The Saint King Association (Szent Király Szövetség in Hungarian) was founded 24 years ago by Hungarian settlements throughout the Carpathian Basin whose names include “Saint Stephen” (“Szent István” in Hungarian, the first Hungarian king) or simply the word “king” (“király” in Hungarian). This year, the association’s annual meeting, organized each August, was hosted by the Szekler village of Székelyszentkirály (Sâncrai) last weekend, with Speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly László Kövér present.
The Saint King Association was founded on August 15, 1997, when the 1,000th anniversary of Stephen’s election as the Grand Prince of the Hungarians was celebrated. (He was crowned the first king of Hungary three years later in the year 1000 and was canonized in August 1083, 45 years after his death.) The association’s goal is to bring together, every August, the inhabitants of all the villages and towns around the Carpathian Basin that keep the memory of Saint Stephen alive in their names. Today, the association has 21 member settlements from Hungary, Romania and Slovakia.
Last weekend, the association’s 24th meeting was organized in Székelyszentkirály, a Szekler village in Hargita (Harghita) County with 1,100 inhabitants.
“In the name of all of us, I would like to thank Hungary for highlighting that the 15 million Hungarians are one nation.”
– said the host of the event, Mayor Elemér Imre Bálint, on Sunday in front of the Catholic church in Székelyszentkirály.
Gellért Szabó, the mayor of Szentkirály (another settlement with a similar name, not in Transylvania but in central Hungary, 20 kilometers from Kecskemét), said that the motto of the event, “Sons should follow their ancestors,” does not mean that children should follow their ancestors blindly, but instead that they have to move toward the common goal set. According to him, ancestors’ messages have to be adapted to today’s world, and family members should get along with each other in harmony.
The Speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary László Kövér reminded those in attendance of Saint Stephen’s message, “If you prevail, you will save your souls,” and Jesus Christ’s message, “Do not be afraid.” He said that every Hungarian can build his own and his community’s future on these thoughts.
“Christian culture, national self-identity, state sovereignty. This has been our heritage from Saint Stephen for a thousand years. Since our first Saint King, we have a duty to insist on our Christian faith and on our homeland in the Carpathian Basin.”
– Kövér said. After the speeches, the Saint Stephen’s bust was wreathed, and those present then sang the Hungarian and Szekler anthems.
Title image: Wreathing of the Saint Stephen’s bust in front of the church in Székelyszentkirály on August 8, 2021. (Photo: Bálint Előd Erdély/szekelyhon.ro)
