|
1893 |
The Slovak &
Hungarian Catholics joined together to build St.
Mary’s Assumption Church and later with the help
of the Kingdom of the old country built the
present church. |
|
1898 |
On March 20th St.
Elizabeth’s Ladies Society was founded. |
|
1902 |
The Hungarian parish is
founded by Rev. Geza Messerschmidt, the first
Pastor of the church. Dec. 2, 1902 – Dec. 20,
1911.
The first funeral Dec. 24:
Terez Schuster.
The first Mass and Baptism Dec.
25th, Elizabeth Berki. |
|
1903 |
Jan. 14th the
Passaic St. Ann Ladies Altar Society was
founded.
First marriage January 18th
– Karoly Molnar and Maria Krivda.
March 31st
official incorporation of the parish under St.
Stephen’s R.C. Magyar Church,
Passaic, NJ.
May 1st St.
Stephen’s Church cornerstone was laid.
|
|
1904 |
May 22nd the first
Mass in the church.
July 26th the
consecration of the Main Altar – gift of St.
Ann’s Altar Society.
August 21st
Church is consecrated.
The church choir was formed under
the name of St. Mary’s. |
|
1905 |
The carpet for the sanctuary
and the tabernacle was given by the St. Ann
Altar Society.
Nov. 20th a new
society was formed - The First Hungarian St.
Stephen Roman & Greek Catholic Sick & Benefit
Society of Passaic. |
|
1906 |
The pews are installed. |
|
1908 |
March Rev. Geza Messerschmidt
started a weekly newspaper “Hajnal”. |
|
1909 |
The
record number of Baptism in the church history –
248. |
|
1910 |
July 26th the two side
altars were consecrated: The Most Sacred Heart
and the Blessed Virgin Mary, a gift of St. Ann’s
Altar Society. Rev. Geza Messerschmidt in
memory of the Altar Society donated to the
church a St. Ann Altar. |
|
1911 |
Rev. Janos Schimko became Pastor
(Dec. 21, 1911-Oct. 8, 1913). |
|
1913 |
March 24th the 10th
Anniversary of St. Ann’s Altar Society.
Rev. Louis Kovacs becomes the
Pastor (Oct. l5, 1913 – Sept. 1, 1915).
|
|
1914 |
Jan. Rev. Louis Kovacs
invites from Hungary the Sisters of Divine
Charity to help with the spiritual needs of the
parish. In February the C.C.D. and Hungarian
School were started.
and the First Communion was held
in May with 40 children. |
|
1915 |
Rev. Joseph Marczinko
becomes Pastor (Sept.2, 1915 – 1932).
Nov. 25th the 10th
Anniversary of The First Hungarian St. Stephen
Roman & Greek Catholic Sick & Benefit Society of
Passaic. – they helped many widows and orphans
in the parish. |
|
1918 |
In May the organ was installed
after successful fundraising by the parish. |
|
1922 |
The Boy Scouts of America Troop
31 of St. Stephern’s Church was founded. (till
1985). |
|
1925 |
November 15th the
Rectory next to the church was built. |
|
1926 |
At he Eucharistic Congress in
Chicago the Hungarian delegates were present.
who were important in Hungarian church history
(two who are already beatificated) –Most Rev.
Janos Cardinal Csernoch, Rev. Tihamer Toth, Rev.
Zoltan Meszlenyi, Rev, Janos Scheffler.
Rev. Janos Scheffler, Professor
and later beatificated Bishop of Szatmar
celebrated Mass on St. Stephen’s Feast Day.
|
|
1927 |
St. Stephen’s Athletic Union was
founded. |
|
1928 |
The 25th Silver
Jubilee of the Parish was celebrated.
Dr. Erno Brody, Hungarian
Congressman visits the church. |
|
1930 |
Holy Name Society was formed and
during the Second World War the Society was
divided into Hungarian & English. |
|
1932 |
Rev. James Raile becomes the
Pastor till 1933 when the Hungarian Jesuit
Privince called him home.
|
|
1933 |
Social Sister from Canada
came to the church for a short time.
Rev. William Furlong became
the Administrator (in 1938 again).
