The recent history of Illyefalva certainly would have taken a different path if a courageous and enterprising Reformed pastor had not landed in the community. One cannot talk about Illyefalva nowadays without mentioning the name of Béla Kató. It was at the initiative of the Reformed Church the LAM Foundation was established in support of small and medium-sized enterprises and that a modern medical centre was built. The Church’s spirit was behind the creation of the Children’s Village that gives a home to orphans, and last but not least, the Christian Youth and Diaconal Foundation, which for years has been operating Transylvania’s first Conference Centre.

The LAM Foundation guided the first steps of a considerable number of enterprises that operate in the village. The renovations of the Séra Mansion and of the school would not have been possible either without the contribution of the Church.

Béla Kató and Illyefalva: at the beginning and where we are now