Fraternity-Testvériség, 1987 (65. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
1987-01-01 / 1. szám
Page 8 TESTVÉRISÉG that love does not make anything easy but it makes everything possible. We can, therefore, say that to uphold its 90 year old loyalty to Hungarian and Reformed faith and cultural character has not been easy for the Federation but we are witnessing that it has been and still is possible.” Reverend Zoltán Király, Bishop of Calvin Synod, U.C.C. — “Accept our gratefullness for having a Home, a center from which all our fraternal activities could be directed . . . give us opportunities to serve communities, to build churches, institutions, to help families in building their dreams into realities, to help students to advance in their studies, to help the aged, the elderly and the retired, that they are not forgotten or lonely . . . give us a mind to understand the aspirations and needs of others... we dedicate the building, all our life and activities to You, oh God, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” — excerpts from the dedication prayer. Right Reverend László Irány, Bishop of all Hungarian Roman Catholics outside of Hungary — “This celebration is dear to us because many of us, including myself, are active, interested members and thus our hopes for the future are strengthened with the ideas and manifested service of the Federation.” The complete text of Bishop Irany’s message is elsewhere in this issue. On behalf of the Honorary National Officers and honorary directors László Eszenyi extended greetings and good wishes. Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Syposs (Buffalo, NY) and Mr. and Mrs. William Szuch (Sharon, PA) former Board of Directors were present (together they represent more than 90 years of service to the Federation). Zoltán Bo- csay and his wife (Cleveland) represented the Hungarian Boy Scouts and presented the distinguished citation — the Teleki Emblem to President Bertalan. Branch Managers, including Julius Simon from the Chicago area and the Reverend John Paul Nagy from Florida — as well as members i.e., William Sontra from Norwalk, CT, made the extra effort to attend this special celebration! Branch #300 members were honored with plaques of appreciation: Steve Ebner, architect- builder, for his unselfish dedication to the restoration of the Home Office; he spent many hours checking on the work and gave, without any compensation, of his expertise. And Erzsébet and Herman Thuleweit, owners of the Csikós Restaurant, for their manifold contributions to the community. The highlight of the evening was the performance of the Budapest Sring Quartet which happened to be on a concert tour in Washington and the joyful presentation of the songs and instruments of the Hungarian Folk Ensemble of New York, under the leadership of Kalman Magyar captivated the hearts of the audience. Along with representatives of Washington’s Hungarian organizations and friends of the Federation the room was filled to capacity. The HRFA has returned to the Washington area — every day it reminds the passer-by of the presence of Hun- garian-Americans! Whenever you and your family visit the capital city of our nation, be sure to include a stop at the Kossuth House, Dupont Circle. You can’t miss it — the American and Hungarian flags fly from the top of the building. This building stands for the same ideals Kossuth proclaimed more than one hundred years ago — liberty and human rights for all people of all nations. (An Observer) The two-fold celebration was concluded with a service of Thanksgiving on Sunday, November 23rd, at 10:00 am at the chapel of Wesley Seminary on Massachusetts Avenue. The members of the Board, friends, guests and the members of the Washington Magyar congregation worshipped God and recalled that fifty years ago the first Hungarian language church service had taken place in Washington, DC. One person in the congregation had attended both services. Elizabeth Komaromy Stant agreed to share her thoughts with us and the following essay is the result. EARLY WASHINGTON YEARS OF THE HRFA When my “Testvériség” arrived with the picture of the new Hungarian Reformed Federation of America’s office on the front cover, my mind immediately went back to 1934. What a coincidence that in fifty years the office had returned to where it had started. It was in 1934 that the Commissioner of the Insurance Department of the District of Columbia decreed that any company having its charter in the capital of the United States would have to have its main office there. In order to hold on to the charter, the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America had to have a semblance of an office in Washington during the interim until the membership could make a decision at its next convention. The board met in March, 1934 and decided to send me to Washington to represent the Federation.
