Diocesan Bishop Ferenc Palánki of Debrecen-Nyíregyháza celebrated his 60th birthday on 11/03/2024. On this occasion, the Bishop's staff organised a large family celebration.
The Bishop offered a Mass of Thanksgiving in St. Anne's Cathedral in Debrecen, where we all expressed our gratitude to Almighty God for the Bishop's life and ministry. Those present at the celebratory Mass included: Michael Wallace Banach, Apostolic Nuncio to Hungary; Cardinal Péter Erdő, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest; András Veres, President of the Hungarian Catholic Bishops' Conference, Diocesan Bishop of Győr; members of the HCBK, bishops from Hungarian dioceses across the border, Reformed and Lutheran bishops, priests of the diocese, seminarians, the Bishop's family members, relatives, friends, public figures, heads of diocesan institutions, and staff of the Bishop's Office.
Greetings were delivered before the start of the Mass.
Michael W. Banach, the Apostolic Nuncio, emphasised, among other things, that birthdays go beyond celebrations and gifts. "Birthdays are celebrations of life. And that is an extremely special thing!
Birthdays represent special moments. Let us spend them with the people we love, embrace the situation we are currently in, and reflect on the journey that has led us here.
Frankly, every year is a milestone!" – said the Nuncio, adding that this milestone, namely the Bishop's 60th birthday, also offers us an opportunity to reflect together on the things that are truly important in our lives.
The personal representative of Pope Francis also spoke about service: "Jesus said that whoever wants to be great in the Kingdom of God must be the servant of all (Mk 9,35). His leadership must also spring from the desire to serve others. These 60 years, in which he has never ceased to learn, remind us never to stop learning. In reality, the more we know, the more we realise how little we know. This is one of the paradoxes of the Kingdom of God. 60 years prompts us to continue reading, 60 years calls us to continue asking questions. 60 years of faithfulness calls for further faithfulness. God has not called us to be famous, popular, fashionable, or endlessly creative, but to be faithful to His Word, to the Gospel, to His Church. Continue what God has called you to do, regardless of the world's opinion and evaluation. Have faith!
When we wish 'Happy Birthday', we pray that the Father will continue to bring into the celebrant's life people whom the Spirit will use to help him become even more joyful, fruitful, and Christ-like. Indeed, regardless of our age, let this also be the prayer of all of us" – concluded Michael W. Banach, the Apostolic Nuncio, in his greeting.
András Veres, President of the Hungarian Catholic Bishops' Conference and Diocesan Bishop of Győr, greeted the Bishop on behalf of the Conference. In his introductory remarks, he quoted the Book of Wisdom: "For all there is one way into life" (Wis 7,6), and added how diverse the continuation of this path is. Often, our surroundings conceive something about us, what might be hidden within us, but it has never been easy for an individual to discover and understand God's will for their life. The Bishop found the path that, according to his faith and conviction, Provident God had designated for him.
Then András Veres pointed to the Gospel, in which Jesus Christ said He came into the world to bear witness to the truth (cf. Jn 18,37). "Those who enter His service cannot be content with less. They must bear witness to the truth! Especially in a chaotic world where truth is often very hidden. To be present with Christ's truth and to proclaim it convincingly to others is no small task. Almighty God has blessed the Bishop with the abilities to meet this challenge.
The President of the HCBK wished that he may do this with joy and thanksgiving, in which the members of the episcopal conference also gladly share.
"May Almighty God continue to help him carry out the ministry to which He has called him and given him a mission, with a good spirit, a sacrificial heart, and devoted love!" – concluded András Veres, expressing his good wishes.
State Secretary Miklós Soltész recalled the most memorable point of encounter for all of us, when Bishop Ferenc Palánki greeted the Holy Father before the young people with the following words: "Youth is the time of big questions: What is the meaning of life? What is my path in life? How will I be happy? … Youth is also the time of big answers, which we adults do not have to give, but our task is to help them find them. Therefore, it is important to stand by them, to live our faith authentically, and to pass it on in this way, showing that it is not merely a doctrine, but an encounter and a relationship with the living Risen Jesus." Bishop Ferenc asked for the Holy Father's help in this, which also characterises the Bishop's daily activities – added the State Secretary, then reminded the Bishop of the triple promise made at his episcopal consecration (in November 2015):
(1.) To personally care for his priests and the faithful, to be approachable. Miklós Soltész experienced this in their personal encounters. (2.) To pass on the Good News to families. This manifests in the development of public educational institutions and the establishment of new ones. (3.) To promote and live out ecumenism. In this region, Christ-following faithful can experience this particularly.
"If you continue to promise all these things, if you strengthen encounters and relationships between people and Jesus Christ, then we will continue to share in much joy," – concluded the State Secretary in his greeting.
Reformed Bishop Károly Fekete thanked Almighty God for the life of his good friend, Bishop Palánki, for his daily experienced composure, care, and loving kindness, which is present in all their encounters. He also expressed gratitude that ecumenism in Debrecen is alive and flourishing.
