BL. SZILARD BOGDANFFY, BISHOP AND MARTYR

BL. SZILARD BOGDANFFY, BISHOP AND MARTYR - 3 OCTOBER

BLESSED SZILARD BOGDANFFY, BISHOP AND MARTYR

Szilard Bogdanffy was born to ethnic Hungarian parents on February 21, 1911 in the village of Feketeto, then Austria-Hungary, now Serbia. The Bogdanffy family is a Transylvanian Armenian family which was granted nobility by the Habsburgs.

Bl. Szilard went to the Piarists high school. After his final exams, he was accepted to the Catholic seminary of the Latin-rite Diocese of Oradea, Romania. He was ordained a priest by the bishop of Oradea, Istvan Fiedler, on June 29, 1934.

He continued his studies at the University of Budapest, where he earned a PhD in philosophy and dogmatics. He then became professor of the Catholic seminary in Oradea and confessor at the Ursuline convent in the city. In 1939 he was followed by the Royal Romanian Secret Services for alleged anti-Romanian activity.

During World War II - because he was hiding Jews - he was also interrogated by the Hungarian Fascist gendarmes.

After the end of the war, the new Romanian communist leadership started a campaign against the Christian religion (especially against Catholics). As a consequence, the Vatican allowed secret consecration of bishops.

Bl. Szilard was consecrated as bishop of Oradea of the Latins and auxiliary bishop of Satu Mare on February 14, 1949 by Gerald Patrick O'Hara, Regent of the Apostolic Nunciature to Bucharest.

The new bishop was arrested and imprisoned only two months later. He had previously been approached, on several occasions, by representatives of the regime, with the request that he lead an "independent Romanian Latin-rite Church, with no ties to the Vatican" which he adamantly refused.

Until his death he spent four years as a captive in various prisons throughout Romania, including the evil-reputed Cape Midia camp at the Danube-Black Sea Canal. He fell seriously ill, being affected by bad conditions and regular torture.

At Aiud Prison, as the Byzantine rite Catholic bishop of Lugoj, Ioan Ploscaru recalled, Bishop Bogdanffy was "humble and serene, always ready to help his fellow sufferers".

Although lying sick with serious pneumonia, the prison doctor refused him the necessary medication claiming he was not worthy of it. He died in solitary confinement on October 3, 1953 at Aiud Prison.

Information from Wikipedia

PRAYER:

Grant, we beseech you, almighty God, that the venerable feast of Blessed Szilard may increase our devotion and promote our salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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