Rev. Janos Gaspar becomes the
Pastor. (Sept 1933 – Feb. 21, l963). |
|
1934 |
Rev. Janos Gaspar calls thr
Sister of Divine charity back. |
|
1936 |
September the cornerstones of
the school and the auditorium were laid. |
|
1937 |
March 15th the
auditorium and Sept 19th the school
were consecrated.
The school building was used for
Hungarian education.. |
|
1938 |
St. Stephens Drum & Bugle Corps
was formed. |
|
1939 |
The St. Stephen’s Drum &
Bugle Corps leads the Hungarian Societies at the
Holy Name
Societies parade. |
|
1940 |
The first temporary convent
is opened.
Oct. 27th Dr. Otto
Hubsburg visits St. Stephen’s church. |
|
1941 |
The new convent is consecrated
which became home for the sisters till 1950. |
|
1942 |
On May 30th Rev.
Andrew Molnar was ordained as a priest. He was
the son of our organist Endre Molnar. He said
his first Mass on May 31st at St.
Stephen’s and he was the first associate Pastor
between 1945-1954 |
|
1945 |
Sixty new stained glass
windows were installed.
New heating system for the
church was installed.
The Hero Altar was erected with a
picture by a Polish painter. |
|
1946 |
The interior of the school
was rearranged
The regular daily English
school started with 30 pupils.
The church decoration
continues with wall paintings which was done in
6 months.
Rev. John Gaspar celebrated his
25th Anniversary of his Ordination,
Pope Pius XII sent him a congratulatory
telegram. |
|
1947 |
New floor was installed in
church. |
|
1948 |
New lighting system installed
in church.
The pews were refurbished
and the kneelers were cushioned.
One hundred seventeen were
confirmed. |
|
1949 |
New Stations of the Cross
were installed in church. The old Stations were
buried in the Rectory garden.
On Dec. 21st the St.
Stephen School students recorded Hungarian
Christmad Carols which were broadcasted in
Europe on the “Voice of America.” |
|
1950 |
The new Rectory was built. The
old one became a convent with a Chapel and the
sisters moved in. |
|
1951 |
St. Stephen’s Drum & Bugle Corps
were the State Champions. |
|
1952 |
The 50th Golden
Anniversary.
There are 300 students in
our school therefore the space is not enough.
The church purchased a 6-family house on 211
Third St. which served as temporary classrooms
till 1966 when the building was demolished.
The church interior was damaged
by fire. |
|
1953 |
The church was restored with
new stained glass windows on the right side.
On Dec. 25th John
Foster Dulles, US Foreign Minister, sent a
telegram to sympathize with those gathered in
the church on the occasion of the 5th
Anniversary of the imprisonment of Cardinal
Mindszenty. |
|
1956 |
After the Oct. 23rd
Hungarian Revolution many refugee parishioners
came to this community. |
|
1957 |
The church collected and
sent $27,000. and 13,000 pounds of clothing to
help Hungarians in the camps in Austria
St. Stephern’s Church Choir
is formed with the leadership of Julia Bartko
till 1979 and after
was taken over by George
Mattysovszky.
On Dec. 18th St.
Stephen’s Freedom Bell was dedicated in memory
of 1956 Revolution Freedom Fighter heroes . To
have three bells was the dream of Rev.
Messerschmidt. |
|
1958 |
By the help of the Hungarian
Holy Name Society, the Hungarian School
restarted.
Between Oct. 5-26th
the Parish celebrated Rev. Janos Gaspar’s
installation as a Pastor. Ferenc Vandor wrote a
play of the life of Rev. Gaspar which was
performed by 12 people. A summary of the Rev.
Gaspar’s 25 years in Passaic: 1535 Masses, 1122
First Communions, 2238 Rosaries, 779 Stations of
the Cross, the Parish consisted of around 6,000
people from 1200 families. |
|
1963 |
Feb. 21st Rev.
Janos Gaspar passed away.
