HUNGARIAN CATHOLICS IN AMERICA 159 



congregations, where Hungarians are numerous, with priests 

 who can speak their language and keep them in the practice of 

 their religion. 



While Catholic societies and membership in them are con- 

 stantly increasing everywhere in this country, the Hungarian 

 element can boast of only a relatively small progress. The 

 Magyars have one Catholic Association (Sziiz Maria Szovet- 

 seg), with headquarters at Cleveland, Ohio, which was founded 

 in 1896 under the leadership of Rev. Charles Bohm, assisted 

 by Joseph Pity, Francis Apathy and John Weizer. This asso- 

 ciation has 2,500 members, comprising about eighty councils 

 in different States. Besides being a religious organization it 

 is also a benefit association providing life insurance for its 

 members. There are also several other Catholic Hungarian 

 benefit societies throughout the country, the largest being at 

 Cleveland, Ohio, the Catholic Union (Szent Erzsebet Unio), 

 with 800 members. There are many other non-Catholic Hun- 

 garian societies, to which Catholic Hungarians belong, the two 

 largest being the Bridgeporti Szovetseg with 250 councils and 

 Verhovai Egylet with 130 councils. The Hungarian Reformed 

 Church has also a church association based upon the same 

 lines as the Catholic societies and with about the same mem- 

 bership. In 1907 the Hungarian National Federation (Ameri- 

 kai Magyar Szovetseg), an organization embracing all Mag- 

 yars of whatsoever creed, was founded with great enthusiasm 

 in Cleveland, its object being to care for the material interests 

 and welfare of Hungarians in America. Julius Rudnyansky, 

 a noted Catholic poet and writer, was one of the founders. 

 Despite its good intentions, it has failed to obtain the unquali- 

 fied support of Hungarians throughout the country. The pa- 

 rochial schools established by the Hungarians have grown 

 rapidly. The finest was built in Cleveland, Ohio, by Rev. 

 Charles Bohm, and now contains 655 pupils. There are alto- 

 gether (in 1909) twelve Hungarian parochial schools contain- 

 ing about 2,500 children. No attempt at any institutions of 

 higher education has been made, nor are there any purely Hun- 

 garian teaching orders (male or female) in the United States 



to-day. 



The first Hungarian paper was a little sheet called "Magyar 

 Szamiizottek Lapja" (Hungarian Exiles' Journal), which made 

 its first appearance on October 15, 1853, and lived a few years. 



