Magyar Egyház, 1973 (52. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1973-06-01 / 6-7. szám
14 MAGYAR EGYHÁZ Prayer Delivered by Rt. Rev. Zoltán Beky, In the House of Representatives Rt. Rev. Zoltán Beky, bishop emeritus of the American Hungarian Reformed Church, offered the following prayer: Almighty God, Father of all nations, we stand before Thee in humble reverence as leaders, chosen representatives, and lawmakers of this great Nation. We invoke Thy gracious blessing upon this great assembly. We confess that we are unable to carry the heavy responsibilities of our enormous tasks without Thy help. Give us Thy guidance and wisdom. Our entire world is in turmoil, divided as it is, needs Thy deliverance. Make us all instruments in Thy hand to bring about a better and more peaceful world. We pray for our beloved country, the “Land of the free, and the home of the brave.” We give Thee thanks for our great heritage that is ours in this Nation. We thank Thee that by Thy spirit Thou hast kindled the longing for freedom in the hearts of men. On this day we remember the noble people of Hungary who so gloriously attempted to achieve a free and independent nation 125 years ago. Lord, Thou knowest that their dreams and aspirations have not been fulfilled yet. We beseech Thee to hear their prayers and mercifully grant freedom to all enslaved nations on earth. We pray for our President and all Members of the Congress. Give them Thy wisdom and Thy strength to serve Thee and our country in Thy name. Amen. HUNGARY’S BIG DAY ON THE HILL There is hardly ever a dull moment anywhere in Washington, and never a one at all in the Capitol itself. It is a building so heavy with history, so busy with tomorrow, and so full of the unusual that there is no room for the routine things in life. The other day, for instance, the Capitol became the center of the Hungarian art world with the opening of an exhibition of paintings and sculpture by Hungarian artists who have taken up residence in the United States and other countries. The art works have been placed all over the chambers of the Committee on House Administration of the United States House of Representatives, and will remain there for the next three months. The public will be admitted free to the exhibition. The art show was launched with what is called a gala reception that included cake, cookies, cheese and champagne, and the guests, naturally, included scores of Hungarians. Some of them were famous persons in their own right, but the leading attraction, easily was one of the prettiest Hungarians of them all — Ilona Massey. The former motion picture actress now is more formally and more correctly known as Mrs. Donald S. Dawson, which is not exactly a household name in Budapest, but that didn’t matter to the people who crowded around her at the reception. I was curious as to how the chairman of the Committee on House Administration, Rep. Wayne L. Hays of Flushing, 0., had happened to sponsor a Hungarian art exhibit, and I addressed him on the subject. “Now, sir,” I said, “if you were a congressman from a Cleveland district, I could understand all this. One thing we are not short of in Cleveland is Hungarians. They are very big in the community scheme of things. But what moves a representative from southeastern Ohio to sponsor a Magyar exhibit?” “Cleveland,” said Congressman Hays, “does not have all the Hungarians. We have lots of them in Flushing, Belmont County, and other parts of my district. But that isn’t the reason for this exhibition. These are fine works of art; reason enough to display them.” Congressman Hays was being modest. He is something of a hero to Hungarians in exile. He was in Europe in 1956 at the time of the revolution, and as the story of the ill-fated uprising began to reveal itself, he angrily drove into Hungary and brought out three or four carloads of people trying to escape the Russians. Once some Red soldiers did try to halt the Hays rescue operation, but the Ohio congressman is not known for his sharp tongue on Capitol Hill without reason. He gave the Russians such a tongue-lashing that they fell back in dismay and allowed him to take his Hungarian passengers to safety. Among the Hungarians who made it to America under Hays’ sponsorship were a young couple, Frank and Johanna Lucas, who went on to study at Ohio State University. Mrs. Lucas, a graduate nurse, now in charge of dietetics and the House restaurant, helped to plan and bring together the collection of Hungarian art that forms the Capitol exhibition.
