Monday, 2 September 2013

Saint Stephen. King Of Hungary. Feast Day, Today, 2 September.


Text, unless otherwise stated,
 from The Liturgical Year, by Abbot Guéranger, O.S.B.
Translated from the French by Dom Laurence Shepherd, O.S.B.

Volume 14.
Time After Pentecost.
Book V.

Coat of Arms of Hungary.svg


English: Coat of Arms of Hungary.
Per pale, 
the first, barry, of eight Gules and Argent, 
the second, Gules, on a mount, Vert, a crown Or, 
issuant, therefrom, a double cross, Argent.
In Crest, the Holy Crown of Hungary.


MagyarCímer: Magyarország.
Címerleírás: A Magyar Köztársaság címere hegyes talpú, hasított pajzs. Első mezeje vörössel és ezüsttel hétszer vágott. Második, vörös mezejében zöld hármas halomnak arany koronás kiemelkedő középső részén ezüst kettős kereszt. A pajzson a magyar Szent Korona nyugszik.

Date: 1 January 2009.
Author: Thommy.
(Wikimedia Commons)


The following three paragraphs are from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

The current Coat-of-Arms of Hungary were reinstated on 3 July 1990, 
after the end of Communist rule. The Arms have been used before, 
both with, and without, the Holy Crown of Hungary
sometimes as part of a larger, more complex, Coat-of-Arms, 
and its elements date back to the Middle Ages.

The Shield is split into two parts:
The dexter (left side from the viewer's point) features the so-called Árpád stripes, four Argent (silver) and four Gules (red) stripes. Traditionally, the silver stripes represent four rivers: 
Duna (Danube), Tisza, Dráva, and Száva.

The sinister (right side from the viewers point) consists of an Argent (silver) double cross on Gules (red) base, situated inside a small Or (golden) crown, the crown is placed on the middle heap of three Vert (green) hills, representing the mountain ranges Tátra, Mátra, and Fátra.





Hungarian National Anthem.
Available on YouTube at


"Out of the eater, came forth meat, and, out of the strong, came forth sweetness [Judges xiv. 14.].

The people with teeth of steel, grinding the nations, gives itself up as food to him, to whom was said: "Kill and eat;" [Saint Peter, in the vision at Joppe, which signified the assimilation of the Gentiles by the Church] the mouth of the Huns, formerly vomiting foam and rage, now distils the honey of Charity.

Such, O Christ, are Thy Miracles; such are Thy Works, O Our God " [Baron. Annal. eccles. Silvestri II. an. 2, Christi 1000].

Thus, does Baronius, on reaching in his history the year of Christ 1000, hail the arrival of the Hungarian Deputies, who came to offer to the Roman Church the suzerainty of their land, and beseech the Vicar of Christ to confer the title of King upon their Duke, Stephen.




Deutsch: Blick über die Donau auf den Burgpalast
auf der Budaer Seite von Budapest, Ungarn.
English: View over the River Danube to Buda Castle,
and the Parliament Building, Budapest, Hungary.
Magyar: A Budai vár látképe Pestről.
Italiano: Il Castello di Buda visto dalla sponda
opposta del Danubio, a Pest.
Photo: 1990s.
Source: Own work.
Author: Túrelio.
Permission: Licensed under CC-BY-SA-3.0.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Let us read the history of the apostolic King, as given in the book of Holy Church.

Stephen introduced into Hungary both the Faith of Christ and the regal dignity.

He obtained his Royal Crown from the Roman Pontiff; and having been, by his command, anointed King, offered his Kingdom to the apostolic See.

He built several Houses of Charity at Rome, Jerusalem, and Constantinople; and with a wonderfully munificent spirit of religion, he founded the Archiepiscopal See of Gran and ten other Bishoprics.

His love for the poor was equalled only by his generosity towards them; for, seeing in them Christ Himself, he never sent anyone away sad or empty-handed.


Coat of Arms of Hungary.svg


The following is taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

2 September. Feast Day of Saint Stephen. King and Confessor.

Semi-Double.
White Vestments.

A descendant of those proud and terrible invaders, the Huns, Stephen was chosen by God to win over his subjects to Christ and His Vicar.

He was given the Baptismal name of Stephen, in consequence of his mother having a vision of the Martyr Saint Stephen, who foretold her that he would convert Hungary, whose first King he became when the Pope had raised the country into a Kingdom.




"Scenes from Hungarian history.
The Virgin Mary in Glory, 
as Protectress of Hungary, 
above Joan Hunyadi and his children,
seated at a table with a Franc".
Permission: Free for non-commercial use. See below.
This image (or other media file) is in the public domain 
because its copyright has expired. 
However - you may not use this image for commercial purposes 
and you may not alter the image or remove the WikiGallery watermark.
This applies to the United States, Canada, the European Union 
and those countries with a copyright term of life 
of the author plus 70 years.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Having married the sister of the Emperor, Saint Henry, he surrounded himself, to govern his Kingdom, with men of tried holiness and prudence. He passed entire nights in the contemplation of Heavenly things (Introit), practised the greatest austerities, and, seconded by the Queen, his pious spouse, gave abundant alms (Epistle) to widows, and Churches.

The greatness of his zeal, for the propagation of the Faith, justly won for him the title of "Apostolic King" or "Apostle of Hungary", and deservedly obtained for him from the Holy See the privilege, transmitted to his successors, to have the Cross borne before him.




Hungarian National Anthem.
Available on YouTube at


He built a large Basilica in honour of Mary, whom he proclaimed Patroness of Hungary.

"His zeal in propagating and strengthening the Faith in his Kingdom earned for him the glory of a Heavenly Crown" (Postcommunion).

He died in 1038, on the "Day of the Great Lady", as the Feast of the Assumption is called by the Hungarians, in virtue of an Edict of the holy King.


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