Calvin Synod Herald, 1994 (94. évfolyam, 2-6. szám)
1994-11-01 / 6. szám
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD- 6-REFOMÁTÜSOK LAPJA /i Gentury of Women in our Synod's i8gfi Gongregations-IQQfi Pittsburgh - Cleveland and other locations The Women's Guild of the First Hungarian Reformed Church of Pittsburgh, PA held with great solemnity the One Hundredth Anniversary Celebration of their Women's Organization on Sunday, October 2,1994, with Combined Worship Service. Holy Communion and the Dedication oftheLorántffyZsuzsánna Window followed by a reception in the School Hall. Bishop Vitéz preached the Anniversary Sermon with impressive array of Clergy participating. □ The pastor of the celebrating church, Dr. Aladár Komjáthy, our outstanding historian, published a detailed description of the Women's wonderful work throughout the total span of the bygone one hundred years in this, one of the two, first churches on this side of the Atlantic Ocean. Though The Pittsburgh Church was officially organized by the second minister, Rev. John Kovács, sent to America by the Mother-Church one year after First Church in Cleveland the Women's Work preceded Cleveland. □ Some excerpts from the attractive booklet: Every historical source tells us that during the first decade of our Hungarian reformed history in the United States there were few women in our churches. In the early years, there were three categories of women - widows of men who died in mining accidents and they had the courage to stay in the new country, but an overwhelming majority went back to their homeland, These widows ran boarding houses sometimes having as many as fifteen to twenty single boarders. Then there were the married women whofollowed their husbands into the new world and others were single girls who had come to America for several personal reasons. There was a completely new experience for women who found employment. In August, 1894, Rev. Ferenc Ferenczy (1857-1898), the apostle of the American-Hungarian Reformed church history, and András Hornyak (1848-1936), the chief elder of the church, summoned all women of the congregation to a picnic where the future special mission of the women of the church was discussed. This was the genius of Rev. Ferenczy that the example of women missionary societies of the older American Protestant denominations should be adopted in the new American-Hungarian churches. We have three documentary sources. At the time, there were no special church organizations for women only in the old country, and there also were none in the churches of fellow immigrants of other nationalities in the U.S. Thirty-three women and fifteen girls donated the purchase price of $142; the church paid an extra $42 duty to U.S. Customs as it was a very valuable tablecloth. The new cloth for the Lord's Table was dedicated at the communion service for New Wine on the last Sunday of October, 1894. In 1895, work in the steelmills became slow and many women were sent back to the old country with their small children. In early 1897, the economy picked up and the number of women and girls increased. Rev. Ferenczy proposed that the women of the church organize their own sick and death benefit society following an example of the already flourishing men's society in the church. On Memorial Day, May 30, 1897, twentysix married and single women organized the "Lórántffy Zsuzsánna Nőegylet", the Zsuzsanna Lorantffy Women's Sick Benefit Society. It is important to note that these women chose the name of Princess Zsuzsánna Lórántffy (1600-1660), wife of George Rákóczy I, who was Prince of Transylvania and a highly respected ruler in 17th Century Europe. The Hungarian and Slovak women from the counties of Abauj, Zemplen and Borsod all knew of this princess and her accomplishments. We take great pride in being the oldest women's organization of any Hungarian Reformed Church in the world. It is with great joy and thanksgiving to God that we celebrate our 100th Anniversary. We ask God's continued blessing on the Women's Guild and our church family. The artistic booklet, the magnificent accomplishment of Dr. A. Komjáthy ends with the impressive Picture Gallery of the Women leaders of the whole Century of Women in the Pittsburgh Congregation. When Time, who steals our years away Shall steal our pleasures, too The memory of the past will stay find half our joys renew. Thomas Moore