Rev. Anthony Dunay became the new
Pastor till May 29, 1977.
|
|
1964 |
Rev. Dunay’s 25th
Anniversary as a Priest. |
|
1965 |
Daily Mindszenty Hungarian School
was formed with more than 100 children. The
Hungarian Holy Name Society was responsible for
the financial support. |
|
1966 |
Between 1966 and 1967 during the
construction of the addition to the school, the
students were guests of the Hungarian Reformed
Church at the invitation of Dr. Aladar Komjathy,
Ref. Church Pastor. |
|
1967 |
April 9th the new
addition of the school with 6 classrooms and the
cafeteria was completed. |
|
1968 |
Feb. 24th the First
“Megyebal” was held. The last in 1986. |
|
1973 |
The 70th
Anniversary was celebrated with a huge folklore
exhibition.
On Oct. 27th was the
Hunter’s (Vadasz) Ball. |
|
1974 |
May 19th The parish
welcomes Most Rev.Jozsef Cardinal Mindszenty.
The church choir wrote and
performed songs at the Cardinal’s Mass.
In the fall five neighboring
schools was emerged by the Diocese forming the
Passaic Catholic Regional School. All grades
were held here. |
|
1976 |
The Mindszenty Hungarian
School was transformed into Churchbrothers
Hungarian School. The classes were held in
Calvin Hall and was financed by St. Stephen’s
Church.
A new study group was formed
called Cardinal Mindszenty as a part of the
Cardinal Mindszenty Foundation from Missouri
with Ethel Jaskot as President. |
|
1977 |
The parish mourns the death
of Rev. Anthony Dunay, May 29th.
Rev. John Cusack becomes the
Administrator till 1978. |
|
1978 |
Rev. Bela Torok becomes the
Pastor till July 29, 1990.
The Parish celebrates the 75th
Anniversary. The choir performs together with
Zoltan Zorandy and his 12 piece orchestra at the
mass. The American Congress welcomes the pastor
and the parishioners of the church on the
Diamond Jubilee. |
|
1979 |
The American Hungarian weekly
newspaper, “Katolikus Magyarok Vasarnapja”
dedicates its March 18th edition to
St. Stephen’s RC Magyar Church 75th
Anniversary. |
|
1981 |
Feb. 21st the American
Hungarian Museum opened its doors at the former
convent building till Dec. 1986 when they moved
out. |
|
1983 |
On October 11 the parish
welcomed Most Rev. Laszlo Iranyi and 22 priests
for the American-Hungarian Priest's meeting.
On November 27th the parish
celebrates its 80th Anniversary with Most Rev.
Laszlo Iranyi, Bishop of Hungarian catholics
living abroad of Hungary.
In November the Hungaian School
moved back to St Stephern’s School classrooms
and changed the name to St. Stephen’s Hungarian
School. |
|
1987 |
The Auditorium roof was destroyed
by fire. |
|
1989 |
The parish welcomes Most.
Rev. Laszlo Cardinal Paskay of Hungary, Sept. 28th.
October 30th the first
four children stricken with heart problems
arrived in the convent building as part of the
“Gift of Life” program. They were sponsored by
parishioners and the Rotary Club. Until the
convent building was restored in 1990, the
Keresztes family welcomed them. |
|
1990 |
May 19th the new
and restored auditorium was reopened and named
the Cardinal Minszenty Cultural Center.
On July 29th Rev.
Bela Torok’s farewell celebration.
October 7th Rev.
Stephen Mustos, Sch.P, was installed as Pastor
by Most Rev. Frank Rodimer, Bishop of Paterson
and Most Rev. Attila Mikloshazy, Bishop of
Hungarian catholics living abroad of Hungary.
|
|
1993 |
The convent was renamed as St.
Elizabeth Home. Our parishioner. George Pandi’s
wood carving was blessed and placed in the
Chapel. |
|
1994 |
On Dec. 3rd the
parish celebrates its 90th
Anniversary. |
|
1995 |
The organ was restored. |
|
1996 |
The church had its first Organ
Concert. |
|
1998 |
On Nov. 22nd the
parish celebrates its 95th
Anniversary. |
|
2000 |
November 4th the
parish welcomes for the second time Most. Rev.
