On October 6, during a celebratory mass, County Bishop Zsolt Marton blessed and handed over the internally renovated Vác Cathedral between 2021-2024, as well as consecrated its new altar.
After the handover, liturgical life returns to the cathedral, and visitors can also see the classicist architectural decorative painting, which is rare in Hungary, as well as the beautifully restored special late baroque fresco ensemble, the work of master Anton Maulbertsch and his students.
Concelebrated at the blessing mass, Dr. Cardinal Péter Erdő, Primate, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, Dr. Csaba Ternyák, Archbishop of Eger and several members of the Hungarian Catholic Bishops’ Conference (MKPK).
The public guests of honor included, among others, Miklós Soltész, state secretary responsible for church and ethnic relations, deputy minister, dr. Bence Rétvári, the region’s parliamentary representative, and Ilona Matkovich, the mayor of Vác.
On behalf of the apostolic nuncio Michael Wallace Banach, also interpreting the blessing of Pope Francis, the representative of the papal embassy, Mons. José Antonio Rodríguez García greeted the celebrating faithful.
“The thousand-year history of the Diocese of Váci is the history of a living church, the history of a church that is built on the only cornerstone, which is Jesus Christ himself, who, by fulfilling the hopes of the peoples, gives the ultimate foundation and meaning to our lives. He is the source from which we can constantly draw fresh and living water that fills us with new life and encourages us when we are in danger of exhaustion. Those who want to return to the source must be prepared to swim against the price. The Church, and this beautiful cathedral, is also the gym where we can come precisely to prepare ourselves by listening to the word of God and receiving the sacraments, to swim against the tide,” said the representative of the Holy See, adding that the following Mary, the community of believers must become a church of living stones together.
At the beginning of the Mass, Zsolt Marton reminded that the handing over of the Vác Cathedral had to be postponed by two weeks due to the Danube flood and at the same time expressed his gratitude to all those who did a lot to protect the city at that time.
The county bishop Zsolt Marton, who was to prepare for the consecration of the altar, pointed out that the altar stone always symbolizes Jesus Christ himself: “The altar is the place of the most holy act, around which we gather in every Mass in response to Christ’s invitation, in order to solemnly express: for us, Christ is the first and most important in our lives.”
After the ceremony, Miklós Soltész, State Secretary and Deputy Minister responsible for church and ethnic relations, also gave a greeting, also commemorating the martyrs of Arad.
“We can learn trust in God from the generals, from the believing Christian souls. There is consolation in every situation. Any trouble or pain is towering, there is hope, we have something and someone to cling to. Churches, faith, Christianity offer this, give us this. We renovate churches and cathedrals together with our churches, but not only to make a settlement beautiful, or to give work to professionals, but mostly to serve the spiritual building of the community, settlement, and nation alike.”
Zoltán Ribáry
Photo: Csaba Szabó
2024-10-07 15:36:23