An evening dedicated to the presentation of the historical and spiritual story of Blessed Stephen Sándor was held on Thursday, June 2. After greetings by Fr. János Andrásfalvy, UNG Provincial, there was a talk by Fr. Pierluigi Cameroni, Postulator General of the Salesian Congregation, who presented Blessed Stephen Sándor and Venerable Jose Vandor, a Hungarian Salesian, as witnesses of peace. Two men, two Salesians, one a coadjutor brother, the other a missionary priest in Cuba, who believed in peace and the possibility of living it in their daily lives. Their message to us is that "The world changes and everyone's life improves only if we make ourselves available to others, without waiting for others to start doing so. If we become artisans of fraternity, we can reweave the threads of a world torn apart by war and violence. We build peace with attention to the least, with the promotion of justice, with the courage of forgiveness, which extinguishes the fire of hatred. Peace, in fact, is both a gift from above and the fruit of a shared commitment."
Dr. Judit Varga then presented the historical context in which Stephen Sándor found himself living. Born in 1914 when Hungary was a monarchy, the young Salesian coadjutor lived through the years of World War II and the advent of the communist regime. Also a victim of the Hungarian communist regime's strong anti-religious repression, which was particularly harsh and bloody from 1946 to 1963, he bore witness to his faith and dedication to the Salesian mission to the point of martyrdom.
Fr. Béla Abrahám traced the path of research and studies that led to the discovery and identification of the relics of Blessed Stephen Sándor. In addition, he shared some personal anecdotes that accompanied in a providential form the recovery of the relics.
On this occasion, the Hungarian translation of the book "Stephen Sándor Martyr of the Gospel of Joy," by Fr. Pierluigi Cameroni, was officially presented.
https://www.infoans.org/en/sections/news/item/15529-hungary-country-in-celebration-for-blessed-stephen-sandor#sigProIdd662461528
