Saint stephen of hungary biography of abraham
On August 16, the Church commemorates the feast day of St. Stephen of Hungary (975 - 1038), the last Grand Prince of the Hungarians (997 -1000) and the first Christian king of Hungary, who led his country to embrace Christianity.
Prior to Stephen's birth, his mother, the duchess Sarolt had a vision in which St. Stephen, the martyr appeared to her and told her that her son would convert the people of Hungary to Catholicism.
Born a pagan, Stephen was baptized at age 10, along with his parents, and was raised as a Christian. At the age of 20, he married Gisela, the daughter of Duke Henry II of Bavaria.
Stephen crushed the pagan counter-reaction to Christianity, and converted the so-called Black Hungarians after their failed rebellion. In recognition of his efforts, Stephen was crowned king of Hungary at the age of 25, receiving the cross and the crown from Pope Sylvester II. His crown and regalia became beloved symbols of the Hungarian nation, and Stephen was venerated as the ideal Christian king. He devoted much of his reign to the promotion of the Christian faith. He gave his patronage to Church leaders, helped build churches, and was a proponent of the rights of the Holy See.
The secret of St. Stephen's amazing success in leading his people to the Christian faith was his deep devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. He placed his entire kingdom under her protection and built a magnificent church in her honor.
Only one of Stephen's children survived to adulthood. Stephen's only living son Emeric was raised a Catholic and was expected to succeed his father as king. However, Emeric died before Stephen, after a hunting accident in 1031.
In 1038, on the feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, Stephen spoke his final words to leaders of the Church and state, instructing them to protect and spread the Catholic faith.
He directed one of his last prayers to the Blessed Mother: “To thee, O Queen of heaven, and to thy guardianship, I commend the holy Church,
Fr Ábrahám Béla was born on 20 March 1968 in Budapest. After completing his studies in Philosophy and Theology at the diocesan seminary of Esztergom-Budapest, he was ordained priest on 15 June 1991. In the same year, thanks to the collapse of the Communist regime and the restoration of the opportunity for religious to return to the communities, he entered the Salesian Novitiate in Szombathely. He made his first profession on 8 August 1992 and his perpetual vows on 28 June 1998.
For several years Fr Béla worked in Salesian parishes in Budapest. Between 1999 and 2005 he was Director, Master of Novices and then Economer in the Budapest-Óbuda center; he then served as Director of the Salesian house for Spiritual Exercises of Péliföldszentkereszt.
He has also held various positions at the Province level: from 1995 to 2000, he was responsible for Salesian Youth Ministry, to which he was able to bring a specific character in the context of a post-communist world; in the following years, he held the offices of Economer, Delegate for Salesian Cooperators, for Schools and Vicar of the Provincial.
He began his service as Provincial in the Salesian house of Kazincbarcika on 22 April 2012.
Today's saint of the day is St. Stephen of Hungary, the first Christian king of Hungary.
Born a pagan, Stephen was baptized at age 10, along with his father, and was raised as a Christian. In 996, at age 20, he married Gisela, the daughter of Duke Henry II of Bavaria and devoted much of his reign to the promotion of the Christian faith. He gave his patronage to Church leaders, helped build churches, and was a proponent of the rights of the Holy See.
Stephen also crushed the pagan counter-reaction to Christianity, and converted the so-called Black Hungarians after their failed rebellion. In recognition of his efforts, Stephen was crowned king of Hungary in 1000, receiving the cross and the crown from Pope Sylvester II. His crown and regalia became beloved symbols of the Hungarian nation, and Stephen was venerated as the ideal Christian king.
The secret of St. Stephen's amazing success in leading his people to the Christian faith was his deep devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. He placed his entire kingdom under her protection and built a magnificent church in her honor.
Stephen served as King of Hungary for 42 years and died at Szekesfehervar on August 15, 1038. Soon after Stephen's death, miracles of healing occurred at his tomb. Stephen was canonized by Pope Gregory XVII in 1083.
He is the patron saint of: bricklayers, death of children, Hungary, kings, masons, stone masons, and stone cutters
Saint Quote:"Be humble in this life, that God may raise you up in the next. Be truly moderate and do not punish or condemn anyone immoderately. Be gentle so that you may never oppose justice. Be honorable so that you may never voluntarily bring disgrace upon anyone. Be chaste so that you may avoid all the foulness of lust like the pangs of death."
The early Jerusalem community was made up of both Hebrew and Hellenistic Jews. Hebrew Jews were native to Judea and primarily spoke Aramaic as their common language. They closely adhered to traditional Jewish customs and used the Hebrew language in religious practices. The Hellenistic Jews typically spoke Greek and were influenced by Greek culture, due to their assimilation into the broader Greco-Roman society throughout the Roman Empire.
Both Hellenists and Hebrews were converting to Christ and were living as one united people in Jerusalem. However, biases reportedly remained: “At that time, as the number of disciples continued to grow, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution” (Acts 6:1).
Because the Apostles chose to devote themselves to prayer and the preaching of the Word, they asked the community to select “seven reputable men, filled with the Spirit and wisdom” (Acts 6:3). The Apostles then appointed them to the task of overseeing the daily distribution of provisions. The Apostles prayed and laid their hands on these seven men, ordaining them the Church’s first deacons. They were “Stephen, a man filled with faith and the Holy Spirit, also Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicholas of Antioch, a convert to Judaism” (Acts 6:5).
Some ancient traditions identify Stephen as the eldest and the leader of the others, making him what has become known as “Archdeacon.” Stephen was likely a Greek, so he might have been chosen, in part, to help ensure that the Hellenistic women, especially the widows, received their share of the daily distribution.
As a deacon, Stephen also preached the Word of God and performed many miracles. Various Hellenistic Jews even debated him in public, “but they could not withstand the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke” (Acts 6:10). This so agitated them that they dragged him before the Sanhedrin, just as they had done to Jesus. The Sanhedrin w