Magyar News, 1993. szeptember-1994. augusztus (4. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1993-09-01 / 1. szám
Magyar News Monthly Publication in Cooperation of the local Hungarian Churches & Organization THE FAR RESOUNDING VOICE FROM A SMALL HUNGARIAN CHURCH We respond to changes in two ways. Depending on whether they add onto what we have, or take away from it. If our status quo changes because we accomplished things or we were favored to our benefit, then it makes us happy. If we have a loss or things don’t go in our favor, then we feel down. Also there are the changes that we really don’t know where to put. Such as, if somebody, after a lifetime of devoted work, retires. We are happy for the person that he is relieved from the everyday demands, and he could take time to look back onto his past. But then again this change affects our usual way of life. We don’t find this person where he used to be. Probably he is replaced with a new, unfamliar face. We lost something we had. At this point, we are saying good-by to Rev. Dr. Alexander Havadtöy, as the pastor of Calvin United Church of Christ in Fairfield. Fortunately we are not departing from Rev. Havadtöy, because he will reside in our area and be part of our Hungarian community. This community is made up of many people whose life has been touched by Dr. Havadtöy, and his memory is filled with the images and events of 33 years of service. He married 170 couples, baptized 240 children, he gave far over 4200 sermons, and in his line of duty buried 404 people. As a young man he came to the United States, accepted this position, and loyally held on to it over three decades. His philosophy of loyalty is a family tradition. All his forefathers were Protestant ministers since the reformation. Not just the father, grandfather, but the great one too, then the great-greatoneand the great-greatgreat- and on and on. They were all devoted to serving God and it was their tradition to serve the nation. In 1222 Endre II, in the year of the Golden Bull, awarded the ancestor of the family for heroic deeds with a sword and the town called Havadtö. It was given to Vitéz (hero) András. The family still has the sword in their possession. Their outstanding citizenship went on for centuries and during the hard times of wars they risked their lives by saving others. One would think that staying with a small ethnic church limits a person in his activities and his impact on the world. Nobody could say that about Dr. Havadtöy. He had leading roles in national and regional church organizations and in community affairs. He was presenting his case at the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, relentlessly fighting for the Hungarian cause and especially for the Hungarians in Transylvania. Through Radio Free Europe, a radio broadcast organization for Hungary and Eastern Europe, he filled the listeners with hope in their desperate situation. After the collapse of the Communist regime he visited Hungary and Transylvania, met tens of thousands of worshipers who all knew who he was. The countless numberof people knew the voice of this pastor of a small Hungarian church in Fairfield, CT. It was Dr. Havadtöy who called the world’s attention to the indescribable actof the Romanian government. The World Council of Churches, in an effort to help the Hungarian minority in Romania practice their religion in their mother tongue, sent 20,000 Hungarian Bibles to Transylvania. The Communist government confiscated continued on page 3 Reverend Dr. Alexander Havadtöy ad- it• Budapest. Below a view of the over dressing the World Reformed Conference 30,000 participants. Jackie Durr ell, Fir st Selectman, and Dr. Havadtöy at the Tatabanya ceremonies.
