St Stephen Church cornerstone at St Elizabeth of Hungary Church
St Stephen Church Cornerstone Dedication
St Elizabeth of Hungary Church 9016 Buckeye Rd. Cleveland August 20, 2020
Cleveland's newest Hungarian monument to St. Stephen, the first King of Hungary, is a cornerstone saved from the recently demolished St. Stephen Hungarian Church in McKeesport, Pennsylvania (1900-2020). The cornerstone was brought to the historic St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church at 9016 Buckeye Road in Cleveland Ohio which was established on December 11, 1892, the date of the first Mass. The cornerstone was laid on June 4, 1893.
Welcome!
The Church and the United Hungarian Societies (UHS) of Cleveland hosted an outdoor dedication of the monument in the Church's courtyard.
Dr. Endre Szentkiralyi served as MC
The theme of the dedication ceremony was "Honoring our past by remembering St. Stephen's Catholic Church of McKeesport."
America's first Hungarian Roman Catholic churches in order of cornerstone-laying date:
St. Elizabeth's Church - Cleveland, OH. June 4, 1893
St Mary's Church - Throop, PA. July 21, 1895
St. Stephen's Church - East Toledo, OH. Dedication August 20, 1899
St. Stephen's Church - Bridgeport, CT. November 30, 1899
St. Stephen's Church - McKeesport, PA. September 8, 1900
Dr. Endre Szentkiralyi, president of the UHS, served as Master of Ceremonies. He welcomed the crowd and led the national anthem.
National Anthem
He then introduced Rev. Richard Bona who blessed the cornerstone.
Rev. Richard Bona
Reverend Bona spoke in Hungarian.
NOTE: The images below with a white arrow in the middle are videos. (The other images are just photos) You can click on the white arrow to watch the video of whatever is described. Make sure your speakers are on and you can make the video full screen once it begins by clicking the icon in the lower right corner.
Rev. Richard Bona
Next, Endre introduced UHS recording secretary Nicholas Boros who was instrumental in saving the monument. Mr. Boros spoke in Hungarian.
Nicholas Boros
Near the end of his remarks, Nicholas Boros spoke in English.
United Hungarian Societies (UHS) of Cleveland Vice President Judy Gyorky recited a poem in Hungarian about St. Stephen, the first King of Hungary.
Judy Gyorky
Dr. Endre Szentkiralyi then introduced Consul General Dr. Zita Bencsik from Chicago.
Dr. Zita Bencsik
This was followed by the Himnusz, Hungarian anthem, and the conclusion of the program.
Enjoy these other images from the dedication.
Cornerstone before unveiling
Unveiling the cornerstone - Joe Knapic and Rev. Richard Bona. Joe made the trip from McKeesport PA. He grew up in St. Stephen parish.
St Stephen cornerstone - front view
St Stephen cornerstone - side view
St Stephen cornerstone - side view
Zita Bencsik and Judy Gyorky
Nicholas Boros and Zsolt Molnar
Magyar Mask - How a Hungarian protects from the Covid19 virus
***
Want to learn about ethnic and cultural events like this? Sign up for the free eNews and every Tuesday evening you will receive a free e-mail listing the next week's events. It's easy and free.
