Monsignor Dezso Torok marking 60th anniversary of ordination

By Linda M. Linonis

EAST PALESTINE — If a new priest asked Monsignor Dezso Torok for some words of advice, the novice might think he would hear insights into theology culled from years of study or how to efficiently operate a parish.

But Monsignor Torok, a priest for 60 years, would offer these words of counsel — “kindness, kindness, kindness.” And he added, “Listen to what the church says and respect it.

“God sees what we do all the time,” he said. And on a practical note, he said exercise, eating well and rest were important for everyone.

He has listened to his own advice, and it’s carried him throughout his career. “We’re not crusaders, but messengers. We are missionaries and the church is a mission,” he said.

Monsignor Torok has served the Diocese of Youngstown for more than a half of century in many capacities. He’s a soft-spoken man with a sense of humor — “I’m 85 but I feel like 84” and a sense of purpose — “I was inspired by a good priest and wanted to be like him.”

But he must have been aware of a calling early on because he remembers as a child “playing” the part of the priest and saying Mass while his two sisters were altar servers. “That was long before girls did that,” he said.

Monsignor Torok recalled, down to the minute, when he arrived in the United States — 9:30 a.m. Oct. 19, 1950, in New York City. “I had heard a priest from the United States speak about wanting priests to come to America,” he said, noting priests who spoke Hungarian, German, Polish and Slovac were sought out for ethnic parishes. He was born in Monson, Hungary, and ordained June 18, 1948, in Regensburg, Germany. He had a Catholic education in Budapest, attended the seminary in Eger, Hungary, and completed his education in Regensburg.

When he arrived in the United States, Monsignor Torok said the extent of his English was “yes, no, thank you, how are you.” But to the Hungarian-speaking members of St. Stephen of Hungary Church, where he first an associate pastor then pastor, it was more important that he spoke Hungarian. “The priest had a TV. It was the first time I had seen it,” Monsignor Torok recalled. “I watched ‘Gunsmoke’ on TV. The language was simple and helped me learn,” he said.

Monsignor Torok was at St. Stephen from Oct. 21, 1950, to July 1, 1981. After more than 30 years at the Youngstown church, he was moved to Our Lady of Lourdes, where he was pastor from 1981-93. When he left his post at St. Stephen, the parish council sent him a letter, which he still treasures. In part, it read, “It is not an easy task to leave a parish that has been your home for the past 30 years. It is not easy for us to lose a dedicated spiritual leader and friend.”

He retired in 1993, and the monsignor offers Masses at Our Lady of Hungary Church. Recently, he suspended that activity because he had surgery.

Though life in his parishes had routines punctuated with other duties, Monsignor Torok said he has settled into his retirement routine including what he jokingly called the “retired, old men eating out” club and Meals on Wheels.

His daily routine includes Mass at 8 a.m., which he says in the chapel at his apartment building, which once was the convent at Our Lady of Lourdes. He likes to read and watches some TV including soccer matches. “I was a soccer player ... a goalie,” he said, and did admit he played on two European teams that won local championships. Earlier this week, he said he would be watching the Italy and France match in the Europe 2008. “I like to keep up with it,” he said.

“When I came to America, I had to learn about football. Those penalties were hard to understand, but I learned,” he said. “When Cleveland and Pittsburgh played, I offered a special blessing for both teams,” he said, noting that his congregations usually were a 50-50 split between the two teams.

Monsignor Torok said he has had many memorable moments. On a visit to Rome during Pope Pius XII’s reign (1939-58), his tour group included a Hungarian general. When the group was presented to the pope, he recognized the general. “I knew the general was well known, but to have the pope recognize him,” he said.

He also recalled a visit by the late Cardinal Joseph Mindszenty of Hungary to St. Stephen in the 1970s. “He kissed me and told me we should have a Hungarian school for children to learn the language,” Monsignor Torok said. Though the school did not materialize, the children of the parish were exposed to the language at church.

Monsignor Torok also wrote a column for 10 years for the Catholic Hungarian Sunday, a worldwide newspaper, and also did homilies broadcast on “Voice of America” to the Hungarian people who were then under Communist rule. He also wrote the book “Under Wings of the Cross,” which describes his experiences in many countries and and a Hungarian prayer book.

Changes brought about by Vatican II also impacted his work as a priest, he said. Monsignor Torok said Masses in Hungarian and preached in the language. St. Stephen also had a Hungarian dance group at one time, which he said was a wonderful activity.

But before he arrived in America, Monsignor Torok lived through World War II in Europe. “Regular German soldiers were OK but the SS were brainwashed,” he said. He said he saw some horrific things and lived through difficult times. “War makes no sense,” he said, except, he said, in defense of your country. About those fighting the war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan, Monsignor Torok said, “I know what it’s like.”

Monsignor Torok also served in the diocesan office for the Propagation of the Faith, where he first was involved in mission work. He was able to visit missions in Peru, Mexico and Chile.

Through his career, Monsignor Torok’s faith evolved and grew stronger. “It’s about letting go of self and being drawn into Christ,” he said.