Hungarian parish in Passaic reaching out to help Ukrainian refugees fleeing to Hungary

PASSAIC  As the Ukraine-Russia conflict continues, it is believed that almost 3 million Ukrainians have fled the Eastern European country to neighboring countries to its west. One of those countries is Hungary, which has an 84-mile border with Ukraine. This narrow strip of land is an escape route for many displaced people.

St. Stephen Magyar Church here is the Diocese’s only parish that offers Mass in Hungarian and the parish community has found itself uniquely connected to the current situation in Ukraine. Last weekend at all Masses, the parish took up a collection for the refugees from Ukraine, who will be served directly by Caritas Hungary, the official aid organization of the Catholic Church in Hungary.

Father Lazslo Balogh, pastor of St. Stephen’s for the past three years, said, “Many of our parishioners received helped when they (or the previous generation) came to the United States, so we asked them to help those in Hungary who are in need. Hungarians been there a couple of times with wars and there is no good war. Thank God, we are not affected directly but as Ukraine is our neighbor we are called to help.”

From the Diocese of Vác in Hungary, Father Balogh has been in close contact with his homeland as he learns about the ever-evolving situation. He received an email from Caritas Hungary from Gabor Kovacs, director of Caritas in the Diocese of Vác.

To help with the humanitarian effort, Caritas Hungary has been collecting in-kind donations for those fleeing to Hungary for the following needs: toiletries, cleaning products, diapers, and food which have been transported to the Hun­garian-Ukrainian border. Caritas Hungary has also been collecting monetary donations for the purchase of supplies and to be used to respond to unexpected needs. So far, these needs mainly have been used for the purchase of medicines and fuel.

Housing opportunities are also being provided for refugees, made up mostly of women and children. Many families in Hungary have already offered their empty apartments or rooms to refugees. In addition, in the Diocese of Vác, has been housing refugees in vacant parts of the buildings belonging to parishes.

Hungarians have also been volunteering to assist those crossing the border. In addition to the coordination of the national center of Catholic Caritas, the Diocese of Vác supports the cross-border work in Barabás, a border town in Hungary. According to Kovacs, “A lot of Caritas volunteers have applied from a number of parish caritas groups from the diocese, several of whom have already participated in Barabás. Yet the greatest work is being done among diocesan parish volunteers and parish communities. Here, time is spent collecting donations, preparing accommodations, and caring for accepted people.”

For those who would like to assist in this effort, they can contact St. Stephen Maygar Church, which will send the donations directly to Caritas Hungary.

Father Balogh said, “Bishop Zsolt Marton of Vác said that Caritas is following the example of the merciful Samaritan from the Bible to help those in need and at the moment to support the refugees of the war in Ukraine. The country thanks all especially the volunteers and it is important to have love to those refugees at this time.”

To assist, contact St. Stephen Maygar Church in Passaic at (973) 779-0332 or for information on Caritas Hungary, visit https://www.karitasz.hu/english