It’s certainly been at least 20 years since I met Zsófia Sztranyiczki. I can even faintly recall that we met in a church setting, in the company of American UUs. For me, her name has intertwined with Unitarian and Unitarian Universalist groups on pilgrimages to Transylvania, whom she accompanied as interpreter and organizer. Her private life was also shaped by this, since this is how she met her husband, Dean Dalton, with whom she has lived bi-continentally in the U.S. and Transylvania for many years now.
Then for years I rarely heard from her. In 2012, we ran into each other at the Second International Convocation of U*U Women in Marosvásárhely. We didn't really talk much. The spring of 2023 came and from then on, we started a regular working relationship. At that time, she had already been working as executive director of ICUUW for ten years. At that time, I had been the lay president of the Hungarian Unitarian Church for a year and a half, and as such I became the co-convener of this year's Convocation organized in Kolozsvár. I saw right away that Zsófi, as we call her among ourselves, had not lost any momentum over the years. Her great ability to act, her proactive attitude, and her desire to solve everything immediately were “the leaven” in the joint organizational work. She had the most questions and took on additional tasks – often voluntarily and without consultation – if she saw that somewhere there was no answer or the person we expected to cover a task did not step in.
At Zoom meetings, I always admired the constant serenity and commitment that radiated from her face. If I sat down in front of the screen, tired and weak, I could fill myself with her energy. Without her, the Fourth Convocation could not have taken place – I can say that right here and right now. The difference between the American and Transylvanian organizational practice was present throughout preparations for the event: Zsófi knew that as many details as possible had to be fixed, months in advance, for such a global undertaking. While we, fellow Transylvanian organizers, often felt that “we'll get there, it's still another year, six months, three months, etc.” till the event, she consistently squeezed out of us answers and steps that seemed way premature to us. I must admit that in the end, these initiatives proved to be very useful in several areas, especially in designing the program.
So far, I have only talked about my personal experiences with Zsófia Sztranyiczki. However, her merits are even greater. Following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, as executive director of ICUUW and as a result of her effective and dedicated work, more than 100,000 dollars (exactly: 103,896 USD) has been collected from individuals and organizations in support of the work carried out by the Providence Organization of the Hungarian Unitarian Church, benefiting Ukrainian refugees and those internally displaced. The amount speaks for itself and above all highlights Zsófi's merits. This year, the General Assembly of our Church commends her for her activities in this direction, as well as for the 11 years she spent at the helm of ICUUW.
On behalf of the General Assembly of the Hungarian Unitarian Church,
Dr. Krisztina Sándor, Lay President
Kolozsvár/Cluj, October 4, 2024