Kaján Imre (szerk.): Zalai Múzeum 21. Emlékkötet Mindszenty József tiszteletére. Muzeológiai tanulmányok Zala megyéről (Zalaegerszeg, 2013)
Tanulmányok Mindszenty Józsefről - Béres Katalin: Mindszenty József és Zalaegerszeg kulturális élete
76 Béres Katalin 1929-1944 között. In: Győri iskolatörténeti millennium ’96. Tanulmánykötet. Szerk.: Mészáros István. Győr, 1996. 19-24. MAKOVECZ TAMÁSNÉ 2001 Makovecz Tamásné: A zalaegerszegi Notre Dame Női Kanonok- és Tanító-rend iskoláinak története. (Szakdolgozat) Zalaegerszeg, 2001. MÁTRAHÁZI 1991 Mátraházi Zoltán: A Notre Dame Női Kanonok- és Tanítórend zalaegerszegi „ Gróf Klebelsberg ” R.K. Tanítóképző intézetének, leánylíceumának története. (Szakdolgozat) Zalaegerszeg, [DFMK..] 1991. PAKSY 2011 Paksy Zoltán: Zalaegerszeg társadalma és politikai élete 1919-1939. Zalaegerszeg, 2011. /Egerszegi Füzetek 13./ PESTHY 1931 Pesthy Pál: Zalaegerszeg múltja és jelene. Zalaegerszeg, 1931. TÓTH 1995 Tóth József: Mindszenty (Pehm) József zalaegerszegi évei. 1995. Kézirat. ZML 30/122. TYEKVICSKA [é.n.] Tyekvicska Árpád: „Ahogy régen, most is boldog voltam velük” Mindszenty (Pehm József) és Zalaegerszeg. In: Zala megye ezer éve. Szerk.: Kostyál László. Zalaegerszeg, [é.n.] 246-255. József Mindszenty and the cultural life of Zalaegerszeg József Pehm (Mindszenty), the parish priest of Zalaegerszeg, had a great influence on the cultural and social life of the town. To achieve this, the press was his most important tool besides the pulpit. In the autumn of 1918 he had already started his own newspaper, the Zala County News. He organized a printing company to make its publication possible, and he was the intellectual leader of the newspaper until 1944. The paper became not only the political mouthpiece of the parish priest, but it also turned into the organizer of the cultural life of Zalaegerszeg and the educator of its readers. Zalaegerszeg had no cultural infrastructure between the two world wars, so the education and entertainment of the citizens happened in various types of societies. The parish priest arranged the residents into religious associations besides the secular societies, where beyond undertaking devotional and charitable activities they led an intense cultural life. For the abbot parson the Ecclesiastical Choir and Music Association seemed to be the kindest one from among the town’s associations. The choir took part in the national song competitions from the beginning, from 1921, and won glory for the town with a lot of success. József Pehm participated as an active contributor in the extracurricular cultivation highly promoted and supported by the cultural policy. He became the member of both the Zala county Extracurricular Public Education Committee as well as the committee in Zalaegerszeg, and he often held presentations at lecture series whose aim was to improve general knowledge. Amateur theatricals were the most popular and successful form of the contemporary public education, which was fully supported by the abbot parson. Theatre groups were organized almost in all associations, and they learned plays and performed them for their own and their peers’ pleasure or usually for charitable purposes. Since the town did not have a stage or banqueting hall for the presentation of theatrical performances, József Pehm had the Catholieh House enlarged and equipped it with a modem stage and modem stage craft. He changed its name to House of Culture, which could also be rented for secular purposes, certainly with strict censorship. The Göcsej Association was organized with the cooperation of the parish priest in 1942 with the aim of collecting the values of Göcsej being on the brick of destruction, which became the foundation of the Göcsej Museum. Settling the Order of Notre Dame to Zalaegerszeg, constructing schools and the friary, and organizing the all girls’ schools and the teacher-training school working inside it could be considered the most effective and still enduring work of the abbot parson. Zalaegerszeg enriched itself not only with a new and imposing building, but the problems of the town public education also decreased with the establishment of elementary and higher elementary schools. The most important element of the school complex was the teachertraining school, which supported the development of the Göcsej area, the backward region related to the city. The women teachers who graduated from it were also prepared to carry out the tasks of the extracurricular public education besides providing primary education in the institution. Generations are grateful to them for acquiring the ability of reading and writing. Translated by Lívia Simmer
