The pews were filled in the Basilica for the commemorative mass dedicated to the memory of Otto von Habsburg, which was celebrated by Archabbot Cyril T. Hortobágyi OSB. The subsequent deliberation was also opened by the Archabbot. In his oration, he recalled a 15th-century prayer from the Sacramentary of St. Martin’s Cathedral in Bratislava, which was part of the ceremony for the coronation of 11 Hungarian Habsburg monarchs, highlighting the four most cardinal leadership virtues: humility, piety, courage and social sensitivity. Two significant announcements were made as an opening act: the Archabbot presented the decision of the monastic community that “the modern archival-pedagogical hall of the Archabbey’s thousand-year-old archives will now bear the name of Otto von Habsburg.” Afterward, Konrád Dejcsics OSB, the cultural director of the Pannonhalma Archabbey, presented the planned procedure for establishing a memorial place for Otto von Habsburg on the territory of the Archabbey. Hopefully, the completed memorial plaque can be unveiled on the next anniversary.
Gergely Prőhle, Director of our Foundation, thanked both initiatives and recalled the 2019 commemoration in Pannonhalma, which was the first public event of the Otto von Habsburg Foundation. As he said, the Benedictine spirituality has been an essential guiding principle behind our activities in addition to the close professional cooperation that binds us together. In the light of this experience, we chose as the title of this year’s commemoration an excerpt from a lecture by Otto von Habsburg: “… I consider myself henceforth a member of the great and valuable community of »Hungarian Benedictine Students«”. Just as the life of the former Hungarian Crown Prince was greatly influenced by the Benedictine teachers who taught him in emigration, our invited speakers also look back fondly on their time here. The introductory speech was given by György Szapáry, former Vice President of the Hungarian National Bank and member of the Board of Trustees of the Otto von Habsburg Foundation.
Albin Juhász-Laczik, OSB Director of the Benedictine High School of Pannonhalma, moderator of the discussion, introduced the five pillars of Benedictine high school education to the participating alumni: academic knowledge, creativity, physical activity, community and individual search for God. Alongside György Szapáry, Gergely Deli, Rector of the University of Public Service; György Krámer, Evangelical Pastor and Director of the National Office of the Evangelical Church of Hungary; and Attila Steiner, Minister of State for Energy and Climate Policy were also invited to share their memories and discuss what the pillars mean to them, how the years spent here have influenced their professional and personal development, and how the spiritual values they have received have served as a compass for their future.
The commemoration was concluded at the Viator Restaurant next to the Abbey, where, after a toast by Georg von Habsburg, the participants – including Szilveszter E. Vizi, former President of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and several other distinguished Pannonhalma alumni – were able to recall their memories of Mount St. Martin in an informal setting.
The round table discussion can be viewed on the Foundation’s YouTube channel in Hungarian.
