Magyar News, 2006. január-május (17. évfolyam, 1-5. szám)
2006-03-01 / 3. szám
-L _ Reverend Ildikó Fodor with the welcome flowers Welcome At the Norwalk, CT Calvin Reformed Church a new minister has arrived to replace Rev. Leslie Martin. She was not a stranger, in the recent years Rev. Ildikó Fodor has been doing the Hungarian service, and was very liked by the congregation. We are happy to see her here and wish her success and good work to keep the Hungarian tradition. We wanted to find out more about hersince she will be a leading factor in our Hungarian community. So here she is: Reverend Mária Ildikó Fodor. Reformed in Modern Society Rev. Mária Ildikó Fodor, the newly elected pastor of the Calvin Reformed Church of Norwalk, has a mission. She came to us from the land of Transylvania, "home of Dracula" and its entire mystic. But she has endured much worse than a vampire's bite, having grown up in the communist society of the Ceausescu regime, she brings to this church her knowledge and cultural background from her Hungarian upbringing. Far from home, having growing up in a small village nestled in the valley of the beautiful Carpathian Mountains, she is now reaching out to the Hungarian community in greater Norwalk to bring them closer to their heritage. Rev. Fodor came to America six years ago, having no English language skills, with a resolve to achieve a master's degree in divinity at New York Theological Seminary. Despite her language challenge, The Calvin Reformed Church in Norwalk Page 4 she graduated one year earlier then the rest of her class. Rev. Fodor says; “This is because of my ‘Székely’ origins, and how we survived the most difficult situations such as Ceausescu's regime. We fought to preserve our language and culture despite the regimes resolve to wipe out the Hungarian community in Transylvania. We were successful in those times, and to me, the challenge of learning a new language and advancing in my studies was part of this resolve to preserve myself, my culture, and my goals." She is now pursuing her Doctorate of Ministry degree at NYTS. According to the American Hungarian Reformed Foundation, there are 40,836 Hungarians living in Connecticut. Most of them are the decendents of the immigrants who came to this county in the late 1800’s, and who established the Calvin Reformed Church in 1893. These decendents found solace in the Hungarian Reformed churches that were active during the time, providing a community of support for adapting into American culture. The Calvin Reformed Church in Norwalk aided hundreds of immigrants and built up a large congregation in the historic South Norwalk (SONO) district. Today, sadly, Hungarians have scattered far and away, and no longer living in SONO near the church. Despite this, the church is still active with a membership of 162. The challenge today, according to Rev. Fodor, is "to bring these Hungarian decendents back to their heritage, first of all through the word of God, and then through our cultural programs." Rev. Fodor's mission is to attract new members, especially young people, to the church. She believes that they will come to discover their beautiful Hungarian heritage and tradition, but also to partake in cultural events, language lessons, crafts, and cooking. This church already has a major annual Hungarian Harvest Fair in November that attracts hundreds of people who enjoy Hungarian food, such as kolbász (sausage), csirke paprikás (chicken paprika), and töltött káposzta (stuffed cabbage). Rev. Fodor expects to succeed because her approach is to “challenge people through my words. Somehow, my messages are new and different, because I am challenging the minds of the younger generation. We have reached the point in this century that whites could learn from blacks, the rich could learn from the poor, and old people could learn from the young. As such, everyone is invited to the congregation, regardless of culture, religious denomination, social status, or race. We always keep in mind our Reformed Calvinist tradition in this modem society"
