Saint Mary of Victories and the Cardinal Mindszenty Foundation have partnered since 2019 to host a distinguished annual speaker series on the history of communism, religious freedom, and the Cardinal’s enduring legacy. Events are held in Mindszenty Hall at the chapel.
About the Foundation
The Cardinal Mindszenty Foundation was co-founded in Saint Louis in 1958 by Eleanor Schlafly, her brother Fred Schlafly, his wife Phyllis Schlafly, and Rev. C. Stephen Dunker, C.M. — a missionary priest who had been expelled from China by the Communists. Eleanor Schlafly led the Foundation from its founding until 2012, when Liza Forshaw took the helm as Executive Director.
The Foundation’s mission is to educate Americans — especially young people — about the threats of communism and atheistic secularism to religious freedom, through the inspiring example of Cardinal Mindszenty’s heroic life and witness. Mrs. Forshaw was honored for her service with a Gold Cross of Merit from the nation of Hungary on April 12, 2023.
The Speaker Series at Saint Mary of Victories
Since 2019, the annual Mindszenty Foundation Speaker Series has brought scholars, clergy, authors, and public figures to Mindszenty Hall at Saint Mary of Victories for lectures, panel discussions, and conversations about Cardinal Mindszenty’s legacy and the ongoing struggle for religious freedom worldwide.
Past speakers have included Hungarian refugees and their descendants who have shared personal stories of escape, persecution, and faith — including parishioner and author Les Suhayda, whose book 12 Bells to Freedom recounts his family’s harrowing escape from Communist Hungary.
Blessed Karl of Austria — A Royal Saint at SMV
In November 2020, the Foundation co-hosted a visit by Princess Maria-Anna Galitzine, granddaughter of Blessed Karl I of Austria, the last King of Hungary. A Mass was celebrated and the Princess spoke on Karl’s cause for canonization. Read the full story including photos from the event.
Blessed Karl & the Princess’s Visit →
Cardinal Mindszenty at Saint Mary of Victories
Cardinal Mindszenty himself visited Saint Mary of Victories and celebrated Mass here in June 1974, bringing powerful words of encouragement to the Hungarian community. His visit is commemorated with a carved white marble plaque in the sanctuary, and the parish hall bears his name: Mindszenty Hall.