really supporting their home churches. We may say that churches were only organized after the wives and children arrived here and thus a church was needed specifically for the families. Thus the churches were established and came to serve not only the adults but traditionally and out of necessity, started to engage in education, primarily religious education. The number of congregations and of membership grew; churches were purchased or built with the help of the former German Reformed Church, the Presbyterian Church or through the support of the mother church in Hungary. In some places, there were pure Hungarian sections; adults and children alike speaking only in Hungarian. Then the people felt that their children should be educated, not only in religion but in the secular subjects also, just as it had been in their homeland. Thus the need of schools emerged. Some attempts were made to organize parochial schools, but because of expenses, the idea was abandoned. Finally, the people settled on Sunday School for religious education, Saturday schools for religious education and Hungarian subjects, and the summer schools, which lasted for eight weeks, where Hungarian subjects were taught along with the religious education. C. Goal of Hungarian Reformed Education After organizing the churches, religious education became a part of the educational system in the church. At the very beginning, the children spoke Hungarian in the homes, they usually lived in Hungarian communities, the Worship Services were conducted in Hungarian and thus it was necessary for the children to learn the 3-R’s in Hungarian. Of course, before the children started learning their religious courses, they learned to read and write in Hungarian. The members of these early churches felt, at least until the end of World War I, that they would return to their motherland and therefore to adopt themselves to the life in Hungary, they continued their studies in Hungarian; grammar, history, geography, etc. They felt there was a need for complete Hungarian education, and the Saturday and summer schools fulfilled this need with a complete but compact schedule. Religious education was taught not only in the schools, but in the homes also. In 1913, the General Council of the Reformed Church in Hungary prepared and published a printed booklet with a plan of education, including religious education, for the Hungarian Reformed churches in America. Since there were Hungarian newspapers widely circulated throughout the communities from the very Over 300 persons attended a reception honoring; Rt. Rev. Dr. John Butosi, pastor of the Hungarian Reformed Church, South Norwalk, who has become pastor of The United Church of Christ, 2300 North Avenue, Bridgeport, recently at Dokus Hall, South Norwalk. He and his family were presented with a Silver Tea set from the congregation. Speakers included Mayor Jennie F. Cave and Rt. Rev. James G. Lengen, pastor of St. Ladislaus Church. Top photograph shows Rev. Dr. Butosi, bishop of the Calvin Synod of the United Church of Christ, and his wife and daughters preparing to receive friends. Daughter Ann Elizabeth, Mrs. Lorraine Butosi and daughter Sarah Joan are with him. Center photograph shows Bishop Butosi accepting gift from congregation, presented by Mrs. Margaret Csóványos and Andrew Kurimai, chief elder. * beginning, articles appeared giving outlines for religious education for children and young people. Even today, the religious education of our young people is of utmost importance and a subject widely discussed by the clergy at their regular meetings, and extensively written about in our newspapers. Situations and language have changed since these early beginnings but the importance of good religious education is still of major concern to our churches; how to train our young people to be better Christians, how to raise them in the Christian way of life, how to show them the importance of a good foundation in religious education. (To be continued) Francis Vitéz
