The year 2026 has been declared Áron Márton Memorial Year in Romania; on Wednesday, the Romanian Chamber of Deputies also voted in favor of the bill submitted by the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ).
On Wednesday, the lower house passed the RMDSZ’s bill with 250 votes, declaring 2026 the Áron Márton Memorial Year on the occasion of the 130th birthday of the Transylvanian bishop, according to a statement from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Alba Iulia (Gyulafehérvár). “The decision is an important step toward preserving our common historical heritage and helps ensure that Áron Márton’s example will continue to be a guiding light for future generations,” the statement said. The session of the lower house was also attended by Gergely Kovács, Archbishop of Karlsburg, László Kerekes, Auxiliary Bishop, and László Böcskei, Bishop of Oradea (Nagyvárad) and president of the Romanian Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
The passing of the law is a fitting tribute to the outstanding life’s work and community-building service of Bishop Áron Márton, a figure who consistently championed the defense of human dignity, freedom, justice, and Christian values, and courageously opposed all forms of dictatorship and extremism,”
the archdiocese wrote.
RMDSZ President Hunor Kelemen emphasized that Áron Márton “remains a moral compass for the people of the 21st century.” He pointed out that in the face of rapid social and technological change, uncertainty, and tensions in public life, the example of those who uphold clear values and consistently stand up for human dignity, faith, and responsibility, even in difficult times, is becoming increasingly important. “Áron Márton’s work offers a point of reference here: it shows how we can make our personal and communal decisions on a solid moral foundation,” said Kelemen.
The commemorative year offers the opportunity to organize cultural, educational, and community programs at the national level in 2026 that showcase Márton’s spiritual legacy.
The law ensures that central and local authorities, as well as public media, can provide financial and logistical support for the events of the commemorative year.
Bishop Áron Márton, who became a confessor, was born on August 28, 1896, as the third child of a Szekler peasant family in Sândominic (Csíkszentdomokos). He graduated from high school in Alba Iulia in 1915 and received his draft notice three days later. During World War I, he served as a lieutenant in Doberdò del Lago and the Ojtoz Pass (Oituz, Eastern Carpathians) and was wounded three times.
In 1920, he entered the seminary in Alba Iulia. He was ordained a priest in 1924 and became court chaplain and bishop’s archivist in 1930, then bishop’s secretary in 1932. In 1934, he became managing director of the Roman Catholic Transylvanian People’s Union, and in 1937 he became titular canon and in 1938 parish priest in Cluj-Napoca (Kolozsvár).
In December 1938, Pope Pius XI appointed him bishop of the Diocese of Alba Iulia, which covers the historic region of Transylvania. His motto was:
Non recuso laborem – I do not shy away from work.
In the difficult decades that followed, the church he led was a source of strength for the Hungarian population of Transylvania. He was a charismatic personality, his words and deeds radiating inner strength and rock-solid faith.
Photo: Facebook/Magyarország Főkonzulátusa Kolozsvár
When Northern Transylvania was temporarily returned to Hungary by the Second Vienna Award and his diocese was divided, the bishop remained in Romania, in Alba Iulia. In May 1944, he spoke out against the deportation of Hungarian Jews, and after the war he campaigned for the rights of the Hungarian minority in Romania. Márton protested vigorously when the communist government in Bucharest nationalized church schools in 1948.
Hundreds of thousands heard his speech at the pilgrimage in Șumuleu (Csíksomlyó) in 1949, and a few weeks later, on June 21, he was arrested. Even the Vatican knew nothing about his whereabouts, but the Pope appointed him titular archbishop. His show trial was held in 1951 before the military court in Bucharest, and he was sentenced to ten years of strict imprisonment and life-long forced labor for high treason.
Photo: Facebook/Magyarország Főkonzulátusa Kolozsvár
In 1955, Márton was released and took over the leadership of his diocese. In 1957, he was placed under house arrest for ten years. The bishop was only allowed to leave the episcopal residence to go to the cathedral, but he was allowed to receive visitors and ordain priests. When the pressure eased, he was allowed to travel to the Synod of Bishops in the Vatican in 1969 and was received by Pope Paul VI in 1971.
Photo: Facebook/Magyarország Főkonzulátusa Kolozsvár
The elderly, sick bishop offered his resignation to the Vatican several times from 1976 onwards. It was accepted on April 2, 1980, by Pope John Paul II, who described him as
the most perfect and irreproachable servant of the Lord.”
Márton died six months later, on September 29, 1980.
In 2016, the 120th anniversary of his birth, a memorial year was proclaimed and his remains were transferred to a stone sarcophagus in the southern side chapel of the Cathedral of Alba Iulia so that everyone could pay their respects and pray for his beatification and subsequent canonization.
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Memorial Year To Celebrate Transylvanian Bishop Áron Márton’s Legacy Has Begun in Cluj Napoca
His teachings, sermons, and circular letters contain many values that are still relevant today, such as the question of conscience and the topic of religious freedom.Continue reading
Via MTI; Featured image: Facebook/Gyulafehérvári Római Katolikus Érsekség
The post Áron Márton 130: Romania Honors the Saintly Bishop of Transylvania appeared first on Hungary Today.
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