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

Last went: 2021
Will go again: 2032
Mass and tour

This meetup includes a Mass at 11:00 (optional) with some parts of the Mass in Hungarian. The tour will follow Mass. Unfortunately, they can no longer do the Hungarian Lunch. This church is currently in survival mode and can't do the lunch anymore. 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 go to the tour, please be there by 11:45 and wait (quietly) at the back of the church.

"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/