Hungarian finds home in Albany and thanks parish by helping

Orsolya Gosztony felt so welcome when she joined St. Vincent de Paul parish in Albany that she responded by becoming the pastoral associate of faith formation.

She and her husband Tamas are the parents of four children under 8. They have been parishioners since they arrived in Albany from Budapest, Hungary, in 2002.

"The first Sunday we were in Albany, we walked to Mass at St. Vincent's," she recalled. "People were very welcoming to us. They took us under their wing and have held us there ever since."

New surroundings

The family came to Albany so Tamas could get his PhD from the University at Albany. In 1996, she had earned her own graduate degree in teaching from New York University.

In Hungary, she began her career at Catholic University in Budapest, teaching English as a foreign language and English theory.

"I never expected to return to America," she said.

Similar tasks

Ms. Gosztony, who brings extensive experience in teaching to her job at the parish, said there isn't much difference in what she does in faith formation from what she did as a teacher in Hungary.

"I'm coordinating teacher schedules and teaching new people how to be catechists," she said. "Even though the subject matter is different, the basics are the same."

One of her projects was to catalogue and update the parish library's resources. She has also developed a grade-by-grade curriculum that combines faith formation with social justice components, involving each child in each grade in service projects according to their age group.

But, she emphasized that that faith cannot be treated as a subject, such as English, but rather must be seen as a way of life.

Hungary

Ms. Gosztony recalled stories her parents told her about being Catholic and trying to live their faith in a Communist-controlled country in the last century.

"As a young man," she said, "my father was imprisoned for two years by the government because he taught our faith to young people. He was what you would call a youth minister. They arrested him; they thought he had information they wanted about other Catholics."

With tears in her eyes, she described that, under Communism, few people could be trusted and practicing faith openly was impossible. "We were taught as children never to talk about our faith," she noted, because people who did so were arrested.

"Practicing one's faith here is open and free," Ms. Gosztony noted. "This is good. It is not always that way in other places, and people must always be aware of that."

Nostalgia

Although her family has settled down to life in the U.S., she said she and her husband often talk about the loved ones they left behind.

"I would someday like to return to Hungary," Ms. Gosztony said. "People sacrificed so much for us and love us so deeply. We got so much out of Hungary. My hope is to be able to someday give something back to those people."

Meanwhile, she said, working as a pastoral associate has helped her to grow "in my own faith. I take the responsibility I have for all these children seriously. It has given me a deeper sense of commitment to them and to my own family.

"When we came to America, my husband and I were looking for a community where people would like us for who we are, not for what we have. There are many good programs in this parish. The people are wonderful, open and loving. That is why we are here."

(Ms. Gosztony initiated a summer camp experience for faith formation classes: "Exploring God in the Creations of Mankind." Children participated in art workshops, visited museums, took part in physical activities and music, and prepared a photographic prayer book.)

(9/13/07)