Tour St Mary of Victories Hungarian Catholic Church - Mass, Lunch, Tour

Last went: 2021
Will go again: 2032
Mass, Hungarian Lunch, and tour

The lunch is $10. Additional donations are needed by the church. Please bring a little extra.

PLEASE INDICATE IN COMMENTS IF YOU PLAN TO STAY FOR LUNCH! I NEED TO GIVE THE PRIEST AN APPROXIMATE NUMBER FOR LUNCH!

This meetup includes a Mass at 11:00 (optional) with some parts of the Mass in Hungarian. Following the Mass, we will have lunch (a little different order than usual but the church and cook requested we have lunch first then the tour). The tour will follow lunch. The last time we went, we were fortunate to see a special blessing for an elderly parishioner who, as a college student in 1956, braved freezing water to escape Hungary from invading Russians. At the end of Mass, everyone (but those of us who don't know Hungarian), sang the Hungarian National Anthem for the man and his wife. It was quite moving.

If you wish to attend Mass, be there before 11:00.

If you wish to skip the Mass, but get lunch, come at 11:50 and wait (quietly) at the back of the church. We will all go to lunch together.

If you just want the tour and you are not interested in Mass or lunch, please come to the church about 1:00 - not sure how long lunch will take so we will be back at the church when we are done eating!

"Historic Saint Mary of Victories Catholic Church, just south of the Gateway Arch, is a splendid and unique part of the heritage of old Saint Louis.
"Founded in 1843 for German immigrants, it became the city’s Hungarian Catholic Church and cultural center in 1956. Its acclaimed architecture, beautiful old paintings, ornate statuary and noted historical personalities have earned it a spot on the National Register of Historic Places. It is one of the few consecrated churches in the Archdiocese of St. Louis, and has a magnificent high altar with hundreds of sacred relics.

"Formerly a German parish community, new life was bestowed on St. Mary of Victories in 1957 when the church was designated the official Hungarian Church for the Archdiocese of St. Louis. St. Mary's became home to a Hungarian congregation who had been worshiping in St. Stephen's at 12th and Chouteau Streets, and many of whom were refugees from Hungary after World War II and the 1956 Hungarian Uprising. Historic St. Mary of Victories - St. Stephen of Hungary Church and the adjoining hall became the symbolic home to immigrants of all faiths and walks of life who longed to celebrate and commemorate the important events of over 1,000 years of Hungarian history. " from https://www.smov.info/