Father Ferenc Deák (or Deák atya, in Hungarian) died yesterday. He served Our Lady of Hungary Parish in Montreal from 1975 to 2007 and played a truly formative role in the lives of those of us who grew up in the eighties and nineties. He baptised me in 1981, I had my first communion with him in 1988 and then […]
We know from the revelations of the past nearly two decades that some of the men who joined the Roman Catholic priesthood were socially and emotionally maladjusted, and used their position of authority to abuse the most vulnerable in their community. There are also today a number of priests, sometimes younger ones, who not only subscribe privately to the most […]
Hungarian Americans in Los Angeles won’t celebrate together this March 15th. Hungary’s most important National Holiday commemorates the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 that grew into a war for independence from the Catholic Habsburg rule. Instead there will be two commemorations at different locations on the same day, at almost the same time. The “official” event is sponsored by the Hungarian […]
Father Mihály Kardos has spent the last four years of his life in a medical facility for the homeless in Szeged run by the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta. With both of Fr. Kardos’ legs amputated, the elderly priest needs assisted living and care. Four years ago, he was given the option of living in a much […]
For the past several months, despite continuing to edit this journal, I try to keep to the principle of moderation when it comes to Hungarian politics and political news emanating from Budapest. I do that by actively tuning out for at least part of each weekend. For one, I am reading many more books than before (primarily literary fiction) and […]
I grew up in the Hungarian city of Debrecen, about 150 miles east of the capital Budapest, near the Romanian border. Every day going to school I walked past the Statue of the Galley Slaves erected in the garden behind the Great Reformed Church. To be frank, I didn’t know the story of the column which was commissioned over a […]
I wrote last year about the importance of August 20th, Hungary’s National Holiday which is celebrated by Hungarians all over the world. (Read here.) August 20th is St. Stephen’s Day, when we remember Stephen I, the founder and first king of Hungary who ruled 1000-1038 and was canonized on August 20, 1083 by Pope Gregory VII. It has become an […]
This weekend we celebrate the birth of John the Baptist. John was a prophet, sent to proclaim God’s word to Israel, to remind them of their vocation as God’s People and to announce the coming of the Messiah. Like John the Baptist and all the prophets who came before and after him, we too are called to a prophetic ministry […]
Joe Gunn is the Executive Director of a Christian faith-based public policy organization in the Canadian capital, Ottawa, called Citizens for Public Justice (CPJ). His group’s advocacy work in democratic reform, anti-poverty initiatives, refugee rights and ecological justice are initiatives valued by HFP, as well as by many civil society organizations in Hungary–though admittedly, in the Hungarian context the faith-based […]
March 15th is Hungary’s most important National Holiday. It is not a religious occasion. It commemorates the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 that grew into a war for independence from the Habsburg rule. From the Catholic Habsburg rule. The Hungarian Consulate of Chicago has sent out an invitation to a March 15th celebration taking place at Saint Stephen King of Hungary […]
