OUR TRANSYLVANIA PARTNERSHIP UNITARIANS IN KARÁCSONYFALVA
Since 1990 the Unitarian Society of Northampton and Florence has had a partnership with the Unitarian Church in the village of Homoródkarácsonyfalva, in Transylvania. Unitarians in Transylvania are ethnic Hungarians who have maintained the culture and language of their native Hungary. Unitarian churches have been part of the Transylvanian way of life since the middle of the 16th century.
Over the years several groups of congregation members have traveled to Karácsonyfalva, developing personal relationships and learning firsthand about “our” village and about the Unitarian culture there. We have exchanged letters, cards, emails and pictures, and more recently some of us have even begun to communicate via Facebook and Skype.
Mihály and Enikő Benédek, the ministerial couple from our village, honored us with a visit in the spring of 2010. Our minister Reveverend Janet C. Bush and her husband Booker Bush received wonderful return hospitality in June of 2011.
During the summer of 2019, 7 members of the Youth Group traveled to Transylvania to learn about the history of their faith and connect with our partner church and village. Read about their profound experiences: http://uunorthampton.org/worship/sermons/1136-youth-group-transylvania-sermons.
We look for ways to learn from each other, and to support the village and congregation in ways they tell us will be helpful.
Learn more:
Transylvanian Unitarianism – An Overview
Recommended web sites:
www.homorodkaracsonyfalva.eu for pictures of the village and surroundings, with an emphasis on the restored church frescoes; links to videos on YouTube etc. Be sure to click on the British flag for the English-language version.
www.unitarius.org for information about the Unitarian Church of Transylvania (this site is in Hungarian).
www.unitarius.hu/English/ for information about the Hungarian Unitarian Church in English.
www.uupcc.org for an overview of the dynamic program of the Partner Church Council, an affiliate of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA)
The above photo is a handmade custom quilt depiciting the Northampton and Homoródkarácsonyfalva churches. The quilt was designed and made by fiber artist Elizabeth Sylvan (SylvanQuilts), a former USNF staff member.
