LATROBE, PA – Father Albin Juhász-Laczik, O.S.B., headmaster of the Benedictine High School of Pannonhalma, Hungary, delivered the annual Saint Vincent College Founders’ Day reflection on Thursday, Nov. 20, in the Saint Vincent Archabbey Basilica.
“Somehow, somewhere, I once heard that there is actually a synonym for the word Christian … gratefulness,” Father Albin said. “That's how you recognize a Christian, and sure, it is easy for me to feel grateful right now. You might say, ‘That's fine, Father, but what about when it is not easy? When we are so lonely? When everything seems to be falling apart and the dream collapses, what then? How can we still be grateful then?’ That's why we celebrate our founding. That's why it's good to look back and remember how our predecessors did it.”
Father Albin recounted the story of Archabbot Boniface Wimmer, O.S.B., founder of Saint Vincent Archabbey, who traveled to America to serve as a missionary to German immigrants who left their homes to pursue a better life. Despite being advised many times to abandon his mission, Archabbot Wimmer persevered.
“Whatever it was, it kept him going,” Father Albin said. “And that's the point. When you feel misunderstood, when you start to lose heart, find something, anything. Find one reason to be grateful and move forward.”
Father Albin reminded the Honors Convocation attendees that while they will not succeed in all their endeavors, they are called to serve.
“Success is the icing on the cake. The cake itself is life every single day … every moment of service, of mission, of responsibility, of giving. If you can be grateful, even for the smallest thing, you won't be crushed by failure,” Father Albin added. “Gratefulness makes you generous. If you practice gratitude, then you are no longer hostage to success or failure. You move forward, resilient. And that's what the world needs today.”
During the College’s Honors Convocation, Father Albin was conferred an honorary degree by Father Paul Taylor, O.S.B., C’87, S’91, PhD, president of Saint Vincent College.
A lifelong learner, Father Albin studied theology at the St. Gellért Theological College in Pannonhalma, then at the Einsiedeln Abbey in Switzerland and the Saint Meinrad Abbey in Indiana. He later earned history and English degrees as a student at the Eötvös Loránd University and a doctorate in law at the Pázmány Péter Catholic University, both in Budapest, Hungary.
Father Albin has been teaching at the Benedictine High School of Pannonhalma since 2007 and from 2011 to 2018 served as deputy headmaster. He is the editor of the “Pannonhalmi Szemle” and the editor-in-chief of the “Pannonhal-MA” magazine. Father Albin is the leader of the Gregorian choir of the monastic community and teaches Gregorian music theory and practice in the theological training in Pannonhalma.
In 2018, he was named the director general of the school and dormitory, as well as the director of the newly established Education Directorate at the Pannonhalma Archabbey.
Father Albin has a variety of publications and writings to his credit, including his 2019 book, “The History of the Hungarian Calvary of Fatima,” and has made multiple contributions to the Pilgrimage Booklet series. He also served as co-editor of “Heritage and Mission: Benedictines in Hungary,” published in 2012.
Father Albin in 2019 was awarded the Justitia Regnorum Fundamentum Award in recognition of his leadership in the Pannonhalma Child Protection Program. The initiative is a model for educational institutions and an example to follow in terms of preventing and reducing school abuse.
“For his longstanding dedication to protecting children, his tireless work in the service of the Gospel, his academic excellence and his devotion to aspiring future generations, Saint Vincent College is honored to confer upon Father Albin Juhász-Laczik of the Order of Saint Benedict, PhD, the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters,” said Father Paul.
The following is Father Albin’s Founders’ Day reflection in its entirety:
“Thank you. It truly is an honor to be here, and really, that is all I want to say: thank you.
“Fr. Paul, thank you for the invitation. Fr. Archabbot Martin, thank you for your excellent leadership—for keeping Saint Vincent a beacon of hope and integrity. And thank you, all of you here today, dear monastic community, faculty members, staff, students and seminarians, thank you for keeping this place alive. A place whose light reaches far beyond Pennsylvania, all the way to Hungary, to China, to Brazil.
“Last week we celebrated our patron saint, who is Saint Martin, back at home, in Pannonhalma, Hungary, and our guest of honor was an abbot from Senegal. And surprise, surprise, what connected us—besides of course being Benedictines—was this very place, this majestic monastery, Saint Vincent. For our guest was Rev. Olivier-Marie Sarr, who stood in this very spot two years ago. Yes, sometimes I think this globe is a bit Benedictine, and Saint Vincent is the center of it.
“Therefore, thank you for this honor. And believe me, that’s the whole message I want to deliver, that we should be grateful. Because I think it stands at the center of our life. To learn how to do that.
“Right now, it is easy for me, to say thank you, simply for standing here, before you. Before all of you, future mayors, federal judges, pastors, a number of outstanding moms and dads, probably a couple of governors, hopefully some monks or sisters! And looking around, I’d say two, maybe three future presidents. But Fr. Paul would know better. You are the future of America. And I get the chance to stand here, before that future, and say something. That, my friends, is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for a man from a small country like mine.
“Somewhere I once heard that there is actually a synonym for the word Christian. One word that sums it up: gratefulness. That is how you recognize one. And, sure, it’s easy for me to feel grateful right now. You might say, ‘That’s fine, Father, but what about when it’s not easy? When we’re alone. Lonely. When everything seems to be falling apart. When the dream collapses. What then? How can we still be grateful then?’
“That is why we celebrate our founder. That is why it’s good to look back and remember how our predecessors did it—those who, from the distance of history, seem to have had such simple, straightforward lives. Yet, real celebration is not about easy things. Saint Vincent is blessed because of its founder.
