Hungarian Blesseds

Beati nomine in posterum appelletur.
Monstantól fogva Boldognak nevezzék.

As a child, József Mindszenty often served as an altar boy during the Holy Mass. Whenever he was in the local church, he always looked for the Hungarian saints in the altarpiece, painted by István Dorfmeister and depicting all the saints. He observed the attributes of each of them, i.e. the typical objects that they held in their hands. It was in this church that he first heard about the crusaders, who had had an abbreviated form of the following battle-cry engraved on their shields: Ave Mater Dei! Hail, Mother of God! This was also the first motto that the young József wrote on his toy shield.

In 1942, the Cardinal had the opportunity to choose a new surname. The eloquent name ‘Mindszenty’ was a reference to both his village of birth and his deep respect for the saints. As a parish priest, he regarded Saint John Vianney and Saint Ignatius of Loyola as his role models, while as a bishop, he sought to follow the example of Saint Ambrose and Saint Gerard Sagredo. He felt deep gratitude towards Blessed Innocence XI, known as the ‘Saviour of Hungary’ for his role in the expulsion of the Turks, as well as the pope of social justice Leo XIII and Venerable Pope Pius XII, who created him cardinal.