The Northliner
Oct. 23, 2026
Ask the Minister
Ask the Minister - Responses XI
Because of time constraints, many of the excellent questions submitted during service on August 2nd were left unanswered. Over the next several months, I will be responding to those we didn’t get to and others that have been submitted since in our newsletters and regular mailings. If you have other questions you’d like me to consider, please write me at reverik@ucnorth.org.
Question: Why Transylvanian UUs in the 16th Century?
Response: The Unitarian church in Transylvania is an amazing and unique part of our shared theological past and reflects some of the earliest experiments in religious tolerance and pluralism in the Western world.
In the middle of the sixteenth century, Calvinist bishop-turned skeptic Francis David not only affirmed the unity of God (Unitarianism) but also developed a relationship with the progressive monarch, Prince John Sigismund, eventually becoming the spiritual advisor to the throne. After founding the Unitarian Church of Transylvania, David successfully petitioned the crown to establish an edict of religious freedom which would allow churches (and synagogues) of multiple faith traditions to worship without fear of persecution. This was codified in the landmark document “The Edict of Torda” in 1568, following an ecumenical council the same year.
The next decade would see a growth of several different faith traditions across the mountainous region, in addition to the establishment of a Unitarian seminary to train future clergy.
This period of religious freedom was short-lived, however, and after the succession of István Báthory to the throne following Sigismund’s death in 1579 the tides turned against our spiritual ancestors.
An imperial catholic, Báthory quickly invalidated the Edict of Torda and the Transylvanian Unitarian church came under state control. David was tried for heresy and imprisoned in the imperial dungeon where he died soon thereafter, making him another in a long line of Unitarian and Universalist martyrs who sacrificed themselves for our faith.
Despite centuries of persecution, the Unitarian church in Transylvania survived, maintaining many congregations and even a semblance of theological education, bolstered in part by the inaccessible, mountainous region which made travel from the outside extremely difficult.
A half-century later when Poland adopted and then repealed a religious freedom statute of their own, Transylvanian Unitarians offered sanctuary to Polish Unitarians who had been exiled, many of whom moved to the region only to return to Poland over a hundred years later when religious tolerance was re-established in their homeland.
After Transylvania was incorporated into Hungary after World War I, the Unitarian church in Transylvania maintained their Romanian language worship and connection to the original church founded by David three and a half centuries earlier.
In the late 1970s, American Unitarian Universalists made contact with their Transylvanian cousins and have maintained a deep connection and correspondence ever since, often participating in cultural exchanges, clergy residencies and pilgrimages to sacred Unitarian sites on both continents.
To this day, the descendants of David’s original Unitarian church continue to worship in sanctuaries flanked by placards reading “Tolerance” and “Dialogue,” participate in Christian communion using white wine and extremely leavened bread so as never to be confused with Catholics, and are rallied by David’s Unitarian maxim Egy az Isten: God is One.
Announcements
Good Luck to the Milwaukee Brewers!
Ukulele Lessons
The Ukulele group will not meet this Sunday due to Trunk or Treat festivities. We will resume in November.
Linda Sandersen
First Sunday Lunch on Day of the Dead!
What could be better?! Sunday, November 1 will be serving up Comfort Food – the best accompaniment to such a day. The ladies of FSL are working on a cozy, comforting buffet menu that will include some of our favorites.
Please join your fellow UCN members/friends in Fellowship Hall after the morning service on November 1 for a scrumptious meal of food to warm your soul, plus desserts and beverages. Suggested donation $4/adult; $10/family limit.
If your last name as listed in the membership directory falls within the last names Fugenschuh to McEwan, you are cordially invited to provide a dish that serves 10-12 people for the Nov 1 Lunch. Dishes can be dropped off in the kitchen before the service. There will be someone there as early as 9am to receive them. Thank you in advance for your contributions! November FSL coordinator, Judy DeLillo has sent out email requests and will be communicating with volunteers throughout the next couple of weeks for planning and coordinating. Contact Judy at judelillo2@gmail.com to convey your contribution choice ASAP.
Events at UCN
Chair Yoga is held Tuesdays at 10 am, in the Clara Barton Room. Contact Anna Rychner at Shaktiwaves@ameritech.net for more details.
The next Wisconsin Singer Songwriter Series concerts will be held Saturday, Oct. 24. UCN members are offered $15 tickets at the door for all concerts, with identification. Go to wsss.org for details.
- Al-Anon meetings, offering recovery for families and friends of alcoholics and drug addicts, are held every Tuesday morning at 8:30 am in the Fellowship Hall and online. On voting days, meetings are held in the Sanctuary, upper level.
Thank you for supporting the groups that use our facilities.
Donating to UCN
Use this convenient QR code to donate!
The link to the giving page, for the less tech savvy, is: https://ucnorth.breezechms.com/give/online
Unitarian Church North
Email: info@ucnorth.org
Website: www.ucnorth.org
Location: 13800 N. Port Washington Road, Mequon, WI, 53097
Phone: 262-375-3890
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/UnitarianChurchNorthMequonWI/