Magyar Egyház, 1965 (44. évfolyam, 2-12. szám)
1965-05-01 / 5. szám
10 MAGYAR EGYHÁZ TESTIMONIAL FOR DR. BEKY In a festively decorated hall with a capacity crowd composed of official delegates of church and city, friends and members of the Trenton congregation paid tribute to the Rt. Rev. Dr. Zoltán Beky on May 9th at a testimonial dinner. A souvenir album, “This Is Your Life,” the words of which were read at the banquet reviewed the 37 years of Dr. Beky’s pastorate in Trenton as well as the many memorable events of his ecclesiastic and civic leadership. Bishop Louis Nagy praised the spiritual unity and harmony between pastor and congregation. Mayor Arthur Holland called Dr. Beky “Trenton’s international ambassador,” bestowed upon him the honorary citizenship of the City of Trenton and presented him with the city’s golden key, a most unusual gift. The many organizations of the church showered Dr. and Mrs. Beky with numerous gifts accompanied with words of love and affection. Dr. Beky, in his closing words of farewell commended the faithful people of the Trenton congregation into the love of God “which never passes away.” OBSERVATIONS From the spirited singing of those well loved hymns at our opening worship service one could feel that the day was to be an inspiring one — and it was ... Yes, this the Sixth Annual Conference of the United Church Women of the Hungarian Reformed Church in America (Eastern Area) was the best attended by far. We’re growing, but we have a long way to go... Our final tally showed that 144 women registered for the conference (representing 9 churches). Adding to this the 15 members of the Passaic choir, plus the 8 clergymen who attended, not to mention the 12 men who also registered, our total figure was 179. Not bad at all — but it could, and should, be better! Did you attend? The theme “Our Sacraments and Their Daily Application” was expertly presented by the Rev. Imre Bertalan, speaking on Holy Communion, and Dr. Aladar Komjáthy, on Holy Baptism. Although our Hungarian Reformed Church in America is 75 years old, Rev. Bertalan Dointed out that we have no unified Catechism as yet. What a crying need there is for one, if I may add — something that the youngsters could fully comprehend so that at the time of confirmation the sacrament of Holy Communion could be as meaningful to them as it is to those of us who attended the conference. Dr. Komjáthy's message stressed the importance of a proper Christian upbringing — the fact that the renewal of our church must begin in the home. Holy baptism is just an act unless it is followed through and made more meaningful. .. We promise to raise our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord but how often that promise is broken or forgotten! Both speakers showed us the need for self-examination, careful consideration, and prayerful preparation when participating in the holy sacraments. The nominal Christian can take these matters lightly, but to be a real Christian one must give them serious thought.. . Which are you? We were indeed sorry that Bishop Louis Nagy could not be with us. Mr. Sándor Kiss, chief lay curator of our denomination, who extended greetings on behalf of the Bishop was a most eloquent speaker. We wish God’s blessing in his new office. Special thanks are in order to the choir of the Hungarian Reformed Church of Passaic, N.J., and its director Mrs. F. Kormány. Our worship service was enhanced by their beautiful singing. Were it not that we were all quite hungry by 7 P.M. we could have listened to their lovely selections for hours. The supper prepared and served by members of the Women’s Guild of the host church, was delicious as usual; and thanks to the members of the Senior Women’s Club the pastries were plentiful and praiseworthy. Herewith we present the new officers for 1965-1966: President Maria Varga, New York Vice President Olga Szabó, Staten Island Secretary Margaret De Marco, Perth Amboy Assoc. Secretary Eva Kiss, New York Treasurer Helen Nagy, Roebling Our congratulations and God’s blessing on their endeavors. May I once again add my sincere thanks to everyone who participated and helped make the day so meaningful ... Thank you for the privilege of having been your president — I consider it a great honor and pray for the continued growth of the United Church Women of the Hungarian Reformed Church in America, not just in size but in true Christian spirit. Elizabeth Dudich Pope May Alter Marriage Canons For Non-Roman Catholics Vatican sources report Pope Paul VI will issue a “motu proprio” or personal administrative decree revising the Roman Catholic Church’s laws on mixed marriages. Press reports quoted a Vatican official as saying however the decree would not be published for some time. He said a committee assigned by the Pope to study church laws on marriage was still at work reviewing the section on marriage of the 46-year-old code of canon law. It was indicated one of the chief revisions would be the elimination of the signed pledges by the non-Catholic partner to create no obstacles for the Catholic in his or her practice of Catholicism and to raise and educate the children as Roman Catholics. Under the pending changes the non-Catholic would make no promises. Instead the Catholic would promise orally to see to the Catholic rearing of the children and remain steadfast in his or her beliefs while respecting the religious convictions of the non-Catholic spouse. (EPS) Obituary Mrs. Irene Johanna Carey, wife of the Rev. Leslie Carey, New Jersey District Manager of the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America died in Kendall Park, N.J. on May 8. Funeral services were held in New Brunswick by Bishop Dr. Zoltán Beky, the Rev. Louis Bell, the Rev. Bertram Szathmary, and the Rev. Francis Vitéz. “How blest are the sorrowful; they shall find consolation.”
