Hajja Salesjana

was held that it would be impossible to find his remains. Yet the tenacity of a young ex- student coupled with the experience and great knowledge of an expert on the history of those years in Budapest (who went so far as to say where she sensed they might be buried from what was known of many other burials from that time), caused the mortal remains of six executed men to be found a few months ago. It seemed incredible that they had found just the remains of six people. It remained to be seen if one of them could be Blessed Stephan. The DNA of a stamp—it was the DNA that was collected from a letter written by Stephan and from another letter with a stamp put on it by his brother (who spent his whole life looking for Stephan without being able to see it because he died three years ago) that allowed two great professionals to identify many of Stephan’s mortal remains, remains now collected in that delicate casket that we see. It was my great joy to meet and greet these experts in DNA recognition techniques. On account of the above and in many other details, what we have experienced is unique. I can testify to the emotion and even shock of many people at Mass that morning. Sharing in it throughout that day was indescribable. I can testify to the emotion of the now old man who was able to lay his hand on the casket of his Salesian- educator, friend, and martyr who saved his and his peers’ lives, who sacrificed himself to free them from the same end. I can testify from what I have experienced that this is not a coincidence; it’s much more than that. It is also the presence of God in the events of history (along with human freedom). That is why I can affirm what I said at the beginning: Blessed Stephan Sàndor returns home. And the Salesians today, with the young people who are there and those who will come, also return home, to his house, to the Clarisseum in Budapest, Hungary. 22 Ottubru - Diċembru 2022 hajja