Calvin Synod Herald, 2009 (110. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2009-05-01 / 5-6. szám
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD 5 leader in Hungarian history. He was Prince of Transylvania and leader of an anti-Habsburg insurrection in Habsburg Royal Hungary. He pursued an active Protestant-oriented foreign policy, composed hymns, and patronized the arts and learning, especially as concerned the Reformed faith. He founded an academy to which he invited pastors and teachers from Royal Hungary, sent students to the Protestant universities of England, the Netherlands and Germany. He conferred hereditary nobility on all Protestant pastors, and forbade landlords to hinder the education of the children of the serfs. He was elected King of Hungary at the Diet in Besztercebánya but he refused to accept the crown. Gabriel Bethlen was an exceptional man of his time. A zealous Calvinist who boasted he had read the Bible twentyfive times, he was himself ecumenical, and in the tradition of Transylvania (the Edict of Torda, modem name ‘Turda’, in 1568 had granted freedom of religion in Transylvania) assisted the Jesuits in translating and printing their version of the Scriptures. An excellent namesake for our ecumenical Christian mission! Children ’s Home on Fairfield Street in the Borough The relocation of the Children’s Home to Fairfield Street in the Borough of Ligonier took place in the spring of 1941, when they purchased the Brownfield House and added an addition for use as dormitories for the boys, with dedication ceremonies on August 31st of that year. It was then that the old Park Hotel was fully converted into the Old People’s Home. In 1956 a new building was built next to the Children’s Home to be used as an educational wing and for meetings, and this became very important during the Summer School sessions for the next 40 years. A newer addition was added to the Children’s Home in 1957 to accommodate an additional 20 children, dedicated September 3rd of that year. Between 1921 and 1979, the orphanage provided a home for more than 3,000 children. The children received an excellent education in the Ligonier Valley school system, and quite a number excelled both scholastically and in sports. They also had an excellent background in music education and were exposed to Hungarian culture. A favorable number of the residents, equipped with an exceptionally quality education and reared in a culture which strives to achieve, went on to college. The older boys also had the opportunity to work on the farm that supplied both the orphanage and the Old People’s Home with its food. While originally the farm work was done by residents at the Old People’s Home, by the late 1950’s those residents had become too old for this type of labor, as the Bethlen Home Old People’s Department was increasingly a nursing home. So the young men did farm work on the weekends while paid staff person tended to the farm during the week. The variety of backgrounds of the children was also a tremendous asset. Although in the beginning they housed primarily orphans of Hungarian background, over the years the Bethlen Home accepted others who needed their services, both persons of other nationalities and Americans. Many of the residents were young people from troubled homes referred by ministers or others knowledgeable about the advantages and care the Bethlen Home offered. An increasing number of the residents came to the United States after their parents had first emigrated to other countries such as Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Brazil or Argentina, just to mention a few. With the varying experiences these children brought with them, all the residents were enriched with an understanding of other cultures and peoples. The 1956 Revolution in Hungary resulted in a number of young émigrés who had experienced the horror of war at a young age; the Home eventually housed and cared for 40 children who were refugees from the Revolution. The orphanage was a wonderful place, a true “home”, for so many throughout the years it served as a mission of the HRFA and the local congregations. The Children’s Home closed its doors in 1979. The reason for closing was not financial nor lack of dedication. In 1975 the decision had been made to continue the orphanage even at a financial loss: it was declared at that time that “mission is an act of love, our willingness to sacrifice for this is a love in action ”, However, by 1979 the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (like other states) had assumed a more active role in taking responsibility for the care of dependent children, and this mission was taken out of the hands of private concerns such as the Bethlen Home. The former Children’s Home is now owned by Bethlen Communities and utilized as an apartment complex, the Bethlen Apartments. The educational building built in 1956 is rented as office space. Bethlen Home changed its name to Bethlen Communities two years ago to reflect its multifaceted services. In addition to the Bethlen Home Nursing Facility it provides the following services. Retirement Cottages Over the course of the last two decades the Bethlen Home has built 20 cottages in the Bethlen Retirement Village adjacent to the original Nursing Home buildings. They are on a cul-de-sac overlooking Ligonier Valley below, each cottage a duplex with a garage. Residents may cook for themselves or have meals at the nursing home. The services of the nursing home staff are readily available. Ligonier Gardens Personal Care Home The former Fort Ligonier Motel, located at on US 30 (Lincoln Highway) near PA route 711 was converted into a “Personal Care Home” a number of years ago. The Bethlen Home purchased it several years ago, and it is now part of the “continuum of care” program of Bethlen Communities. Other programs of Bethlen Communities Bethlen Communities now has a Home Health Care Service and a Hospice Service serving the community. Summer School Hungarian Summer School began in 1954 under the leadership of Rev. Joseph Kecskeméthy. During the summer months many of the school-year residents of the orphanage stayed with family members, thus there was room available in the orphanage to accommodate young people during the summer. The Home could only accommodate 52 children, and every year the Home had to turn away applicants. The Summer School concentrated on Continued on page 6 I
