Magdi was born on August 8, 1921, in Szigliget, in the servants’ quarters of a watermill. Since the village did not have its own parish, she was taken to the parish church of St. Michael in Nemestördemic (from 1950, Badacsonytördemic) to be baptized. In the absence of the parish priest, Gyula Debrecenyi, the sacrament of baptism was administered by his temporary assistant, István Ravasz, curate of St. Michael’s Cathedral in Veszprém, on the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1921. Among the feasts of Mary, this is the most significant one – the day of her Assumption into heaven. The Immaculate Heart of Mary could already embrace Magdi, for her martyrdom would later take place on a sorrowful Friday, on the feast of Mary who shared in the sufferings of Christ preparing for His crucifixion.
Magdi’s parents had neither relatives nor acquaintances in Szigliget, and almost no social connections at all. Therefore, they asked their host, István Turbék, and his daughter, Mária, to take on the role and responsibilities of godparents. From the baptismal record, it becomes clear that Magdi’s parents had neither a civil nor a church marriage. Only her mother, Mária Nika, is listed, while her father is not recorded. For her origin, the “illegitimate” entry was filled in. According to the baptismal entry, she was given the name “Mária Magdolna.”
Looking through the baptismal register of Tördemic, some unusual details stand out. Even her baptism was not free from difficulties. In Szigliget, children were usually baptized on the day of birth or the day after. In Magdi’s case, however, it was exactly seven days later. Out of one hundred and thirty parish baptismal records, only one case shows an interval of ten days. This long delay can be explained in some instances by mixed marriages, where one parent was Reformed and the other Catholic. In Magdi’s case, however, the fact of illegitimacy does not explain the one-week interval, as in two other such cases baptism took place on the day of birth, and in a third case, after four days. Rather, the difficult family situation may have been behind the relatively long gap between her birth and baptism.
According to later recollections, Magdi greatly cherished her name, saying:
“It reminds me of Mary, the Holy Virgin. And the name Magdolna constantly calls me to my vocation. For my vocation is to win erring souls – Mary Magdalenes – for the Lord.”