We celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Hungary on 08/10, which is also a prominent feast in the Diocese of Debrecen-Nyíregyháza, as several of its churches, as well as its Co-Cathedral in Nyíregyháza, are dedicated to Our Lady of Hungary.
This year, the patronal feast of the Co-Cathedral (08/10, Sunday, starting at 10:30) will also be made special by the blessing of the externally renovated church, and the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Roman Catholic Event Centre being built next to the parish. The preacher and principal celebrant of the patronal Holy Mass will be Ferenc Palánki, Bishop of Debrecen-Nyíregyháza, during which the prelate will bless the renovated church and the foundation stone of the event centre under construction. Preliminary information, photos, and visual designs regarding the event can be found HERE.
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Before his death, Saint Stephen entrusted his crown and his country to the protection of Mary. Since his consecration, we have also venerated the Blessed Virgin Mary as Our Lady of Hungary. The special feast was permitted for our nation by Pope Leo XIII. The consecration of the country took place in 1038, on the Feast of the Assumption. We can read about this in the legend attributed to Bishop Hartvik:
„Finally, by the mercy of God, deserving of the hundredfold reward, fever took [the king] from his feet, and when the swift day of his death was no longer in doubt, he summoned the bishops and the magnates of his palace who glorified the name of Christ; first he discussed with them whom they would choose as king in his stead. Then he paternally exhorted them to preserve the true faith they had received; to love justice, to cherish the chains of heavenly love, to practice charity, to care for humility, but above all to watch over the tender planting of Christianity. After these words, raising his hands and eyes to the stars, he cried out thus: »Queen of Heaven, glorious restorer of this world, in my final supplications I entrust the Holy Church with the bishops, priests, the country with its people and lords to your protection; bidding them a last farewell, I commend my soul into your hands.« (Cf. Psalm 31:6)”
The relationship between the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Hungarian people could not be obscured even by the internal strife that followed King Stephen's death. The veneration of Our Lady of Hungary flourished anew during the reign of Saint Ladislaus I. Later, against the Tatars and the Turks, the Hungarians fought, crying out the names of Jesus and Mary. Leopold I, in remembrance of the liberation from Turkish rule and as a sign of his gratitude, repeated the consecration of the country to Mary at the end of the 17th century.
Rejoice, Mother of God, in your heart's depths. Blessed are you, Hungary, that you celebrate the holy day of the Virgin Mary. Let heaven, earth, and sea exult! (The Magnificat antiphon of the feast from the First Vespers)
At the request of Cardinal Kolos Vaszary, Primate, the Holy See also recognized the national character of the veneration of Mary: Leo XIII sanctioned an unbroken tradition of some nine centuries when, in 1896, he permitted a special feast for the second Sunday of October. This was moved to 08/10 by Saint Pius X.
On 08/10/1980, Pope Saint John Paul II consecrated a chapel in honour of Our Lady of Hungary in the crypt of St. Peter's Basilica.
The distinctive iconography of Patrona Hungariae developed from the depiction of the woman clothed with the sun: on the head of the Blessed Virgin Mary, instead of the crown of twelve stars, the Hungarian Holy Crown was placed; into the hand of the Child Jesus sitting on her arm, the orb; and into Mary's other hand, the sceptre of the country.
We Hungarians were the first, though not the only ones, to venerate the Blessed Virgin Mary as our national patroness. In Bavaria, after the Battle of White Mountain in 1620, she began to be venerated as the national patroness. France was consecrated to Mary by King Louis XIII in 1638, and Austria by Ferdinand III in 1647. King John II Casimir declared the Blessed Virgin Mary Queen of Poland in 1656. In subsequent centuries, first Mexico, then all of Latin America, Catalonia, and South Asia were also placed under the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The English bishops consecrated England in 1893, which has since been regarded as Mary's Dowry.
O God, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, you have showered our nation with countless blessings. By the decree of Saint Stephen, our first king, we venerate her on earth as our Great Lady and patroness. Graciously grant that one day we may rejoice with her forever in heaven! Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Photo: György Kardos, Magyar Kurír
Good News Press Office / Diocese of Debrecen-Nyíregyháza