The establishment of congregations in the Diocese of Székesfehérvár during and after the Hungarian Soviet Republic

Abstract

The congregations established in the parishes of the Diocese of Székesfehérvár, as self­govern­ing administrative units, played an important role in preserving and strengthening Christian faith during the 20th century, and they greatly contributed to the development of today’s church administration system. During the Hungarian Soviet Republic, in addition to the above, the existence of an autonomous church organization became crucial, since the separa­tion of church and state also meant the withdrawal of all financial support, and due to the changed ownership relations, the patronus became unable to maintain the parishes.

The first part of the study deals with the circulars issued by the Bishop of Székesfehérvár, Ottokár Prohászka, in April and August 1919, in which he calls on the parishes to establish congregations and encourages the creation of a unified regulation. In the second part, I outline specific cases based on the historia domuses kept in the parishes, as well as on the correspond­ence between the parishes and the Diocese. Through these examples, I will try to present the reasons for the establishment of congregations, their temporal distribution, and their practical implementation.