Text and photo: Nora B. Toth/Nyiregyhaza DioceseJune 16, 2024 at 2:46 pm
“O Lord our God, […] Grant that the church built in this place to glorify Your Majesty may rise to the top as quickly as possible with Your help, so that its construction may be completely completed through the gift of Your infinite power, so that not only we, who build this holy abode and want to serve You in it, may it be filled with Your blessings. In abundance, but also all the believers of your mother church.”
– Greek Catholic priests in Nyíregyháza-Rozsrétszőlő prayed under the leadership of Bishop Ábel Szocska A., pleading for the building of a new Greek Catholic Church.
The foundation stone of the church was blessed on June 15, between the bare reinforced concrete columns, at the foundation of the district headquarters and the newest church in the Nyirigyahzi Espirisi district. He attended the ceremony with his sponsor, Dr. The main vicar Endrej Janić and the clergy of the region Dr. Rev. György Janka, Attila Bodnar the first organizing pastor of the community, and the host, Rev. Father Csaba Kovacs.
Ministers of the sister denominations, as well as invited guests representing the provincial and city leadership, honored this historic event for the Rozsrét community with their presence. This is in addition to the presence of specialists who helped in planning and implementation and directors of local institutions.
Father Kasba read the time capsule document that will be placed in the cornerstone and which contains the history of the community.
“The priests of the city center cathedral have always served the Greek Catholic life and religious life in Nyérigyháza. At the turn of the millennium, more attention was given to Rozsrétszőlő as the number of local Greek Catholics increased. Parishioner Miklós Milo of the city center, then assistant priest Tamás Szabó, continued the organizational work locally , seeking assistance from the indigenous majority Evangelical community, as in the nearby bush farms and so the venue for the first Holy Masses was provided by the Bethlehem Evangelical House of Prayer on Haglas Street.
In 2009 – when he was still bishop of the province – Metropolitan Archbishop Volop Kocsis entrusted the pastor of the Nyiregyhaza School Attila Bodnar with the pastoral care of the faithful of the Nyiregyhaza-Roszrizzoli faithful. A Greek Catholic chapel was created in the basement of the family home on Fenyő Street, which was dedicated to Saint James, the Lord's relative. The establishment of the Nyíregyháza-rozsrétszőlő Regulatory Agency became official as of 29 December 2013, and since 2014 it has also begun to maintain its own registry.
In 2017, Bishop A. Abel Szczowska appointed Csaba Kovacs as organizing pastor of the community.
In 2019, Egyházmegye purchased the adjacent plot of land at 1 Főzde Street for the purpose of building a church.
On October 20, 2019, at the Holy Farewell Mass in the church, Abel Szczowska A., District Bishop of the Nyérygyházy Diocese, elevated the Greek Catholic organization Rozsrétszőlői to the rank of diocese (by Decree No. 1579/2019). With this event, the parish wrote itself in history, as our main priest established a parish for the first time in his episcopal work.
The jurisdictional area of the new parish is: Rozsrétszőlő, Császárszállás, Butyka, Mandabokor, Kordovánbokor, Alsóbadúrbokor, Bálintbokor and Lóczibokor.
The document was authenticated by Bishop Abel and Father Csaba, and then placed in the capsule along with a new newspaper from Eastern Hungary and a Greek Catholic magazine, as well as coins; Locally produced rye, wheat and grapes, as well as local natural treasures inherent in the name of the settlement (Rozsrétszőlő), which are also components of the Eucharist, were introduced into the urn.
The time capsule was presented by Szocska A. Ábel, Bishop of Nyíregyház District, Csaba Kovács, Diocese Priest of Nyíregyház-Roszrétszőlő, and Dr. It was drawn up by Ildiko Galambos, head of the Nyiregyhaza Traffic Office, and Vasne Harman Gyongye, the local government representative of the area.
In his speech, the Archpastor tried to find an answer to the question asked by many, why this church is needed in today’s world:
“The church is the hospital where the soul can be healed; the temple is the house where God dwells. The church is a road sign that shows you the direction you should take; the church is the path that leads to salvation.”
He experienced God's providence regarding the Pastor's morning program, which helped him answer the question. He met the Ukrainian camp chaplain who gave thanks in Mariabuk along with more than two dozen Ukrainian widows and orphans. The soldiers serving at the front every day instructed them to protect the priest if they did not return home. Shaken and moved, Bishop Appel said the camp pastor promised them that he would lead these (now amputated) families to God.
“We all need a place that brings us closer to God.”
Bishop Appel expressed his joy that the Roman Catholic community was growing stronger, and he thanked for the reception, and offered to the Christian communities in common, if the church were built: They would welcome ministers and faithful here, and there would be a place for them as well.
“Because we all need a place where we can meet God, who comforts us in our difficulties and with whom we can share our joys. We need the Church, because we human beings are created in this way to maintain our connection with the good God who has called us to communion with him. The best place for this relationship is the church”.
At the end of the ceremony, Dr. A celebratory welcome ceremony was held by Ildiko Galambos, Head of the Public Administration Office of Nyiregyhaza, and Vasne Harman Gyongye, Local Government Representative of the area.
Parish priest Csaba Kovacs was welcomed by his followers on the tenth anniversary of his ordination, which Fr. celebrated on this day.
Then they concluded the event with a poem. To commemorate the event, attendees can take home a souvenir card depicting the church layout, and continue the celebration informally at the neighborhood community hall.
The church was scheduled to be built in 131 AD2 The floor area and height will be 12 meters. The plans were drawn up by designer Tamás Csaba Viszoki from Edelenyi, inspired by the model of the Greek Catholic Church in Mezőkövesd, built in 2020, with its modern style and dimensions adapted to the needs of the local community. Contractor: Mihaly Petros. The first phase of its construction will be implemented with government support.
Text and photo: Nora B. Toth/Nyiregyhaza Diocese
Nyiregyhaza Diocese
