Page 18 - Priorities #50 2011-June/July

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James Eaneman, ‘04, went on Father Maurus’ trip to Panama in August 2003. “There are many parts of those two weeks that still stand out,” he says. “Seeing a ship cross the Panama Canal, eating with a native tribe, and Father Maurus himself. It was something of a shock to see him wearing khakis and trail gear. But even out- side of the classroom and black robes, he was unchanged. He always pointed out native species and plants, showing his enthusiasm and love for biology.”
Those adventures provided a special opportunity for Father Maurus and his students to connect. Zoltan Klarik remembers sit- ting next to Father Maurus on a flight. “We were flying from Oahu to Molokai in a small jet, and we hit a small storm right after takeoff,” he explains. “I was scared. When he saw this in my eyes, he started to cheer me up and make me relax with his calm voice. By the end to the trip we were both laughing. He always knows how to handle people, cheer them up and make them comfortable.”
James Eaneman shares a similar memory. “On one hike, he saw that I was having trouble going up the hill. So he fell behind and walked with me. In the classroom or the jungle,” says Eaneman, “he was always friendly and kind.”
Pablo Avalos remembers Father Maurus’s kindness as well. “He helped me through a lot of rough times during high school,” Avalos says. “His door was always open. He had a sincere interest in my life at Priory and outside of school. It seemed like time just flew when we talked.” Whether showing up to cheer students on at sporting events, driving the bus to the soccer games, or coming to a student’s birthday celebration, Father Maurus has a way of show- ing he cares. “He has a special connection with his students,” agrees Zoltan Klarik.
Teaching has been only part of Father Maurus’s life and work. For the past seventeen years, Father Maurus has also served as pastor to the Hungarian Catholic Mission, which brings Bay Area Hungarians together every Sunday for Mass at Priory’s chapel. The group’s primary purpose, explains Father Maurus, is “to celebrate the Eucharist according to our national tradition with our traditional hymns and in our own language.” After Mass, the group holds a so- cial gathering in Priory’s dining hall, and there are language classes for children and meetings of the Hungarian Scouts, all to foster com- munity and promote the Hungarian language and culture. Finally, the group raises money—close to $80,000 annually—to support or- phans and the elderly in the home country.
It is the hospitality of the Benedictine community and Priory, Fa- ther Maurus explains, that makes the Hungarian Catholic Mission’s philanthropic work possible. “This community did not have to build a church, does not have to keep up the church or support a priest. We have minimal financial worries. So that is a wonderful, wonderful situation. It is God’s special blessing that we have this opportunity.”
Above: The San Franciso Bay Hungarian com- munity celebrates ‘National Day’ with traditional dance, song and dramatizations in the PAC.
Fr. Pius and the Priory hosted this very special Hungarian event with mass and a luncheon.
At right, Fr. Maurus with the U.S. Hungarian ambassador, Belazs Bokor.
Father Maurus’s work with the members of the Hungarian Catholic Mission extends beyond Sundays. “My little community is aging,” he says. “A number of them are homebound or in retirement homes, and I have my rounds visiting them regularly.” He also of- fers counsel to those who need it. “I am even now involved with a number of people who are in need to sit down and talk,” he says. “Never mind how busy I would be otherwise, people come first.”
Parishioners like Frank Heil feel lucky to have him. “Father Maurus reaches out with a helping hand to young and old in need, without expecting anything in return. He is a hard worker. He in- spires us to live our faith to the fullest.” Appreciation has also come from higher places. In 2007, the Hungarian Catholic Bishops Confer- ence presented Father Maurus with Pro Cultura Cristiana award for promoting the Hungarian culture and Christian values abroad. Two years later, the President of Hungary awarded him with The Knight of the Golden Cross in acknowledgement of his work as an educator and leader in the Hungarian community in California.
Father Maurus’s journey to California, and to monastic life, was circuitous. “I never wanted to leave my country,” he says. “I had to.” Just after the young (his given name here?) finished high school in 1956, the Hungarian revolution broke out and he was forced to flee, leaving his parents and eight year-old sister behind. For six months he lived in refugee camps in Austria and Holland and then emigrated to Canada, where he lived for more than six years. His Priory stu- dents used to love hearing about his work as a lumberjack there. “I