László Boldog Batthyány-Strattmann not only healed sick eyes, but also took care to heal the eyes of faith and open them to God's secrets. We remember the beatified confessor and ophthalmologist on his liturgical memorial day, January 22.
Dr. László Batthyány-Strattmann was born on October 28, 1870 in Dunakiliti. He was a peculiar figure of his time: as a duke, he chose a civilian occupation. As a graduated doctor, he started building hospitals during his clinical surgical practice. In 1902, he opened Hungary's first modernly equipped twenty-four-bed rural hospital in Köpcseny, which soon became so busy that MÁV started a special train to the small village in western Hungary. Pharmacists and opticians redeemed his prescriptions and prescribed glasses for free, as Doctor László settled the bill in one sum at the end of each month. He donated most of his wealth to the healing of the poor.
The motto of his coat of arms: With loyalty and love. As a result of the Trianon peace decree, Köpcsény was annexed to Austria (today's name: Kittsee), the doctor of the poor then moved to his castle in Körmend with his large family. Since most of his possessions were trapped beyond the borders, he could no longer start building a hospital, so he set up his new hospital for the sick in his castle.
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He was a practitioner of practical ophthalmology. Thanks to his extraordinary dexterity, he was known as an excellent surgeon: he treated eighty to one hundred patients a day with his wife, who was also his assistant. His surgical technique was recognized in professional circles. His general medical interest encompassed the entire discipline, and through his professional connections he was constantly aware of the latest results in ophthalmology. Few scientific publications were published, but its operation was known even outside the borders of the country. He was chosen as a member of several societies, but he rarely attended their meetings. He devoted all his time to healing.
The "prince of the poor", dr. László Batthyány-Strattmann clearly saw the public and health backwardness of the region, so he tried to help the needy with his charitable activities and his means.
He and his wife, Mária Terézia Coreth, raised eleven children in love and deep faith in God. He was welcome among his children, who loved their father passionately.
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In the last decades of his life, he prayed the little psalm of the Virgin Mary every day, listened to mass with his family, and prayed the rosary in the evening. In 1916, he entered the Franciscan Third Order with his wife, Ödön's son and sister-in-law. He always prayed before and during surgery, and also took care of the spiritual care of his patients.
He was a physician of the poor: "he was a physician among princes and a prince among physicians." After much suffering, he died at the age of sixty on January 22, 1931.
Already a decade and a half after his death, the cause of his beatification was started, which stalled for a long time due to the political situation of the following decades. However, the retrial and the subsequent procedure were successful: on March 23, 2003, László Batthyány-Strattmann II. Pope John Paul II beatified him.
Source: Hungarian Courier
