Rt. Rev. Dr. John Butosi : December 18, 1919 – July 12, 2010 RIP
Read Rt. Rev. Dr. Butosi’s testimony “From Folk Religion to Christian Faith”
SHELTON (07/13/2010) — The Rev. Dr. John Butosi, pastor emeritus of the United Church of Christ of Bridgeport and bishop emeritus of the UCC’s Calvin Synod, died on July 12, 2010. He was 90.
Born on Dec. 18, 1919, in Nyírgyulaj, Hungary, to the late Michael and Elizabeth Becsei Butosi, he received his bachelor of arts degree from the Hungarian Royal Kossuth State Realgimnazium of Cegled in 1939. He began studying theology at the Tisza Istvan University in Debrecen, but was ordered into the Hungarian army when World War II erupted in Europe.
Somehow, he managed to complete his bachelor of divinity degree in 1943. Following the American liberation and end of the war, he received his master of divinity degree and certificate of ministerial qualification in 1946.
He arrived in America in 1947, studying at both the Austin Presbyterian Seminary in Texas and the Princeton Theological Seminary in New Jersey, from which he received a master of theology degree in 1949. Though he intended to return to his home, he was denied re-entry by the communist Hungarian government, and remained in the United States. He received his Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Pittsburgh in the late 1950s.
In 1953, while living in Indiana, he met and married Lorraine Nickel. The couple had two daughters.
Dr. Butosi was later able to return to Hungary in 1989, where he taught and chaired for eight years in the Missiology Department of his alma mater, Debrecen University, which awarded him an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree.
After serving Hungarian Reformed churches in Hammond, Indiana, and McKeesport, Pennsylvania, Rev. Butosi came to Norwalk, where he was pastor of the Hungarian Reformed Church of Norwalk from 1960 to 1976. He came to the United Church of Christ of Bridgeport in 1976, and served there until his retirement in 1989.
He led the Calvin Synod of the United Church of Christ, a non-geographical conference comprised primarily of Hungarian Reformed congregations, as secretary, deputy bishop, president for four years, bishop for eight years, and bishop emeritus.
In addition to his pastoral service, Rev. Butosi’s leadership was widely sought in the ecumenical community. He was the first president of the Hungarian Reformed World Federation, served on the executive councils of the National Council of Churches, the World Council of Churches, and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches.
Rev. Butosi authored several books, mostly in Hungarian. He contributed the section on the Calvin Synod to Hidden Histories in the United Church of Christ, edited by Barbara Brown Zikmund. His autobiography, Praise the Lord, O My Soul, was published in English in 2007.
He is survived by his daughter, Ann Elizabeth Ballas and her husband, James, of Shelton; his grandchildren, Matthew and Erica Ballas; and several nieces and nephews in Hungary. He was predeceased by his wife, Lorraine; his daughter, Sarah Joan Lynch; his brothers, Steve, Mihaly, and Michael; and sisters, Julie, Elizabeth, and Gisella, all of Hungary.
A service in celebration of Dr. Butosi’s life and ministry will be held at 11:00 am on Saturday, July 17, at United Church of Christ of Bridgeport, North and Laurel Avenues in Bridgeport. The Rev. Koloman K. Ludwig, bishop emeritus of the Calvin Synod, will officiate. Calling hours will take place on Friday, July 16, from 4:00 to 8:00 pm in the Lesko and Polke Funeral Home, 1209 Post Rd., in Fairfield.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the United Church of Christ, 963 Laurel Ave., Bridgeport, CT 06604; or to the John Butosi Memorial Mission Fund, c/o Calvin Synod, treasurer, 1836 Timothy Dr., West Mifflin, PA 15122.
Rt. Rev. Koloman K. Ludwig
General Secretary Calvin Synod
Other photos from the life and career of Rt. Rev. John Butosi…
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