Magyar Egyház, 1988 (67. évfolyam, 2-4. szám)
1988-05-01 / 3. szám
10. oldal MAGYAR EGYHÁZ COMMEMORATION OF THE 950TH ANNIVERSARY OF KING STEPHEN I'S DEATH A memorial commission was appointed to observe the 950th anniversary of the death of St. Stephen, founder of the Kingdom of Hungary. István Sarlós, president of the Hungarian Parliament chairs the commission. The establishment of the memorial committee represents the wish of the Hungarian authorities to have national, as opposed to exclusively religious celebrations. It is the intention of the committee to use the celebrations to promote Hungarian national consciousness not only in Hungary, but also countries where there are large Hungarian minorities. This could create tensions between Hungary and some neighboring states, such as Romania and Czechoslovakia, which do not encourage the cultivation of Hungarian national consciousness as a matter of policy. The former Prime Minister and influential senior statesman, Gyula Kallai, stated, however, that a statute law of 1938 calling for promoting the memory of St. Stephen remains valid. Reformed Bishop Dr. Karoly Toth is a member of this commission. He considers it a great change that has taken place in Hungary that he, a Protestant bishop is a member of this commission. The Ecumenical Council of Churches in Hungary issued a Festive Declaration in conjunction with the planned commemoration. It says, among others: “We regard with reverence our first king, Stephen I, who founded and organized the first Hungarian State in Europe. This meant the integration of our people into the community of the cultured nations of Europe. He put an end to the forces of tribal rivalry and laid down the foundations of a unified Hungarian nation. “It is the same high regard we have for his act of converting our Hungarian people to Christianity. .. . Both nationhood and European integration have belonged from the beginning to the historical mission of our people---“Together with... our Catholic brothers and sisters we joyfully celebrate the life work of King Stephen.. .. We regard the religious veneration of King Stephen I. as an internal matter of the Roman Catholic Church. [The] reverence of the Protestant member churches is by no means identical with a ‘dulia’ of the saints and their relics... such a cultic regard would be alien to the theories of Protestant theology. “The Ecumenical Council of Churches of Hungary will arrange a special commemoration to observe the 950th anniversary of the death of Stephen I.” WORTH QUOTING MAX THURIAN, one of the foundinp members of the widely known ecumenical community of Taizé (France) has become a Roman Catholic priest. Thurian had been a Reformed theologian. Thurian continues as a member of the Taizé community. (EPS) A ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST, formerly a soldier in Vietnam, who later “found peace” as a priest, is staying in Thailand occasionally visiting the US but remaining an expatriate: “I was sent out here by the United States to fight communist aggression. I was sent back by Jesus Christ to fight for peace.” ASSOCIATE MINISTER NEEDED FOR HUNGARIAN REFORMED CHURCH ALLEN PARK, MICHIGAN Our Senior Minister Rt. Rev. D. Abraham, Bishop E. has decided to retire in September of 1988. The current Associate Minister Rev. Imre A. Bertalan will then become the Senior Minister. The Associate Minister position will be open at that time and applications are being accepted. The Associate will primarily be for the Hungarian Language Ministry. A job description will be furnished upon request. Reply to: The Pulpit Committee Hungarian Reformed Church 9901 Allen Road, Allen Park, Ml 48101 TO RUSSIA WITH LOVE CARDS FROM AMERICAN CHILDREN MARK ORTHODOX MILLENNIUM By Dina Morello Ever tell a Russian you love him or her? Thousands of American children did this year with handmade birthday cards for Russian children in honor of the 1,000th anniversary of the Russian Orthodox Church. The cards are part of the “Crayon Brigade,” a childto-child, church-to-church peace effort conducted through the National Council of Churches to celebrate the Russian Orthodox Church’s millennium. The “Crayon Brigade” was conceived and initiated by Suzanne Nagel, who attends Trinity Episcopal Church in New York. After contacting the NCC to ask whether participants in its six travel seminars to the Soviet Union would be willing to take “birthday cards” to Russian Orthodox children, Nagel contacted a large number of churches and denominations inviting them to send cards made by Sunday school children to the NCC. An article in the March 1988 issue of “Guideposts,” an interdenominational magazine published monthly by Norman Vincent Peale, generated much of the massive response to the project. To date, the project has received more than 25,000 cards from 3,000 different groups. Not only church groups have become involved, said Nagel, but Brownies, Cub Scouts and a wide range of other youth groups. Colorful and joyful, most the cards are decorated with crosses, hearts, flags, birthday cakes, balloons, confetti, trees, flowers and smiling faces. Many say “I love you” or “I like you.” Cards have come from children from all 50 states and from U.S. outposts abroad, such as the Bitburg Air Force base in West Germany. Children of every age, ranging from early pre-school to late teens, have become involved in the project. In recent weeks, the number of cards arriving at the NCC has built to more than 1,000 cards each day. The cards, filling several mailbags each day, amount to one third of the mail received by the NCC.