Laszlo Cardinal Paskay of Hungary |
|
2001 |
The bells and the cross were
restored. |
|
2003 |
On April 27th the
parish celebrates its 100th Anniversary.
|
|
2004 |
July 27th the parish
welcomed Most Rev Peter Cardinal Erdo of
Hungary. |
|
2006 |
Október: Seregély
István érsek látogatása |
|
2007 |
With the approval of the
Diocese of Paterson the insurance company
financed the restoration of the church interior.
On June 17th
Father Mustos returned to Szekesfehervar,
Hungary to a priest retirement home because of
his health. April 20, 2008 he died.
On June 24th Msgr.
John Demkovich, Pastor of St. Mary Assumption
Church, was appointed as temporary
Administrator. The Hungarian masses in the
summer time were celebrated by Rev.Marton
Hegyi,SJ of Fordham University and Rev.Gabor
Kollo from Romania.
September 16th the
parish welcomes Most Rev, Joseph Tempfli, Bishop
of Oradea, Romania. Because of the church
renovation the masses are held in the
auditorium.
December 2nd Rev.
Laszlo Vas was appointed the parish
administrator.
|
|
2008 |
The renovation of the church
was completed.
April 5th the
parish welcomes Most Rev. Ferenc Cserhati,
Auxiliary Bishop of Esztergom -
Budapest and the Delegate of
the Hungarian Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The Diocese closed the Catholic
Regional School which stood empty for almost 3
years |
|
2009 |
February 21 Masquerade Ball -
The first ball which was held after the last "Megyebal"
in
1986. The ball's King & Queen
were two elderly respected parishioners: Bela
Keresztes (died in Jan. 18, 2011 at age 96 and
Agnes Bodnar (died Nov. 1, 2009)
Feb. 22nd Farewell to Piroska
Gyorok, the housekeeper of the parish for 18
years, who returned to Hungary, (died Dec,
2010)
In October the parish
welcomed Most Rev. Endre Gyulai, retired Bishop
of Szeged for recollection days.
October 11th reception held
for the Bishop Gyulai and farewell of Sister
Emerica Tarnai
SSND. |
|
2010 |
February 13th St. Stephen's
Ball - Roaring Twenties.
On Feb. 14th the parish
welcomed Most Rev. Arthur J. Serratelli, Bishop
of Paterson
On October 23rd the parish
welcomed Dr.. Ilona Ekes, member of the
Hungarian
Parliament. |
|
2011 |
The new cafeteria under the
Mindszenty Auditorium was opened.
The new section of the school
is leased.
On May 15th the parish
welcomed Most Rev Ferenc Cserhati who Confirmed
7 children in Hungarian.
On May 16th the parish welcomed 7
priests for the American-Hungarian Priest's
meeting. |
|
2012 |
The first Bogracs Festival
was held in the rectory's garden.
A library with over 10,000
books was opened in the basement of the church.
In September at the
invitation of St. Stephen's Church from South
River.NJ Rev. Laszlo Vas restarted to celebrate
Hungarian Mass, and is celebrating it yearly.
October 29th., because of
hurricane Sandy, there was no power and heat in
the church and
rectory. |
|
2013 |
In the spring the new kitchen
is completed in the new cafeteria.
The Diocese of Paterson
started a Partners in Faith 5 year fundraising
program. By the pledges we fulfilled almost
doubling.our quota.
On May 26th the Most. Rev.
Ferdnc Cserhati, Auxiliary Bishop of Esztergom -
Budapest and the Delegate of the Hungarian
Conference of Catholic Bishops celebrated the
beginning
of the 110th Anniversary of St.
Stephen's R.C. Magyar Church.
|
|
2014 |
The sanctuary of the church
was re-carpeted and also the sacristy was
restored. In the cafeteria air conditioning and
a dropped ceiling were installed.
On June 1st the parish
welcomed Most Rev Laszlo Bocskei, Bishop of the
Diocese of the Oradea-Mare, Romania.
In July St. Stephen's R.C.
Magyar Church and the Passaic Board of Education
signed a long-term lease for the whole school
building. After a few months of work the
building was refurbished to current building
codes.
On September 20th the parish
welcomed Most Rev. Arthur J. Serratelli, Bishop
of Paterson who closed the 110th Anniversary
year.
On September 27th the parish
welcomed His Excellency Dr. Janos Ader,
President of
Hungary.
|
