In conjunction with the feast day of St. Stephen of Hungary, the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee recently took a few minutes to remind parishioners of how the saint served when he was a king.

“St. Stephen of Hungary inherited his parents' desire to bring the Catholic faith to Hungary,” the diocese said in an Aug. 16 Facebook post. “As king, he used his wealth to build a monastery, he established laws favoring Christianity over paganism, and he received confirmation of his authority from Pope Sylvester II. ... St. Stephen of Hungary, pray for us!” 

St. Stephen was born in Hungary circa the year 970, a Britannica report said. He was born a pagan but was baptized when young and brought up as a Christian. When he was in his 20s, he married Gisela. Gisela was the daughter of Duke Henry II of Bavaria and the sister of Henry II, the future Holy Roman Emperor. After his father died, Stephen battled an insurrection and was then crowned the first king of Hungary. He is considered the founder of Hungary. 

As a ruler, St. Stephen devoted his time to promoting the Christian faith throughout Hungary, supporting Church leaders and the construction of churches; Catholic.org said. He did this by selecting one town out of every ten to construct a church and support a priest, and he established a tithing system throughout the country. He also fought against paganism in Hungary. 

Stephen was named after the Church’s first martyr, the original St. Stephen; the diocese said in its post. This was because his mother, the duchess Sarolt, was said to have received a vision from his namesake in which she learned she would have a son who would evangelize their land.

St. Stephen is the patron saint of Hungary, and Catholics celebrate his feast day each year on Aug. 16, Catholic.org said.