President Sulyok Visits Csángó School in Romania

President Tamás Sulyok, his wife Zsuzsanna Nagy, and Zsolt Németh opened the 28th Csángó Ball at Millenáris, in Budapest

As part of his private Pentecost trip to Szeklerland (Romania), President Tamás Sulyok visited Comuna Lunca de Sus (Gyimesfelsőlok) on Friday, June 6, where he was welcomed at the Saint Elizabeth of the House of Árpád Roman Catholic High School, a unique institution founded three decades ago aiming to preserve Csángó identity through Christian education.

Lajos Berszán, honorary canon and founder of the school, told Krónika ahead of the presidential visit that the visit is considered a great honor, and students have prepared a special welcome by dressing in traditional costumes, performing songs and poems.

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The high school was established in 1994, following Romania’s regime change, with the aim of offering a Christian upbringing and protecting Csángó cultural identity. Starting with just 30 students, the school now educates around 330 young people from Gyimesfelsőlok, Lunca de Jos (Gyimesközéplok), Valea Rece (Hidegség), and even from as far as Sfântu Gheorghe (Sepsiszentgyörgy) in Covasna County.

Father Berszán recalled that during communism, the study of religion was restricted, yet children still came to learn about their faith. After the regime changed, he felt called to create a school and retreat house for Csángó children. With the support of the Association of Christian Intellectuals (Keresztény Értelmiségiek Szövetsége- KÉSZ), they built the campus over the decades: chapel, classrooms, a gym, dining hall, and courtyard.

The goal was clear from the beginning: to help young people know who they are, to preserve their national identity, and to live by Christian values,”

said Father Berszán. “Wearing Csángó folk dress at festive times is a mark of respect for the past and a symbol of loyalty to one’s roots.”

Education at the Saint Elizabeth High School spans kindergarten to high school, and includes theological and natural science streams, as well as vocational training in horticulture and agrotourism, with religious life remaining central.

“Children inherit their religious beliefs from their families,” said Father Berszán. “They pray, sing, and grow into faith—it becomes second nature. Once, someone asked if religious life at the school was compulsory. The students did not understand the question, as if someone had asked whether breakfast was compulsory. It is simply part of their lives.”

The school’s namesake, Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, is not only a symbolic figure but an inspiration. Father Berszán recalled how Archbishop Lajos Bálint, who consecrated the school’s foundation stone, proposed Elizabeth as the patron saint—an idea that felt providential.

Every year, the school holds a celebration in her honor to reflect on the institution’s beginnings and the living faith that sustains it.

Speaking about the approaching Pentecost, Father Berszán offered a message of hope and strength. Quoting a hymn about the apostles’ transformation, he emphasized that people today also need courage.

The fire of the Holy Spirit can turn the weak into heroes. We pray that our students, as they leave school and face the world, are strengthened by this same spirit.”

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