Parma Heights Watch
The TRUTH about Msgr. Jozef Tiso!!
Memorial Mass for Msgr. Jozef Tiso in Cleveland
By Joseph J. StipkalaThis special liturgy served as the occasion for turning over some relics of the late clergymanleader to the Slovak Institute on behalf of the Slovak community. The occasion also marked the 60th anniversary of the martyrdom of Msgr. Tiso, who was hanged in Bratislava at dawn on April 18, 1947 by the postwar Czechoslovak communist collaborators of Eduard Benes, a man who had been restored to the presidency of a country he had deserted before the beginning of World War II. The execution of Dr. Tiso resulted from spurious charges of treason, that is, refusing the Stalin proposal to declare the Slovak Republic a satellite of the Soviet Union.
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| The presentation of Msgr. Tiso's relics to Abbot Clement Zeleznik, OSB, Rev. Joachim Pastirik, OSB, and Rev. Albert Marflak, OSB. |
Assisting Abbot Zeleznik at the Mass were four Slovak American monks from the abbey, Father Albert Marflak, OSB, Father Joachim Pastirik, OSB, Brother Gabriel Balazovic, OSB, and Father Michael Brunovsky, OSB. The latter played the organ andwith vocal assistance of Martin Trojan, a young seminarian from Slovakia currently residing at the abbey- led the congregation in singing. Approximately 60 people attended the Mass, several of whom traveled from Detroit, Chicago, Houston, and Washington, D.C. Also among the faithful was Andrew M. Rajec, National President of the First Catholic Slovak Union.
Dr. Pavlo Presents Tiso’s Relics
During the liturgy, Andrew F. Hudak, Jr., Director of the Slovak Institute, introduced Ludovit Pavlo, M.D. of Derby Connecticut, President Emeritus of the Slovak League of America, who then formally presented the relics of the late Slovak leader to Abbot Zeleznik. These relics comprised material from Msgr. Tiso’s clothing and some soil- both recovered from his gravecontained in a brown, copper urn about ten inches high and six inches in diameter. Abbot Zeleznik delivered an eloquent, stirring and passionate homily about Dr. Tiso’s great service to the Slovak nation and his ultimate martyrdom. At the outset, the abbot (who at the time of Msgr. Tiso’s execution was a freshman at Benedictine High School) said that in all his Google research on the Slovak leader’s life, all he could find was slander, false charges, misrepresentation, and defamatory biographical data. He then posed this rhetorical question: “Where on the internet is there anything truthful about Dr. Tiso?” Sitting in the congregation, I, too, had to wonder what happened to all the reams of pro- Tiso articles by some of the great Slovak writers of the past, such as Dr. Joseph A. Mikus, my uncle, who served as a diplomat in the Slovak government during the time in question; Father Andrew Pier, OSB, former Director of the Slovak Institute; and Dr. Frantisek Hrusovsky, historian, among others, whose material about the late Slovak leader somehow did not find its way into Google and probably not into other internet outlets.
“Za Boha a za narod
The central theme of Abbot Zeleznik’s homily was taken from Msgr. Tiso’s last message to the Slovak people on the morning of his execution: “Za Boha a za narod” (For God and Nation). He said that for the late Slovak leader, this phrase was not just some kind of a simple, empty statement of policy as a politician, nor something to stir up the crowds for fervor, but a real principle of life. “It had depth, breath, vision, power, and inspiration for him and its proof is in his very life.” He said that the phrase, “Za Boha a narod,” was not only the unequivocal intent of Slovak history, but also the explicit command of God. He further paraphrased Msgr. Tiso’s last words to the effect that he knew he was a martyr in the defense of Christianity against Bolshevism, an evil against which the Slovak nation would always have to defend itself, not only in the spirit of Christian character but also in the interest of its future.
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| The Holy Mass for the repose of Msgr. Dr. Jozef Tiso was offered by Abbot Clement Zelesnik, OSB. and concelebrated by Rev. Albert Marflak, OSB, President of Benedictine High School and Rev. Joachim Pastirik, OSB. |
“Za Boha: For Tiso as a priest, God was not on the back burner but was the center of his life…He always prayed the Divine Office, said Mass with great fervor, and meditated often. He accepted himself and was a peaceful person, even when he dialogued with people with whom he disagreed. Even when he was angered about something, it was anger about injustice and not vindictiveness towards the person. The proof is that in his entire reign of five years, no opponents were thrown into jail, hanged, or died for being opposed to him- quite different from what was happening in countries around him, Germany, Italy, Hungary, and especially Russia.
