Subj : April 2nd - Bl. Vilmos Apor, Bishop To : All From : rich Date : Thu Apr 01 2021 10:26:01 From: rich April 2nd - Bl. Vilmos Apor, Bishop Also known as Vilhelm Apor, Gulielmus Apor, William Apor (1892-1945) During World War II, Hungary sided with the Germans. That meant that as the Nazis were defeated, Russia took control of the country, and a communist government was set up that lasted until 1989. The Church suffered much during those years, especially during the initial Russian invasion of 1944-1945. One of the victims then was the Bishop of Gyor, Vilmos Apor. Apor was born in Sevesgar, Transylvania, on February 20, 1892. Transylvania, then a part of eastern Hungary, was detached from it and added to Romania after World War I. Vilmos came from a noble family, as had many of the Hungarian bishops, for it was customary for the second son of noble couples to enter the priesthood. Vilmos' brothe= r, Baron Gabor Apor, was Hungarian ambassador to the Holy See from 1939 to 1945. Vilmos' early career as a priest was apparently impressive, for on January 21, 1941, he was named Bishop of Gyor, a sizable city in northwest Hungary, with a Catholic population of 500,000. An American priest of Hungarian background describes Apor as an imposing person, =E2=80=9CBut very kind and personable=E2=80=9D. Despite his aristocratic ba= ckground, he was hardworking and had a strong sense of social justice. =E2=80=9CPasto= r of the poor,=E2=80=9D they called him. In 1944 he provided emergency suppli= es to Jews being deported through his town. The Russian invaders of 1945 were noted for their brutality. The terrorized women in particular, and did not hesitate to kill anybody who tried to defend them. One who could not leave Hungarian women undefended was Bishop Apor. The Bishop had hidden several pursued women from the predatory Russian soldiery in the cellar of his residence at Gyor. On Good Friday, March 30, 1945, a drunken band of armed Russian soldiers, intent on abducting them, approached the Bishop's cellar determined to get in= ... Bishop Apor was standing in front of the door. The soldiers tried to push him away. =E2=80=9CNo, you can't go in,=E2=80=9D he said. Their answer? They shot him, wounding him mortally, and pressed on with their mad search. The Bishop of Gyor had laid down his life in defense of the lives and virtue of a group of helpless women. He had obeyed the command of the Scriptures: =E2=80=9CDefend the lowly and the fatherless=E2=80=A6 from the = hand of the wicked deliver them=E2=80=9D (Ps. 82:3-4). In the twinkling of an eye he ha= d become a martyr, a new paschal victim. Pope John Paul II acknowledged that fact officially when he beatified Vilmos Apor, Bishop and Martyr, in St. Peter's Basilica on November= 9, 1997. =E2=80=93Father Robert Saint Quote: Fix your minds on the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. Inflamed with love for us, he came down from heaven to redeem us. For our sake he endured every torment of body and soul and shrank from no bodily pain. He himself gave us an example of perfect patience and love. We, then, are to be patient in adversity. -- Saint Francis of Paola from a letter Bible Quote: Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects.=C2 [James 5:16]=C2 RSVCE <><><><> Hymn: The Cross of Christ Gal. vi. 14:--"God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." "When we rise, the cross; when we lie down, the cross; in our studies, the cross; everywhere and at every time, the cross--shining more glorious than the sun."--St. Chrysostom. O Child of God, remember, When thou to Christ wast born, How then across thine infant breast His sacred sign was drawn. And when confirming Chrism Upon thy brow was laid, How in that sign the Holy Ghost His grace upon thee shed. Therefore, when sleep invites thee To take thy needful rest, Be sure that with the sacred cross Thou sign thy brow and breast. The cross hath wondrous virtue All evil to control; To scatter darkness, and to calm The tempest of the soul. What though in sleep this body May helpless seem to lie? I nothing fear, assured that One Stronger than all is nigh. On Him my heart shall ponder, E'en while my rest I take; My shield and shelter while I sleep. My joy when I awake. --- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2 * Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4) .