2023-08-16 07:01:00
August 16, 2023 / 12:01 am
Every August 16 the Church remembers Saint Stephen I, the founding father of Hungary, a nation that under his leadership was established as such, in the heat of Christianity. He is known as “the saint” or “the great” – the last great prince among the Hungarians.
A family united by Christ
Esteban was born in Esztergom, Principality of Hungary, at the beginning of the last quarter of the 10th century -the exact date of his birth has not been established-.
“Vajk” -pagan name of the saint- was the son of Prince Géza of Hungary and Queen Sarolta. When he was baptized, his name was changed to “Esteban”, after the entire royal family embraced Christianity.
The young prince received a Christian upbringing and learned Latin from none other than Saint Adalbert of Prague. He married Gisela of Bavaria, sister of Holy Roman Emperor Saint Henry II. This woman of proven virtue would later be recognized as blessed.
Ascension to the throne and strengthening of Christian culture
On the death of Géza, King of the Hungarians, the throne fell to Prince Stephen. Those were times when the Hungarian people still worshiped pagan deities and upheld inhuman traditions. Esteban set out to set an example and spread the Christian faith, getting many of his subjects to convert.
In that purpose, he turned to Pope Silvestre II so that, through him, the West would recognize his kingdom. The Pontiff sent Saint Anastasius, a disciple of Saint Adalbert, to be the one to crown him. From the throne, he organized the political and religious life of the nation.
Among his closest collaborators were the monks of the Order of Saint Benedict, an Order that included the first bishops of the new kingdom: Saint Anastasius, Saint Beszteréd, Saint Buldo, Saint Gerardo Sagredo, Saint Beneta, Blessed Sebastian of Esztergom, among others.
Esteban sought that the heads of the Church were their own, not dependent on the structure of the Holy Empire; In this way, he wanted the Catholic Church in Hungary to develop freely without imperial political interference.
So he established an archbishopric in Budapest, supported by six bishoprics. Thinking of the Christianization of the population, he also ordered the construction of three Benedictine monasteries. Esteban preferred the announcement to the imposition, although in some cases he resorted to it. In the light of the centuries, the lasting effects of the Christianization process undoubtedly speak of a people who accepted the Gospel of their own free will.
a father’s pain
Subscribe to ACI Press
Receive our most important news by email
Saint Stephen, together with his son, Saint Emeric, defended his people from the invasion led by Conrad II, king and later emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. Father and son managed to drive out the invaders in the year 1030.
Emerico was Esteban’s only surviving son-he had lost them all when they were little-so he was his consolation. Tragically, Emerico – who would also be proclaimed a saint – died a year later in a hunting accident. From then on, Stephen clung to God much more: his faith sustained him to face the difficulties of his last years, including the disputes that the succession of his kingdom would bring.
Rest for a noble heart
Saint Stephen died on August 15, 1038 and was buried in the Basilica of Székesfehérvár, a building that he himself had built and which became one of the largest and most important churches in Europe.
The holy King of Hungary was canonized by Pope Saint Gregory VII in 1083 and his feast is celebrated every August 16 throughout the world except in Hungary itself, where it is celebrated on the 20th of the same month.
If you want to know more about Saint Stephen of Hungary, we suggest this article from the Catholic Encyclopedia: https://ec.aciprensa.com/wiki/Rey_San_Esteban.
#San #Esteban #Catholic #Santoral