“Za Narod: He was also a true patriot, a man who loved his country. So when he was in a position to help his people, he did it with political power. He accepted the presidency, knowing it would be a dangerous job, and he could be canceled out at any time. And so he accepted this to make it possible for his people to have their right- their natural right- to freedom and self-determination, and he knew it would not be easy…He reached out to the poor and even to his enemies. He made sure about just wages for the family man, which means he was following the teachings of the Church in social justice. He was a socialist from the Christian point of view, not from the German point of view. German socialism was nationalistic, and you know who benefited from this system. This was not true in Slovakia, for during his reign, Slovakia blossomed. They had inner peace in the community and growth in the economy.
Abbot’s Appreciation for Tiso Relics
“The Church has always said to respect and to take care of the dead, because in those ashes, we have the seed of the Resurrection. And in the history of the Church, we know that it has always honored the saints and kept relics so that its members could pray to those saints in a very concrete, rational way. So we expect Tiso to bless our abbey. It is a little selfish, but it is OK. And you are welcome to come and visit the Slovak Institute and pray before those ashes. “The saddest feeling I have is when I went on the internet and saw all these slanders, maligning Tiso at every angle. Which means the prejudices that were instigated by the communists and by some Czechs who hated him, especially Benes, are still part of the mind consciousness of a lot of people. That should be corrected or at least attacked and give people an alternative view, and there are plenty of things that show that the evidence is different.” The abbot went on to say that Msgr. Tiso led his nation under the most difficult circumstances, and he strongly emphasized the fact that he never had anyone condemned to death, never committed a crime, was not anti-Semitic- as widely believed, even today- and, in fact, saved the lives of about 28,000 Slovak Jews. The proof: A delegation from Slovakia put up a statue in Israel to honor Dr. Tiso, and the Jewish community accepted it. Yet, in in spite of all that, his reward was an ignominious hanging. Abbot Zeleznik concluded with this: “So I thank Andrew F. Hudak for making it possible for us to receive Tiso’s ashes, and I want to thank him for getting me all riled up about Tiso. And I want to offer you a deeper appreciation of Msgr. Tiso, because without doubt, he pleased the Lord and gives us a principle to live by that deepens us in the truth of our being. Every time we draw closer to God, God sends us to our neighbor. So everyone of us should be keeping this principle: Za Boha a za narod.” The full text of Father Zeleznik’s remarks follow this article. At the conclusion of Abbot Zeleznik’s homily, the congregation immediately burst into a spontaneous and enthusiastic round of applause- highly unusual in such a staid church setting- showing their appreciation for his very well-prepared, in-depth portrait of the late Slovak president and for his wide range of knowledge of the country’s history over six decades ago.
Video on Tiso’s Exhumation
Immediately after the Mass, a large movie screen was set up in front of the altar, and young Slovak seminarian Martin Trojan showed the group a video tape of the March 2007 exhumation of Msgr. Tiso’s body in his grave in the Martin Cemetery in Bratislava in which were found his human remains and priestly paraphernalia. Some of these relics, as mentioned above, were later turned over to Dr. Ludovit Pavlo (on behalf of the Slovak community in the U.S.) on his visit to Bratislava in May 2007. The video tape also included a Mass celebrated for Tiso by Bishop Villam Judak of the Nitra Diocese in Slovakia. Following the video showing, the congregation-many of whom were at the abbey for the first time- marched to the Slovak Institute on the lower floor of the building to gaze at the walls, adorned with pictures and photos of prominent Slovaks throughout history, and to look at some of the thousands of books, maps, pamphlets, magazines, documents, and memorabilia contained therein. They also socialized, renewed acquaintances, and partook of coffee and Slovak kolachy
Two Washingtonians Come Only for the Mass.
It was of course disappointing to see such a small turnout, especially from the Cleveland area, for such a major event. I was gratified, however, by the presence of two longtime friends from my days with the Slovak-American Society of Washington, D.C., Stephen Matula of Falls Church, Virginia, who is president of Jednota Branch 856 in Washington, D.C., and Joseph Gazdik of Arlington, Virginia, formerly of Piestany, Slovakia. As the event was coming to an end, I suggested we go somewhere for lunch, but Matula said, “Sorry, Joe, we have to hurry to catch our plane back to Washington.” He indicated that they had traveled to Cleveland just to attend the Mass and to see the Slovak Institute. We need more Slovaks like Steve and Joe.
My Own Observations on Dr. Tiso
As of 1939, Slovakia, a small country, had suffered 800 years of Magyar oppression and two decades of Czech hegemony- reasons why my own parents left their native land for a better life in the U.S. World War II was already in its early stages, and Msgr. Tiso had been placed between a rock and hard place vis-à-vis Slovakia’s future. Reasonable people have to agree that- with Hitler on the periphery throughout- no one could have handled the situation better than the priest-leader in securing at least a taste of independence, about six years worth. For that, Dr. Tiso is deserving of the highest honors in the pantheon of Slovak heroes.Copied by permission of Jednota (The Official Publication of the first Catholic Slovak Union of the United States and Canada) from the January 9, 2008 edition. Original article published at http://fcsu.com/v116n5770eng.pdf