Magyar Egyház, 1971 (50. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1971-05-01 / 5. szám
MAGYAR EGYHÁZ 9 Hungarian Reformed Christians in America Our Hungarian forefathers’ immigration to America began toward the end of the last century. They brought with them their rich spiritual heritage, their Hungarian Reformed faith. Naturally they started to build their churches as soon as they were able. Some of these new Hungarian Reformed congregations joined different American churches, like the Presbyterian and the United Church of Christ and others. However, in 1924 several Hungarian Reformed congregations formed their own denomination which is known as The Hungarian Reformed Church in America. (This is our denomination). The Hungarian Reformed Church in America is entirely independent of the Reformed Church in Hungary but it faithfully preserves the Hungarian Reformed faith of our forefathers. Conclusion All the various Christian religions were brought to America by immigrants. The British immigrants brought their Episcopal and Methodist religions, the Italians, the Poles, the Irish brought the Roman Catholic religion, the Scottish the Presbyterian religion and so on. Our immigrant fathers brought their Hungarian Reformed faith to America. As all other immigrants never had any reason to give up their religious heritage in America, so we do not see why we should give up the faith of our forefathers. Our Hungarian Reformed faith not only satisfies our souls but even more and more of our American friends with no Hungarian background feel at home among us. The Hungarian Reformed Church in America is rather a small denomination, simply because, compared to other ethnic groups, not too many Hungarian Reformed Christians came to America. But our Church can grow as well as any other American church if we ourselves remain faithful to our rich spiritual heritage and make it attractive to others with our daily exemplary Christian life. Stephen Kovács BOOK REVIEW “BLOOD AND GOLD” by Egon F. Kunz Charles A. Darocy In this brilliant study of Hungarian emigration to Australia Dr. Kunz of the Australian National University in Canberra has put us all in his debt. Primarily because no such study exists of the far larger emigrations to the United States and Canada, we find ourselves wondering when similar studies in this area will appear. This book is solid history. In it we find none of the shortcuts that characterize most nationality studies. For Dr. Kunz was concerned with facts; and he went everywhere to uncover and analyze them. His use of source materials is extremely good, and the result is a book that reads well. Australia. To central Europeans of the Nineteenth Century, a far-off, mysterious island continent. A penal colony for Britain’s problem people. A land of opportunity for saints and sinners alike. And the ultimate homeland of many Hungarians who probably never dreamed of crossing a body of water wider than the Danube. It began in 1833. Isaac Friedman, a businessman from Pest, made his way to Australia and carved out a career that involved him in many areas of the new colony’s life. A devout Jew, he helped found a synagogue. A good businessman, he made a fortune. But, and most important of all, he was the first person born in Hungary to become a naturalized Australian citizen. For the first century after Isaac Friedman’s arrival only small numbers of Hungarians made their home in Australia. The failure of the Revolution of 1848 against Habsburg oppression forced hundreds of Kossuth’s followers into exile. Many made their way to the gold rush in New South Wales. They soon gravitated to the few larger settlements and many eagerly returned to Hungary after the Agreement of 1867 which established the joint (dual) monarchy of Austria-Hungary. Thus the number of Hungarians in Australia remained very small until the large scale emigrations which followed the Second World War and the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. At the present time there are about 35,000 people of Hungarian birth in this nation. Most of them live in Sydney and Melbourne. Because of their relatively smaR numbers it is inevitable that they will soon be absorbed into the Australian population as a whole. Dr. Kunz lists a large number of Hungarians who have become leaders in Australian life, especiaHy scholars, engineers and artists. He senses that this “creative minority” has much to offer its new homeland. Certainly on the basis of achievements alone, the Hungarians in Australia have indeed proven to be a tremendous asset. We are all in Dr. Kunz’s debt. His sociological analyses add to the depth of this study. And, it goes without saying, he lets the facts speak for themselves. His narrative thus is a summary of what has been achieved by our kinsmen in the most dynamic of modern nations, Australia. (Blood and Gold “Hungarians in Australia” by Egon P. Kunz. Published by F. W. Cheshire, Melbourne. $750).
