Bethlen Naptár, 1957 (Ligonier)
To Our New Generations
200 BETHLEN NAPTÁR To Our New Generations... Three Sacred Heritages Once upon a time..........This is the way story tellers introduce their fantasies and fairytales. These magic words stir up the reader’s mind to anticipate the unusual, the improbable, the whimsical, events about to unfold from the writer’s pen. This story, too, could very well begin with the delightful words “once upon a time”, yet there is one difference: the story of “The Three Sacred Heritages” did not, and will not remain in the realm of fancy and whimsy, because it unfolds a true story of great “Magyar Reformed dreams” realized. “The Sacred Heritages” about which we wish to tell the newer generations are: first, the American Hungarian Reformed churches; second, the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America; and third, the Bethlen Home in Ligonier. Since our Almanac of 1955 gave an account of how and through whom these sacred heritages came into existence, we shall not touch on the historical details again; however, in the 67th. year of our American-Hungarian Reformed Life, when the new generations are rapidly changing places with the first generation, we want to give you a picture of these heritages, and the moral and material wealth they represent individually and collectively. THE FIRST HERITAGE Our first generation pastors and their followers, who left their native land and came to America to seek a happier, freer, and more secure future, founded 140 congregations, built 120 churches, 18 schools, and 110 parsonages. These sacred walls, within which 30,000 Hungarian Reformed people worship to this day, exercising the faith of their ancestors, and adhering to many of their “old country” folk customs: are waiting for heirs. These church buildings in which 20,000 children and young people receive spiritual nurture and religious education in two languages, are waiting for a new generation, faithful to its race and Christian traditions, to expand, develop, and utilize them still further. In addition to the historical, sentimental, and spiritual values found in these sanctuaries, education buildings, and parsonages, a monumental wealth of $7,000,000 is also represented in them. Will there be any among you who will take over, increase, and cherish this abundance of wealth? You will find pictures and short historical digests of most of these churches in the Hungarian section of this almanac. THE SECOND HERITAGE is the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America, celebrating this year, the golden anniversary of its charter. First we would like to have you read what a United States senator wrote about our Federation, and how he helped us obtain our charter 50 years ago; then we will show you our Federation’s present state, and point out its moral and material values.
