Fraternity-Testvériség, 1994 (72. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
1994-07-01 / 3. szám
Page 4 TESTVÉRISÉG to serve as the right arm of the Hungarian Reformed churches in America. In 1896 when delegates arrived in Trenton, N.J. to organize the Classis of the Hungarian Reformed Church in America and the HRFA, Kalassay was among the leaders. He became the first secretary of the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America. It was in Trenton that he met the chief elder of the Bridgeport church in Connecticut who extended Kalassay an invitation to serve in their church. Kalassay accepted; he left Mount Carmel, PA and arrived in Bridgeport, CT on September 22, 1896. He stayed with the Bridgeport church for 7 years. During that time, the congregation was able to build a parsonage and its own small church, the first Hungarian church. In the summer of 1897 he organized the first Hungarian summer school for the children of new immigrants. In 1903, when the minister of the Pittsburgh Hungarian Reformed Church returned to Hungary, the congregation asked Kalassay to become their minister. Once in Pittsburgh, he took charge of finalizing the building As secretary of the HRFA and with the help of Emil Nyitray, president, he established the Őrálló, the first official publication of the Federation. Kalassay was the chief editor of the paper till 1899. In 1900, the Őrálló was replaced with the Amerikai Magyar Reformátusok Lapja of which he became the chief editor in 1901. In 1907 when the newspaper was placed under the control of the Hungarian Presbyterian and Reformed Church, Kalassay organized a new publication for the Federation, the Pittsburgh Híradó. In 1908 the Pittsburgh Hungarian Reformed Church, just like many other churches, accepted the help of the Reformed Church of Hungary and became part of the “Csatlakozottak”. When the classis was divided into two regions, Kalassay became Dean of the Western Classis. In 1923 under the leadership of Kalassay, all Hungarian Reformed Churches of the Western Classis, with the exception of one church, returned to the Evangelical and Reformed Church in America (German Reformed Church in America). T he worship service in New York, the second largest city in the world, was most impressive - Hungarian hymns filled the air, Hungarian prayers rose from Hungarian souls, and Hungarian words praised the Lord. of the new church and parsonage, and also helped the congregation solve its great financial difficulties due to the construction of the church. During his years in Pittsburgh, he became a “circuit-rider”, travelling extensively from one coalmine settlement to another serving the Hungarian people with their spiritual needs. Every Sunday for more than 15 years, he preached at 3 different congregations. For 18 years, Kalassay played a significant role in the leadership of the Hungarian Reformed communities in Pittsburgh. In the summer of 1921, he accepted the position oíÁrva atya (supervisor) at the Reformed orphanage in Ligonier, PA. He carried out this task for more than 10 years with no pay. There were times when he had 100-200 children under his care, ranging from ages 1 to 16. He visited regularly the Hungarian Reformed congregations, usually taking with him some of the older children. On such occasions, Kalassay would preach in the day time and the children would entertain the people in the afternoon. Most of the financial needs of the orphanage were collected during such visits. In 1922 Kalassay was awarded the Hungarian Red Cross. In 1931 the Federation established a home for the elderly in Ligonier, PA, with Kalassay as its supervisor. In 1935, when the Convention of the HRFA created the position of Administrator of the Bethlen Home, Kalassay was entrusted with this responsibility. He served in that capacity until the age of 73. After his retirement from active life, he completed 2 volumes on the history of the Hungarian Reformed churches in America, which cover the history of the Hungarian congregations until 1923. He also wrote the history of the HRFA. He served the Joliet, IL congregation until his death at the age of 80. He died in Chicago on May 2, 1950 and was buried in Ligonier, PA. At his funeral, 60 Hungarian Reformed ministers, family members, orphans, the elderly and leaders of the entire American Hungarian Reformed community were present. In his honor, the Federation named the road leading to the Bethlen Home after him - Kalassay Drive - and placed a plaque in his honor on one of the walls of the Home. God blessed the Kalassay family with 8 children, 15 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren. In 1972, at a family reunion in Ligonier, PA, 70 members of the Kalassay family, 30 men and 40 women, were reunited. Julianna Puskas