"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and shows no fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain fresh; and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it continues to bear fruit without fail" (Jer 17,7-8) – quoted Bishop Károly Fekete from the prophet, and presented Bishop Ferenc with a special host, an artistic creation.
"The host depicts Pope Saint John Paul II, who paved the way in Debrecen so that we would not have to pave our own way to each other. May this host remind us that 'Pax vobis' – 'Peace be with you!' – should be our common heritage," – said Károly Fekete.
Mrs. Tibor Rácz, head of the Báthory István Public Education Institution in Nyírbátor, thanked on behalf of the diocesan institutions for the joy they can experience under the Bishop's ministry: his loving interest and directness. With grateful hearts, they recall shared pilgrimages and encounters with the Holy Father, where young people from our diocese also shared in the joy of meeting him. They cherish the conversations following prayers, and the trust they can experience with the Bishop in their work, sharing with him both their joys and difficulties.
She expressed gratitude that their students can grow in faith and love in excellent conditions, and that he supports families facing hardship in schools, providing opportunities for more and more families to live according to the teachings of the Gospel. Finally, the head of the institution greeted the Bishop thus:
"On behalf of the faithful community of the Diocese, I ask for Almighty God's rich blessing upon your life, Bishop, and upon your episcopal ministry. We pray that you may continue to lead our communities as Diocesan Bishop for many, many more years."
The journey of Lutheran Bishop Tamás Fabiny, when he travels to the countryside, often passes through the settlement of Püspökhatvan. He promised that whenever he passes through, he will always pray for Bishop Palánki, who has entered his sixties. He also frequently visits Nógrád County, and will pray for him particularly there.
The Lutheran Bishop also brought greetings from the loving Lutheran community of Csesztve, because Bishop Ferenc always greets them when he is at home.
Imre Madách, writer and poet, lived for nearly ten years (from December 1844 to September 1853) in Csesztve, Nógrád County, the Bishop's native village. On this occasion, Tamás Fabiny presented the celebrated Bishop with a volume of sermons by József Szabó, a martyred, committed Christian, Lutheran bishop, and Madách scholar.
At the beginning of the Mass, Bishop Ferenc Palánki responded to the greetings with a joyful heart. He thanked them for the many beautiful thoughts, in which he also found a definition of tasks and guidance on how to proceed. In the Mass – in the Eucharist, the celebration of thanksgiving – he thanked God for the grace of existence, for the beautiful world, where our mission is to bring God's love to life.
The homily for the Mass was given by Zoltán Krakomperger, Vicar General, Director of the Bishop's Office, and parish priest. The reflection will be published in its entirety.
His Excellency Bishop Ferenc Palánki of Debrecen-Nyíregyháza turned 60 today. On his birthday, I extend my heartfelt greetings.
The joyful birthday greeting and sincere congratulations have a theological interpretation, according to which, on Bishop Ferenc's birthday, we give thanks to God for having blessed him with life. We must not forget to include Bishop Ferenc's family and relatives in our thanksgiving, as it was from them that he received initiation into a life worthy of a redeemed person, and they connected him – through the bonds of Palóc Catholic tradition and piety – to the people of God, the Church.
The grateful celebration of the birthday worthily expresses that, together with Bishop Ferenc, we all adhere to the very good creation, and once again give a strong 'yes' to its beautiful order. His 'affirmation of life', embedded in creation as a larger context, "is the spiritual act by which man ceases to live in the world just anyhow, begins reverently to devote himself to his own life in order to raise it to its true level of value" (A. Schweitzer), and thereby set an attractive example for others to do the same.
To voice the joy flowing from the conscious and responsible acceptance of the order of creation, we adopt the tone of childlike wonder, as Psalm 139, verse 14, leads us: "I praise you, Lord my God, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful."
In our birthday thanksgiving to Almighty God for Bishop Ferenc, we are guided by the realisation that Saint Paul left us: "What do you have that you did not receive? And if you received it, why do you boast as though you did not?" (1 Cor 4,7). We received our lives as a gift. We did not give life to ourselves. Thanksgiving to God, the Giver of life, for the gift of life enriches us in Him. How does thanksgiving have its effect? It brings about a change of perspective in our lives. If we are grateful, we look to what is valuable, and we guard against anything being lost, and indeed, ensure that it grows.
A grateful spirit leads to contentment. It preserves us from pettiness, cynicism, resigned despondency, and despair. It simultaneously draws us closer to God and to our neighbour. It transforms the atmosphere among people. Therefore, it is a prerequisite for community, for the agreement of well-meaning people, though different in worldview, on undeniable values.
Soul-crushing ingratitude dehumanises, whereas gratitude enhances our humanity. Whoever is grateful loves, and only those who make room for love in both private and public life can be happy. A happy person "cooperates with God's will with full and joyful obedience in the absolute certainty that God desires nothing but love and life always and for everyone" (Benedict XVI).
