‘We felt the Holy Spirit was hearing our prayers, and it seemed to be watching over us ever since. The restart was not without obstacles. The new German pastor simply disliked Hungarians and no longer allowed us to use his church for Hungarian Masses. Within a month, however…we secured a larger chapel in the lower church of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.’

‘In 2020, I had plans for the entire summer with the KMCSSZ: I was going to assist at four different Diaspora School Camps and the Jubilee (Jubi) grand scout camp, but all of these were canceled due to the pandemic, so I returned home, but I was craving to return and finish what the COVID-19 had interrupted.’

‘Sometimes I had to ask my uncle…to give me food, or knock on the neighbor’s door for dinner…Meanwhile, during the summers, I experienced in America that life is predictable there: if someone was willing to work, they could be independent and achieve anything they wanted. That’s what ultimately led me to the conclusion that I should return to the U.S. and get my PhD there.’

‘Building a community under these circumstances is difficult, Winer admitted…He stressed that explaining the importance of community to young people is crucial. Many question what the church offers them and why it is important for their children to know Petőfi (one of the most famous Hungarian poets), as they will still be able to work without this knowledge.’

‘It all started when I noticed that the church was emptying, that parents weren’t bringing their children who were the same age as mine. As I mentioned, my faith is deeply emotional. Christmas has always meant a lot to me—it offers a spiritual experience and creates a warm family atmosphere. So, I thought maybe I could awaken that same feeling in young people and bring them back to church.’

‘I love being part of a community, I value community-building activities, and I treasure being able to connect with people who have entirely different life stories and perspectives—this expands my own outlook, which I find extremely valuable. I volunteer so that others can experience the same.’

‘I first became vice president in 2001 to better understand how the club operated, then became president in 2002. It wasn’t easy because only men had previously held leadership roles. At first, they didn’t take kindly to a woman joining their ranks—especially since I was significantly younger than them at 50 years old…During my presidency, younger generations began joining us.’

‘In October of 2021, in the same elementary school, the homoerotic book, All Boys Aren’t Blue by George Johnson, was an approved book in the school library. Parents were criticizing the book at a school board meeting, but what was tragically comical is that the local newspaper couldn’t accurately report on the book because of pornography laws.’

‘When I arrived here as a young woman in my twenties, full of deep Catholic faith and great enthusiasm, Fathers Kristóf Hites, Pius Horváth, Egon Jávor, and József Jaszovszky all embraced and supported me. They gave me wings and helped me fulfill the goals of the Catholic Mission.’

‘I also loved music and singing, but my very busy parents didn’t notice my talent—they only paid attention to my sister’s beautiful voice. Back in Hungary, before we fled, she studied opera singing with a teacher while attending the Szent László High School in Kőbánya, Budapest. I loved listening to her and longed to have a voice like hers…It was only much later that it turned out I did.’