Magyar News, 1992. szeptember-1993. augusztus (3. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1993-04-01 / 8. szám
Magyar News Monthly Publication in Cooperation of the local Hungarian Churches & Organization FOOTPRINTS LEAVING MARKS FOR ONE HUNDRED YEARS A CENTURY OF THE HUNGARIAN REFORMED CHURCH OF SOUTH NORWALK. First Church New Church Upon the death of a little Hungarian girl who was killed by a train in South Norwalk in 1889, the local people realized the number of Hungarians, who spoke no English, was growing. These people had no church or minister who could communicate with them. Through the efforts of Mr. H.O. Bailey and Miss Platt, president of the Ladies’ Missionary Society of the South Norwalk Congregational Church, a young Slav, Mr. John Petro was engaged as a Bible reader to the Hungarians in 1893. When the Hungarian Reformed immigrants of Norwalk became dissatisfied with Mr. Petro’s knowledge of the Hungarian language as well as of his denominational orientation, they remembered a young public school teacher of Fony, Hungary. His name was Mr. Gabriel Dokus. Because many of the Hungarian immigrants of Norwalk came from that small village of northern Hungary, they knew him personally and wondered if he would not come to America and teach them the Word of God. Letters were exchanged and the result was that on April 6, 1893, Mr. Dokus and his family arrived to South Norwalk in order to assume leadership among the loyal Hungarian Reformed people. In a short period of time he was able to draw together the little band and on April 18,1893 die church society was organized in the Methodist Episcopalian church building (West Avenue) with about 35 members. Mr. Daniel Bardos became the president of the first consistory. This organizing meeting was interested primarily in how to raise funds for purchasing suitable property and building their own church edifice thereon. Soon letters of solicitation were sent to churches of non- Hungarian background as well as to communities of Hungarian immigrants. As a result they were able to purchase a tract of land, 45' x 105', on the Snowden estate in Ely Avenue. On December 7, 1894 the New York Classis of the Reformed Church in the U.S. officially granted full ministerial status to Mr. Dokus who successfully fulfilled all the requirements, and the same church body at the same time received the congregation, too, under the name of “The Hungarian Calvinistic and Reformed Church of South Norwalk” as a fully organized congregation. Two days later the Rev. Dokus was ordained into the Christian ministry at the West Avenue Methodist Church and the congregation rejoiced that at last they had their own pastor and a fully accredited church organization. From April 1893 until March 29, 1896 services were held at the West Avenue “yellow” church building, but in the meantime parishioners were saving of their meager earnings to increase the building fund in the hope of erecting their own church edifice. Much of the money for this fund was raised through quarterly church dues. When enough money was acquired, the Ely Avenue tract of land was exchanged for land in (continued on page 3)