The God of life placed the Bishop into the beautiful and meaningful network of relationships of this visible, fleeting world (cf. 2 Cor 4, 18) and its goods on 11/03/1964. The contemplative discovery, exploration, and knowledge of this network of relationships nourishes an unceasing wonder at God's action, which the VII Eucharistic Prayer expresses thus: "We give you thanks, Father, our God, for you have called us to life. You never leave us alone on the path of our lives, but are always with us." Wherever our paths lead, on each one the Triune God accompanies us, who constantly bears witness to Himself to humanity through His works, and then, through His revelation, speaks to us as to friends from the abundance of His agape-love, and converses with us, to invite and welcome all people into His unspeakably happy life (cf. Dei Verbum 2).
These 60 years have been filled with struggle for the obedient hearing, answering, and doing of God's call to participate in His Trinitarian life. The Triune God thereby gathers us into a community so that we may all hear His word and follow His Son, Christ our Lord, with living faith (cf. VII B Eucharistic Prayer). Bishop Ferenc has lived and lives in a way that inspires others and encourages generosity towards God, understanding that "to the revealing God, the obedience of faith is due (Rom 16,26; cf. Rom 1,5; 2 Cor 10,5-6), by which man commits his whole self freely to God, offering the full submission of intellect and will to God who reveals, and assenting to the revelation given by Him" (Dei Verbum, 5).
To ensure the fruitful use of time, the Bishop awakens the sense of responsibility in those entrusted to him by adhering to the biblical understanding of time and history, according to which time is not merely a quantitative entity — simply a continuous and uniform succession of days and hours — but is qualitative.
Time has a quantitative measure and a qualitative value. According to its quantitative measure, time merely passes. For those for whom time merely passes day after day, they successively miss the opportunities for grace (kairos) in their lives within the flowing stream of time.
It cannot be irrelevant to us whether time merely passes or if it is filled with treasures that moths do not consume, rust does not destroy, and thieves do not steal (cf. Mt 6,19). If we fill time according to its qualitative value, then it becomes filled with a series of encounters with God and with people, which we need, for "all real living is meeting" (Martin Buber).
Bishop Ferenc, through his statements, his multifaceted pastoral initiatives, his activities expanding our diocese's public education and social institution network, his ecumenical commitment, and his public engagement, gives voice to his conviction that our life can only be complete in love. God is the fullness of being and simultaneously love (cf. 1 Jn 4,18). The Triune God gives Himself to us as a gift in grace. "He calls man to share in His divine life, to live in intimate, personal communion with Him.
In sin, man's path is diametrically opposed, a rejection of love, ... "thereby denying the ultimate purpose of his existence" (GS 13), that fullness which can only be realised in communion with God, the sole source of life, love, and grace" (P. Gabriele di S.M. Maddalena OCD, Benső végtelen, SZIT, Budapest 2006, 175).
In promoting the completeness of our lives in inexhaustible agape-love, we have observed and continue to observe with joy that Bishop Ferenc ceaselessly strives to ensure that the Catholic and non-Catholic faithful of the particular Church entrusted to him, and all people of good will, increasingly come to know, love, and live Christ's Paschal Mystery "through the Eucharist, so that they form a body very closely bound together in the unity of Christ's love, ... may grow in grace by receiving the sacraments" (ChD, 15); and with creative ingenuity bear witness before all that Jesus is the resurrection and the life. With Him, our life is hidden in God (cf. Col 3,3).
Every birthday, including Bishop Ferenc's 60th birthday, encourages us to fill our lives with agape-love in solidarity with others, while responsibly using ourselves and our lives, received from God, every day and hour, and offering them to God with childlike trust, and giving them to our neighbours through value-adding commitment. We can acquire this way of life from Christ and realise it in Him, so that "God may be all in all" (1 Cor 15,28).
At the end of the Mass, Diocesan Bishop Ferenc Palánki thanked his staff for organising this celebration, who encouraged a joint, large family celebration on the round anniversary. He said he truly celebrated the Mass with his large family: his blood relatives, his relatives, his brother bishops and priests, and his colleagues.
Following the Mass, Cardinal Péter Erdő offered a toast: "The life of man is 70 years, perhaps 80 if we are strong, but even that is mostly toil and trouble, so says Holy Scripture. From this, three lessons emerge. The first is that a 60-year-old person is not yet old. This means that this is the finest age for a man, life is before you. The second lesson is the many troubles and burdens. In the greetings, we heard about many successes and values, but suffering and trouble also accompany all our lives. And the third lesson is that while there are many troubles and burdens, life is not solely composed of these, but simultaneously there is value, joy, happiness already here on earth, and those results and fruits that accompany a person's path.
We give thanks to God for your 30 years of priestly service and your episcopal career, and I wish that, despite all difficulties, your ministry may always be rich in fruits, joys, and blessings!
Ad multos annos! Ad multos labores! Ad multas corones! – May you live many years! Many labours! Many crowns! – concluded Cardinal Péter Erdő in his toast.
Dear Bishop! May God sustain you forever!
Ágnes Kovács
Good News Press Office/Diocese of Debrecen-Nyíregyháza