Prayer for the Heroes

In his greeting address Col. Dr. István Görög, Public Relations Chief Desk of the HDF Joint Force Command (HDF JFC) revived the events that took place 163 years ago. He emphasized that the war council, one of the most determinative historical events of the 1848/1849 Revolution and Freedom Fight, was likewise held in the Reformed Church of the village, – and on the same day, and at the same hour –, as the commemoration ceremony this day. Back then the war council was convened for the purpose of making a decision by the leading personalities: whether to follow the orders of the King or that of the Parliament?

At the end of the heated debate – mostly under the influence of the Prime Minister Count Lajos Batthyány’s arguments – those undecided until then, also accepted that the Army shall not give up their military positions, and in case Jellasics attacked, they would put up a defence.

István Görög underlined: the legitimate Hungarian Government employed the force of the Army in order to defend the independence of the homeland, and the Pákozd Victory “gave back the self-confidence to the country". “The soldiers executed the commands according to the best of their professional knowledge, and thus showed an example of the love of the Homeland and of the devotion to the achievements of the revolution. Their exemplary conduct shines as a guiding star in our life until today" – the Chief Desk closed his address.

After the festive program of the Honvéd Male Choir conducted by Richárd Riederauer, the ecumenical prayer service was jointly celebrated by Lt. Col. Tamás Takács, the Chaplain General of the Catholic Military Ordinariate, Col. János Jákob, the Head of Office of the Protestant Military Ordinariate and Ábel Kardos, the Reformed Pastor of the village.