Lehet-e nagyobbat álmodni? Muzslay István SJ lehetetlennek tűnő küldetése

Abstract

Can We Dream Bigger? The Seemingly Impossible Mission of István Muzslay SJ. Anyone who has lived abroad for years or has experienced a minority existence knows exactly how much of a struggle it is to preserve one’s identity. In this struggle, Jesuit priest István Muzslay created a lasting impact through his work among young Hungarian students in Belgium. In recent years, the Hungarian Province of the Society of Jesus has been increasingly striving to present the lives and works of their fellow members who were forced to emigrate abroad after World War II to a wider Hungarian and international audience. Due to the historical context, many Jesuits had to spend most of their lives abroad and could not return to Hungary until the collapse of communism. For this reason, the mentioned works that present their activities are not only filling a gap in the Catholic public consciousness but are also significant for all Hungarians, as several of the emigrant Jesuits led Hungarian communities in their new homeland for decades, helping the new generation born in emigration to maintain both their faith and their Hungarian identity. In my article, first of all, I seek to answer the question of what the significance was of the work carried out by István Muzslay, the leader of a Hungarian community in Belgium over the decades. What does the entire Hungarian society owe to this selfless work? At the same time, I aim to demonstrate that without leaders like Muzslay, who were committed to both Christian and national values, the fate of Hungarian emigrants would have been incomparably more difficult in their new homeland.