Fraternity-Testvériség, 1956 (34. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1956-04-01 / 4-5. szám
26 FRATERNITY KNOW YOUR BETHLEN HOME By Rev. Joseph Kecskemethy, Superintendent Once upon a time . . . This is the way story tellers introduce their fantasies and fairy tales. These magic words stir up the reader’s mind to anticipate the unusual, the improbable, the whimsical, events about to unfold from the dreamer’s pen. This story, too, could very well begin with the delightful words, “once upon a time”, yet there is one difference — the story of the Bethlen Home did not remain in the realm of fancy and whimsy, but unfolded a true story of a great dream realized. It all started back in 1906 when an ambitious young preacher, who was not afraid to envision the future, dared voice his dream of an orphans’ home for Hungarian Reformed children. This man was the late Dr. Alexander Kalassay, whose enthusiasm caught the imagination of some of our first generation pioneers, both clergymen and laymen, and officers of the Hungarian Reformed Federation, our fraternal organization, which allocated the first one thousands dollars to make this dream come true. Some of these pioneers were Dr. Louis Nanassy, who made the original motion to found an orphans’ home; Stephen Molnár, the first secretary of the Federation; the Rev. Stephen Borsos, and Stephen Tomcsanyi. Although this group launched a fund-raising campaign for the project, fifteen years of hard work followed before the dream became a tangible one. And now, thirty-five years after the first orphan was brought to the Bethlen Home, we suddenly realize that the vision grew to proportions such as even the most fanciful dreamers among our pioneers could not have dared dream. From a meager beginning to a half-million dollar institution! This is one of the tangible dreams left to us by a handful of first generation Hungarian Reformed people as a sacred heritage for safe keeping. This institution, representative of the best spiritual qualities of the first generation, must continue to grow and develop to the glory of God, through the newer generations who in turn shall pass it on to their children. Perhaps many of you have already had the privilege of helping to support our one and only institution for Hungarian Reformed children and old people. There may be others of you who do not know enough about this institution to have cared too much about it. I am sure, however, that if you become acquainted with its history, its charitable services, its life and work during the past 35 years, you will want to share in its support and development. At a meeting of the Federation held in Buffalo, New York, in 1919, the fund-raising committee reported encouraging results in cash gifts and pledges. Upon this report the delegates accepted the plans for the setup of the orphange and resolved that each adult member of the Federation would pay five cents per month toward the support of the proposed institution.
