William Penn Life, 2006 (41. évfolyam, 2-12. szám)
2006-12-01 / 12. szám
m Mistress of Ceremonies Kati Csornán embraces her father Endre, the WPA’s fraternal director who left his native Hungary after the revolution was quashed by Soviet tanks. Fraternal Director Endre Csornán welcomes some of the ISO guests who attended our Grand Celebration. already in the U.S. prepared to welcome the arriving Freedom Fighters at Camp Kilmer, N.J., and how happy they were to be able to do something for their countrymen. Izabella Youngmayer took our breath away as she recited her poem of the Freedom Fight. She spoke simply and elegantly in a soft voice, not only from memory but straight from the heart. And it truly did "hurt to remember." When the orchestra started playing, the mood changed and the memories once again were locked up in a safe and secure section of our hearts. The dinner which followed was in true Hungarian style, overflowing with the traditional csirke, paprikás, stuffed cabbage, beef pörkölt, breaded pork chops, túrós tészta and krémes. So, we ate and danced and checked out the display tables and paintings depicting the events that brought us together that night. The tables were once again loaded with finger foods, kolbász, paprikás szalonna, tepertős pogácsa, kalács, pastries, bottles of császárkörte, wine and mixed drinksthe finishing touches to our fine meal. Reluctantly, our group had to leave around 11:00 p.m. as we had a three-hour trip ahead of us. The mood on the bus at first was somber and reflective. We all had a great deal to remember and think about. It felt so good, but it also hurt so bad. After a while, there being nothing else to do, we started singing all the old favorite songs with gusto from the bottom of our aching hearts. When we arrived at our cars and departed for our homes, we were aware that this, too, was a historical moment for us. This was our once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to truly dare to open our hearts and let it "hurt to remember." |wpl| Youngstown Hungarians conduct memorial service honoring Freedom Fighters by Mária Aczél Schauer YOUNGSTOWN, OH ~ The day following the WPA's Grand Celebration, about 100 people gathered in Youngstown at the local memorial dedicated to the Hungarian Freedom Fighters, near the statue of Our Lady of Csiksomlyó on the grounds of the Franciscan Friary. Inside the friary's chapel, everyone lit red, white and green candles, which also lined the altar rail, in memory of those who died for the freedom of Hungary. The Youngstown program included a Hungarian Bible reading, Hungarian and American speakers, poems, songs, petitions and—in an especially touching moment—the singing of the "Mi Atyánk" in Hungarian. By the time the service was over, darkness covered the grounds, the wind had died and the night was still. Only the dark shadows of the mighty pine trees were standing guard around the statue of St. Stephen and the Freedom Fights Memorial. As the service ended each person carried a candle to the monument and placed it on a stand, with red candles on top, then white, and the bottom row green. A similarly colored floral arrangement was place on top of the memorial with tri-colored ribbons cascading to the ground. After a short prayer and the singing of God Bless America and the Székely and Magyer Himnusz, we all gathered in the hall for refreshments and fellowship. The following day, two local newspapers carried our story and pictures on the front page. A few of the candles were still burning. |wpl1 William Penn Life, December 2006 7
