Brevis conspectus vitae eius. Tóth Tihamér (Budapest, Korda Rt. Ny., 1940)

a decision to consecrate his life to the care of young men and boys — a decision to teach them and mould them into happy, manly, morally alert gentlemen who, regardless of rank or position would never become traitors to Christ, His Faith, His Church and the principles for which She stands. He began his career by delivering a series of sermons from the pulpit of the University Church entitled, „Letters to My Boys". In addition to taking an active part in organizing boy's clubs and heading various Boy Scout movements, he edited several papers and magazines pertaining to the problems of youth. During the social unrests following the World War I. he devoted unsparingly every living moment in advancing his principles. Although Tihamér Tóth made every effort to teach others he himselt remained a very industrious student. We see him becoming a noted pulpit orator in Budapest as early as 1918. In 1924 he was offered an instuctor's chair at the University of Budapest, and just one year later became head of the Catechetical, Home- litical and Pedagogical departments. Several of his books written on these subjects during this time have been translated and published in numerous foreign languages.

He visited both England and America. Tihamér Tóth will perhaps remain best known for his radio sermons which he first began to deliver on January 31, 1926 from the historic pulpit of his beloved City Church. As thousands upon thousands of letters began coming in this humble pastor began to realize his dream of bringing Christ's consoling Truths to the rich and poor alike who were physically out of reach. Doubtless, his series on „Christ the King", „The Ten Commandments", „Credo", „The Blessed Sacrament", and „The Lord's Prayer" will go down in the annals of Catholic oratory as masterpieces. In October, 1931 the beloved pastor became rector of „Old Central", the seminary he himself attended and loved so dearly. On May 30, 1938, during the International Eucharistic Congress held in Budapest, Tihamér Tóth was presented with a papal bull by papal legate Eugenio Cardinal Pacelli (now His Holiness Pope Pius XII.) appointing him Bishop of Veszprém, one of the most outstanding dioceses of Hungary. His reign as bishop closed abruptly when, after a short, serious illness, on May 5, 1939 death interrupted his extraordinary apostolic career here on earth.

Bishop Tóth is gone, but his memory is as fresh as it was every Sunday and Holiday morning at 10 : 30. A. M. when he mounted the pulpit to give further proof of his conviction that even a modern man can adapt himself to his surroundings and still be a saint. Surely there was northing old-fashioned about this saintly prelate who held such an open admiration for and loved God's modern world so dearly and yet, was an example of piety.

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