“It all began in 1846. Fr. Boniface Wimmer was 35—a brilliant teacher, an exemplary monk—already past the age of Christ, but restless. He wanted more. He wanted to help the German immigrants in America. And back in Germany, his fellow monks didn’t follow. He came alone. There were some younger companions, yes, but his own generation stayed behind. Maybe they thought he was eccentric. A bit of a dreamer.
“You know that feeling, don’t you? When people don’t quite understand what you are trying to do. Maybe you don’t even fully understand it yourself. You expect support but it doesn’t come. You end up alone. So how do you stay grateful then?
“I don’t know. But somehow, Fr. Boniface did. Maybe he thanked God for the strength he had. Or for the ideas that inspired him? Or maybe he saw the passion in the young men who did follow. Or maybe he was simply grateful—ahead of time—because he knew that God would be there no matter what. In success or in failure. Whatever it was, it kept him going. And that is the point: when you feel misunderstood, when you start to lose heart, pick something. Anything. Find one reason to be grateful and move forward. Because you always have a choice.
“That is probably what helped Fr. Boniface when he got here, to America, and faced the next obstacle: the friends. You see, sometimes it is the people closest to us who discourage us. Not because they are cruel—not at all—but because they care. They want to protect us. They have already had their share of frustration, and they don’t want us to suffer the same. So, they say: ‘Don’t do it. Don’t risk it.’ Even Catholic priests told Fr. Boniface, ‘Don’t start a mission. It won’t work.’ What must he have thought? Why did he still go ahead? Deep down, he must have faced the same question we all face: ‘What if I’m wasting my time? What if I’m wasting my life?’ It is one of the deepest existential questions there is. We dream big, we work hard, we pour ourselves into something, and then what if nothing comes out of it?
“Strange as it sounds, maybe that’s exactly how it’s meant to be. Because not everything we do is meant to last. Some things endure, some don’t, and that is okay. There is a beautiful psalm that says: ‘Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.’ Brothers and sisters, it can be painful to think that we will not succeed in everything, but it can also be wonderfully freeing. Because we are not called to succeed. We are called to serve. Success is the icing on the cake. The cake itself is life, every single day of it. Every moment of service, of mission, of giving. And the way to see life like that, not as a race for success, but as a life of meaning, is gratefulness. If you can be grateful even for the smallest thing, you won’t be crushed by failure. For me, that was Archabbot Boniface’s secret. That is why he kept going despite all the good advice telling him not to. And that is why we are here today.
“Gratefulness makes you generous. If you practice gratitude daily, you are no longer hostage to success or failure. You move forward, resilient. And that is what the world needs today, not more ‘success stories,’ but resilient people. Because we all know successful people can tumble and fall. The world loves success, but you know what it loves even more? Scandal. Failure. Shame. Just open the news. That is what it is full of. But if we take Christ seriously, we are not defined by success and not defeated by failure. That is the foundation of a monastery. That is what Archabbot Boniface built on. Not on the logic of the world, but on a rock. A single rock that says: ‘Forward. Always forward.’ And you can only do that if you let go. If you realize it’s not about you. These are not our plans.
“Do you really think Fr. Boniface knew exactly his goals? That he planned out everything beforehand? Or that he had a strategic plan back in Bavaria to build 10 monasteries, not nine and not 11! No. If he had, it would never have worked. Of course, he had human plans, as we all do, and that is good. But again and again, we must notice: God’s plans are different. I don’t know if they are bigger or smaller, but they’re better. More meaningful.
“If you cling too tightly to your own plan, you might miss his. When Fr. Boniface said, ‘Forward, always forward,’ he didn’t mean he knew exactly what to do, only which way to go. And how do you learn to let go of your own plans? You already know my answer: through gratefulness.
“Let me end with another story, one a little closer to my home in Hungary. I come from a 1,000-year-old archabbey: Pannonhalma, founded in A.D. 996. But this story goes way further back in time. You know there is a saint we are very proud of in Pannonhalma, who is known all around the world, even here, too, at Saint Vincent. In fact, he’s Archabbot Martin’s patron: Saint Martin of Tours. He was born in our town, in Pannonhalma, long before there was an abbey, even before Saint Benedict was born. But his story, the one I want to close with, is as relevant today as ever.
“When Martin was young, he served as a soldier in the Roman army. He had already become a Christian at a time when most of the world was still pagan. And as a Christian, he no longer wanted to fight. His fellow soldiers mocked him: ‘Coward! You’ve lost your courage!’ But Martin said, ‘No. I’ll stand before the enemy lines without any weapons, not even with a dagger.’ And he did. He laid down his weapons and went out alone, unarmed, to face the enemy. Was he afraid? Maybe. But that is not the point. The point is he had trust. Not in his plan, not in his own strength, but in God’s. And as he stood there on the battlefield, unarmed, the enemy dispersed. Maybe they thought he had some magic power.
“Well, he did. The power of faith. And that is the story I leave you with because it fits so well here. There will be times when you feel powerless. When your weapons are gone, when your strength runs out. That is exactly when God’s strength comes in. It is hard to let go of our well-worn tools. Hard to walk into battle unarmed. Hard to rely not on ourselves but on him, the source of all strength. But that is what Archabbot Boniface did. And that is why Saint Vincent exists today.
“Thus, with gratefulness for his example, and strength drawn from his gratefulness, go forth. Forward, always forward. God will be there. Thank him. And I thank you. God bless us all. Amen.”
