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2008 is the third time of our presence in Hungary

The first time our sisters served in Hungary was Sept. 1914 – April 1919. The scanned document of 24- 05- 1918, signed by the bishop of Kassa/Kaschau states the following:

„The Sisters Servant of the Holy Spirit has been working in Kassa since 17 Sept. 1914. First they have been nursing the soldiers who were sick with typhoid fever. Later they took on the additional care of wounded soldiers in another hospital.
The conduct of the Sisters as religious has always been exemplary, as I had frequent opportunities to observe.
The respective commanders and doctors have only words of supreme praise for the work done by the sisters as nurses.”

After the end of 1st World War in 1918, the Sisters nursed many patients sick with an epidemic influenza, the Spanish flu, of which many people died. One of the Sisters, Sr. Blasia Anna Krause, died also as a victim of that epidemic disease. In April 1919 the Sisters returned to Austria.

Responding the request of the SVD, a new start was made in Hungary in 1943; this time in Köszeg. In April the first Sisters were sent there from Austria. Sr. Pankrata Funke, at that time was the community superior in Schmiedshau, Slowakia, was appointed as superior. She was able to join them only in late 1944. The Sisters in Köszeg worked mainly in the kitchen of the SVD missionhouse, replacing the SVD brothers who had to serve in the war. They lived in an old villa while a new convent was under construction. The Sisters planned to do ambulatory health care and to get involved in teaching. There were several applicants, so a Postulancy Program was started. With the approaching end of the war and the arrival of the Russian military in 1944, the Sisters had to move for safety into the missionhouse. After the Communists came to power in Hungary in 1948, the religious communities could no longer be active. Therefore, the provincial superior of Austria recalled the Sisters at the beginning of 1950. The postulants, who were not given an exit visa, had to be sent home.

In 1990/1991 another start in Hungary was planned, but then the plan was dropped in favor of a start in Romania.