Calvin Synod Herald, 2009 (110. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2009-05-01 / 5-6. szám
4 CALVIN SYNOD HERALD Our Bethlen Home Ongoing and New Mission Please allow me to begin with some history: nearly 88 years ago, the leaders of the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America (HRFA) and local Hungarian Reformed congregations- working together - crystallized a dream and fulfilled a need that had become evident in the Hungarian immigrant community in the United States. Tom from their homeland, away from their extended families, these immigrants and their families were in serious danger if someone died, became ill, disabled in a work accident or experienced some other form of unexpected calamity in their lives. The HRFA was formed in 1896 by Hungarian Reformed congregations and laypersons to offer “fraternal” support and aid within the Hungarian community, bringing to life Matthew 22: 37,39: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.... You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ” The members of the HRFA endeavored to actualize Christ’s command by caring for their fellow human beings in an organized manner. But many in the community felt they were not doing enough. At the HRFA annual meeting in 1906 - more than 103 years ago - the delegates began planning a dream: to create a home for the growing number of orphans in the Hungarian community. The challenge was made to the community to fulfill God’s charge to His people in Isaiah 55:11: “So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it. ” The call was to help these most helpless of the members of the community - many of them widowed women and orphaned children. Then an event occurred which strengthened and gave momentum to the resolve: on December 19, 1907 the Darr Coal Mine - located in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania- exploded. At least 239 coal-miners were killed, the majority of them Hungarian immigrants. The explosion and subsequent cavein left 136 widows and 273 orphan children in the Westmoreland Hungarian community. Because the coal-miners often lived in company housing and shopped with coal-company scrip (not money), their widows and children were often out on the street before the dust from a mine explosion cleared. The need for an orphanage after the Darr Mine disaster intensified tremendously. (Today, the Darr Mine disaster is still considered to be one of the worst coal-mining disasters in USA history. During the month of December alone in 1907, over 3,000 miners died in US mining accidents - the worst month in US mining history.) A moving force in the establishment of the orphanage was Rev. Dr. Louis Nánássy, pastor in Perth Amboy, NJ as he saw the command of God in The Epistle of James, 1:27: “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. ” The leaders of the HRFA and the churches intensified their plan and organized finances, and finally in 1921 purchased property near Ligonier Pennsylvania. The former Park Hotel and two acres of land was dedicated on July 4,1921 to be used as an orphanage. Located on a mountain just north of Ligonier, it was christened Moriah Mountain or Móriah Hegy by Rev. Sándor Kalassay, the first Superintendent. (Moriah is a mount in Jerusalem where the Lord God appeared to King David, and where Solomon later built a temple; 2 Chronicles 3:1. Also, “Moriah” is a Hebrew word meaning “Jehovah will see to it, ” meaning He will cause to “come to pass” that of which He approves). The orphanage was christened The Hungarian Reformed Orphanage or Magyar Református Arvaház). Within in the next 14 years they purchased an additional 185 acres of adjacent farmland in order to be self-sustaining, as they had an average of 100 persons to feed daily. In addition, the farm buildings were used to house some of the older orphans and the elderly who had been accepted as residents. On July 4, 1924, there was a formal dedication of the home for the care of the elderly. In 1927 they purchased a small German church, the Church in the Wilderness, and moved it to Moriah Mountain. During its relocation and reconstruction, a schoolroom was added on either side, and it was dedicated on Thanksgiving Day, 1928. It is in this Chapel that orphans and the elderly have worshiped for 61 years. It is also the place that every year the following organizations: The Calvin Synod, The Hungarian Reformed Church in America, The American Hungarian Presbyters Association, The American Hungarian Ministerial Association, The HRFA - and many other groups hold their worship services during their annual meetings. Currently it is used for weekly worship both by residents of Bethlen Home and also by residents of Ligonier Valley. The steeple and bell were added to the Chapel and formally dedicated July 4, 1948. Bethlen Home - Nursing Home In 1957 a new building was constructed on the Moriah Mountain, the first “Nursing Home” building, next to the Old People’s Home, to accommodate 26 elderly. (The orphanage had moved to Ligonier Borough in 1941). Due to ever-increasing demand, a new wing was again added to the nursing home in 1962 that could house an additional 80 residents in need of nursing home care, and an additional wing was added in 1975. In 1967 Rev. Alexander Daróczy, Director of the Bethlen Home, established the Bethlen Print Shop, doing business as the Bethlen Freedom Press or Bethlen Nyomda, which issued many publications throughout the years, including the Bethlen Almanac or Bethlen Naptár. The press was dedicated to Hungarian Reformed publications. In 2005 a new Bethlen Home nursing facility was completed and opened. Located just north of the original Bethlen Home, the new facility is situated on the very top of the mountain. It is a completely modem nursing facility with multiple levels of care, including an Alzheimer’s wing. The name “Bethlen Home” In 1935 it was decided to rename The Hungarian Reformed Orphanage and the name chosen was The Bethlen Home. The namesake was Gabriel Bethlen or Bethlen Gábor (1580 - November 15, 1629) who was a popular religious and political
