Magyar News, 1994. szeptember-1995. augusztus (5. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

1994-10-01 / 2. szám

GOLDEN JUBILEE TRIP TO HUNGARY

by Fr. Emeric Szlezak O.FM.

John Lesko, Jr., drove my brother Joseph and me to Kennedy airport. There we boarded the Malév 767 plane that flies direct to Hungary. In about a half an hour the plane taxied to the runway for takeoff and was airborne shortly. At 31,000 feet we were heading towards Budapest. It maintained its speed and height all the way. Everything we received on the plane was free: newspapers, beverages, earphones for the double-feature movies, and of course the tasty meals. The Hungarian speaking hostesses were most pleasant and very helpful. On this non-stop flight to Budapest we arrived Friday morning at about 9:00 a.m. and went through passport control without problems. We were met by my mother’s first cousin, the eighty-eight year-old Stephen Beck, and my second cousin, fortytwo year-old Susan Vida. A friend of Susan, who has a taxi, took us to my first cousin ’ s apartment, Kató Pogány, who lived in the eighth district of Budapest.

After having cold cherry soup, in the afternoon we went to the famous shopping area of Budapest, Vaci Street. Fr. Robert had asked me to bring home some red and blue embroidered vests that are used by our servers in the Liturgy. First we couldn’t find the large size that we wanted, except in black colors. After browsing around in several stores, we were advised to seek a store in a less traveled area, on the same street. The storekeeper was just closing when we approached her. She had exactly what we were looking for, but only two of them. However she said she could order what we needed and receive them in a week or two.

On Saturday morning, with my cousin Susan and her friend, we took a long taxi ride to Sümeg, a town about 100 miles south of Budapest near Lake Balaton. The four-lane highway took us through the cities of Székesfehérvár and Veszprém. At Devecser we took a less traveled and narrower road. After several wrong turns we finally arrived in Sümeg in the afternoon.

Sümeg was not in our original plans. I had invited to Taksony Fr. Baan Vitéz, a Franciscan priest who had spent several months with us in Fairfield. Unable to come to Taksony, he had invited me to Sümeg, a pilgrimage Church dedicated to the Sorrowful Mother. We were supposed to have lodging in the friary, but his provincial in Budapest had sent already three student friars there for the summer, so there was no room for us. However the tourist hotel, administered by government employees, was a better deal than accommodations in the Inn next door to the friary. The next day, on Sunday, I concelebrated Mass at 10 a.m. with Fr. Baan. He also preached the sermon.

The city of Sümeg is situated between the Bakony and the Keszthelyi mountain ranges. Tourists pass through it on the way to Lake Balaton. In the thirteenth century it

was part of the Diocese of Veszprém. However the palace of the Bishop was built there in the eighteenth century. The Bishops’ building, now abandoned, is in need of extensive renovation. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the Hungarian insurrectionists known as the “Kurucok” under the leadership of Rákóczi Ferenc occupied the city. After General Bottyán died, the Austrian Monarchy reoccupied Sümeg in 1709. In 1774 the enure city went up in flames. One of the great writers and pets of Hungary who lived here from 1772 to 1844 was Sándor Kisfaludy.

The Church is in the center of the city, at St. Stephen’s Park. Together with its cloister, itwasbuiltin 1649 and blessed in 1653. The main entrance and the tower of the Church have been recently renovated, but the rest of the buildings have much more to be done. The carved images and side altars in Barokk style are from the eighteenth century. There is a tablet on the wall of the Church with the reading: this Franciscan Church was built for the glory of God, in honor of the Blessed Virgin, and St. Francis of Assisi by Bishop George Széchényi in the year 1649. The main altar, a masterpiece of Barokk art, was carved under the orders of Peter Adam Acsády, Bishop of Veszprém. The saints were donated by Marton Biro, Bishop of Veszprém in 1760. The members of the cloister have served the Hungarians since the thirteenth century. The knights of templar were very active here during the Turkish occupation and many of them were buried here. This Church was the only one that continued the Liturgy during the occupation. The Franciscans fought with their own troops against the Turks. In spite of the sacrifices of the faithful, they have maintained the Church and the Cloister.

Since 1699 the Church has been the scene of many pilgrimages. On February 6th of that year at the intercession of the Lady of Sorrows miracles began to occur, reminding us the prophecy of Isaias, “the blind see, the lame walk, the deaf hear.” A woman of Vienna, inspired by a dream, went to Sümeg and was miraculously cured of her malady. Upon seeing the miracle her servant and coachman were converted to Catholicism. After that there were many more cures, and that brought thousands more people to the Church.

After my 10 o’clock Mass the four of us went up a steep cobbled road to the highest point of Sümeg where once stood a fortress against the Turks. There in one of the taverns we had lunch. We were waited on by people dressed in the costumes typical of the times the people inhabited the fortress. Every seat in the little restaurant was taken. In the comer a couple of gypsies provided musical entertainment. On Monday morning we said goodbye to Sümeg and traveled back to Budapest.

Ghymes is the name of a musical group. Many of us were fortunate to listen to their performance at the United Church of Christ in Wallingford. It was organized by the Hungarian Cultural Society of Connecticut. The small Hungarian church was filled with people awaiting the performance.

The group has five musicians and during the program they play twenty different musical instruments. There are the two brothers Tamás and Gyula Szarka, Mihály Nagy, László Behr and Andor Buják. They came from Bratislava, Slovakia. As no surprise they are Hungarians like many people there. Bratislava used to be called Pozsony and it was the capital of Hungary from the 16th century until 1848.

All five musicians, age 23 to 32, are educators by profession. They attended the same school in different subjects. The common interest in music brought them together. There is a 40 year-old institute in Bratislava called the “Ifjú Szivek Magyar Művész Együttes” - translated “The Youthful Heart Hungarian Art Ensemble.” It is designed to perform children’s programs and it is sponsored by the Slovak State.

The Ghymes Ensemble has been working with this institute for the past ten years. For six of these they were teaching and doing music after work, and for the past four years they became full time members of the Ifjú Szivek.

Now let us talk about their music. It is Hungarian folk music from a vast area of Slovakia and Hungary. Some of the pieces were collected by this group. They present the song by singing it then they broaden the scope of it expanding it from four short lines of the simple tune to our up-to-date musical concepts. They bring it into the realm of jazz, partially using gypsy style in their improvisations. Throughout the performance the original tune is carried on even when the conga drums take over.

The Hungarian language is pretty much on its own in the world. Naturally what goes with this language is difficult to blend in with other cultures. We noticed efforts to break the barrier. This is the one that really sticks out, the one that seems to be on the right track. It makes Hungarian folkmusic palatable to the western youth, but at the same time it gives pleasure to any old Hungarian listener.

All five members are accomplished musicians. They are the quality of a virtuoso, with a heart filled with the love of music, the love of Hungarian music. The Ghymes Ensemble travelled all over the world and we are thankful that they came to America. We wish them success in their future and we hope that they will visit us again.

(J-F-B)

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