Magyar Egyház, 1998 (77. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
1998 / 1. szám
MAGYAR EGYHÁZ AN APPEAL OF THE REFORMED CHRISTIAN CHURCH IN SLOVAKIA ABOUT THE OFFICIAL USE OF THE MOTHER TONGUE Consulting in a past two days with some officers of the World Alliance of the Reformed Churches, we find it necessary to inform about our situation the whole Assembly. Namely, in Slovakia from January 1, 1997 there is a so called “Language law” of which the main purpose is to limit the use of any other mother tongue but Slovak. The consequences of this law are as follows: 1. The individuals who are trespassing this law are fined with a most unimaginable amounts of money (the smallest fine is equal to an average yearly salary)! 2. Institutions, organizations can be fined half a million crowns (equals to ten years salary)! 11. oldal 3. The third consequence: those minority children who are going to schools where the state language is used, church teachers are forbidden to teach them to pray and to instruct them for religion in their mother tongue. 4. In ethnic church offices the mandatory language is the state language, the Slovak language only. These fines in prospect are the instruments of creating fear. As far as the mission (home mission) of the church is concerned, these laws are definitely discriminative. The Constitution of Slovakia guaranties full religious freedom, so we ask the State not interfere, neither through the form of a language law, into the life of the Church, but respect its own legal norms. Debrecen, August 11, 1997 Dr. Géza Erdélyi, Bishop Ing. Arpad Aszonyi, Moderator A DREAM BECAME REALITY: THE HUNGARIAN HERITAGE CENTER After serving the Hungarian Reformed Church of Staten Island for 24 years, Reverend August J. Molnár retired from his beloved Church. During these years The Magyar Egyház wrote about him, many times, as the leader, the pastor of that small congregation. This time we would like to introduce him to our readers, as the civic leader, educator and organizer, who founded one of the greatest institution for Hungarian-Americans living in this country, the Hungarian Heritage Center in New Brunswick, N.J. Since 1955 Professor August J. Molnár has served as the executive officer and president of the American Hungarian Foundation, which celebrates its 44th anniversary in 1998. Under his leadership the Foundation has initiated and funded new academic programs of Hungarian studies, research and fellowships at numerous colleges and universities in America. On May 21, 1989, after years of planning and fund raising, the Foundation dedicated and opened a new $3 million museum, library and archives facility, Hungarian Heritage Center, in New Brunswick. His father emigrated to the United States in 1910 from Hungary as did his mother later. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1927. He received his higher education at Elmhurst College (Illinois), University of Michigan, Lancaster Theological Seminary, Columbia University, Rutgers, The State University and with studies at other American universities. At Columbia University he was a Cholnoky Research Fellow. In Europe during 1957, he was a staff member of the Columbia University project on Hungary. His professional career began at Elmhurst College (1952-1959), where he was chairman of the Department of Hungarian Studies and also assistant professor of history. From 1959-1965 as a member of the faculty of Rutgers, The State University, he was instrumental in developing a Hungarian studies program. State University of New Jersey has established an Institute of Hungarian Studies. He was director for the Rutgers University Library/American Hungarian Foundation project supported by a grant from the New Jersey Committee for the Humanities. Earlier, he directed the project supported by The Rockefeller Foundation to catalog and microfilm the Edmund Vasvary Collection on Hungarians in America. Among his publications are the 1964 Rutgers University Press book, that collects the scholarly articles of Joseph Remenyi, titled Hungarian Writers and Literature: Modern Novelist, Poets and Critics. Chairman of the editorial committee for the 1977 book, The New Jersey Ethnic Experience. Professor Molnár is managing editor (1973-) of the quarterly, Hungarian Studies Newsletter. In the Dictionary of
