The Eighth Tribe, 1976 (3. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1976-02-01 / 2. szám
Page 6 THE EIGHTH TRIBE February, 1976 pated American financial aid. It was enough to pass a sentence on him and to put him in jail. This communist justice exposed him to extreme physical and spiritual anguish for 20 months. He wrote the following of those times: “The time in jail meant humiliation and suffering. But not only that. It served for meditation, too, and for the inward experiencing of the fellowship of faith. I ivas always convinced that I was sustained by the prayers of the brethren. And this was a source of strength and joy in the faith.” After he had been freed he was yet under house arrest for six years. Any pastoral function was denied of him. And upon the pressure of the regime the Lutheran Church stripped him from his office and rank. But new winds started to blow... and shortly before the 1956 Revolution the government declared his rehabilitation. The church followed suit. He regained his see as the senior (and thus presiding) bishop of the Lutheran Church. In 1957 he had the opportunity to lead a small delegation to the Third Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation, held in Minneapolis, where he was elected as first vice-president. His travels here gave cause for jubilation. Many people were happy to make the acquaintance of this hero of the faith. Love and esteem surrounded him everywhere. In consequence of the crushing of the Revolution, the relationship between state and church became worse and worse. Under a retroactive decree Bishop Ordass was removed from his office in the late spring of 1958. Ever since he lives in seclusion in his apartment in Budapest. His health deteriorated greatly. His removal evoked protest throughout the world. At that time the Lutheran World Federation published the following communique: “We regard the removal of Bishop from his office as the concluding act of events which were staged upon the pressure of the government. His office might have been taken from him, but the respect which is due to his Christian hearing from all the world cannot be taken away from him. Rather, our admiration increases more and more at his uncompromising stand. It is self-understood that in spite of the situation Bishop Ordass will remain the first vice-president of the Lutheran World Federation.” A Swedish archbishop had this to say: “Bishop Ordass’ faithfulness to his Savior shall be an example for every Christian.” There’ll be no great celebration at his 75th birthday. Yet, following Biblical injunction: “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God ... and imitate their faith” (Hebrews 13:7), people of every walk of life, of many confessions, and of diverse races, remember this great man of God in their heart, and carry him in prayer through thanksgiving and intercession. We thank God for these 75 years. We salute Bishop Ordass and wish him grace and peace. jze/bbp ☆ ☆ ELMER CHARLES HONORED Elmer Charles, national president of the William Penn Association, has been selected the First Annual “Fraternalist of the Year” by the Fraternal Societies of Greater Pittsburgh, Pa. Mr. Charles will be honored at a banquet on Saturday, March 13, at 6 P.M., in the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Community Auditorium, 310 W. North Ave., Pittsburgh, Pa. Mr. Charles has been president of the William Penn Association since 1963. The William Penn Association is the largest Hungarian fraternal society in the nation, with 72,000 members. The “Fraternalist of the Year” joined the Hungarian Association 40 years ago, serving as an officer in his Springdale, Pa. branch before joining the national association in 1950. He assumed the national presidency 13 years ago. The honoree is a chief elder of the United Church of Christ, Sringdale; a lifetime member of the Springdale Volunteer Fire Dept.; director of the American-Hungarian Studies Foundation; member of the Field Managers Association of the National Fraternal Congress; executive committee member of the Pennsylvania Fraternal Congress and president of the William Penn Scholarship Foundation. He attended Carnegie Institute of Technology and has completed courses of study at Penn State. Purdue and Southern Methodist Universities.
