Cleveland’s St. Emeric Roman Catholic Church celebrated its patron saint’s feast day with a solemn Mass followed by a banquet on November 6, 2016. The principal celebrant was Archbishop of Veszprém, Hungary Dr. Gyula Márfi. The Archbishop was the one who on Cleveland Bishop Richard Lennon’s invitation recommended Fr. András Mezei from Veszprém to be the administrator at St. Emeric Parish. Fr. Mezei accepted the appointment and has been leading the flock at St. Emeric since July 2015.
The Hungarian scouts and members of the Hungarian Scout Folk Ensemble led the procession into the church in welcoming the Archbishop who holds the same position as Cardinal Joseph Mindszenty before he was appointed Cardinal. The Archbishop was escorted to America by Deacon Attila Szántó, also from Veszprém.
After Mass, Márfi blessed the newly established Cardinal Mindszenty Memorial Room. In the room are displayed once again the pictures and memorabilia of the Cardinal’s visit to St. Emeric during his North American tour in 1974 that had been in storage during the church’s closure.
Nearly 300 people gathered for the banquet in the church hall. The folk ensemble presented a dance to everyone’s delight which was followed by delicious servings of chicken soup, chicken paprikas with dumplings and strudel for dessert.
We are grateful to the Archbishop for making the long trip from Hungary to visit us and to celebrate together St. Emeric’s feast day.
