Spiritual Training of German-Russian Children and Youth
by Alfred Opp
The spiritual life of a child born to German-Russian parents began
when he or she was a newborn. The first visit to church was for the
infant's
Taufe (baptismal service) that was performed according
to the old traditions and customs brought to South Russia from
Germany. The service was scheduled in consideration of the health of
mother and child and their ability to attend the service. Prior to
the baptismal service, a Godfather (Dede) and
Godmother (Doda)
were selected for the child by his parents. It was the duty of the
Godparents to be involved in the spiritual upbringing of the
child. Sometimes more than two Godparents were chosen, if that was
what the parents wished.
We had no resident pastor in the village of Teplitz. If the pastor
was in attendance to preach for that Sunday's church service, the
baptismal service for infants would then be held the same day the
pastor was in town. If no pastor was available, the baptismal
service was performed by a Sexton. If the Sexton was not available,
the
Kuester-Lehrer (schoolteacher) was qualified to step in
on behalf of the Sexton. In the early pioneer years a church Elder
was always available to perform such services - many of these Elders
were outstanding in their service to the community and were
sometimes more spiritual than the trained itinerant clergy.
During the baptismal service, the parents and the Godparents all
stood at the baptismal font. The baby, whether boy or girl, was
often attired in the family's heirloom baptismal dress. Generally
one of the Godmothers held the infant while the Baptizer performed
the ceremony. If the child was not well, the midwife who had
assisted with the birth held the infant for the service. Baptisms
were family events and many relatives from the village would attend.
For the
Taufe, the presiding Pastor (or Sexton or
Kuester-Lehrer ) dipped his hand into the water of the
Baptismal font, then touched the forehead of the child to apply a
little water onto the infant. Songs relating to Baptism or to the
spiritual life of children were sung, songs such as
Dir Herr sei dieses Kind empfohlen (To You, Lord, we
recommend this child), Ich
bin getauft auf Deinen Namen (I have been baptized
in Your name), or
In Dein Reich soll ich O Vater kommen (Into Your
kingdom I shall come, O Father). In the back of most Hymnals was a
section of readings for various occasions, and often the spoken part
of the service was from the baptismal reading in the Hymnal. When an
infant was very weak at birth and not likely to survive long
enough to receive a standard baptism at the church, the village
Sexton or
Kuester-Lehrer would be called to perform an emergency
baptism in the family home. Every child who was baptized received a
beautiful Baptismal Certificate featuring artwork that depicted
Jesus holding a little lamb. These became heirloom treasures for the
family.
Other than for private family services, infants and very young
children were not taken to regular church services. Sometimes young
children would be in attendance at special events such as Easter,
Christmas, baptism, a funeral or confirmation services. Generally
the mother, grandmother, or other elderly relative living in the
home would stay at home on Sunday with the very young children. In
my family, my parents alternated their church attendance so that one
went to church one week and the other went to church the next week.
Often a family had a
Madchen (young woman) who served as a family
helper and thereby earned her room and board and sometimes a small
allowance - such a position helped young women learn home-making
skills and also relieved their parents of an extra mouth at the
table. Part of the duty of the
Madchen was to stay at home with the young children
while the parents and the older children attended church. But even
very young children were always included in family festive events.
The basic religious training of young children began in the home and
was carried out by the parents or grandparents. Family prayer at
meals was customary, and some mealtime prayers were short and easily
learned by young children. A parent, from time to time, would
discuss a spiritual lesson at the meal table, and the reading of a
scripture verse was common. My
Opa Zacher customarily gave a sermon to his family every
morning at the breakfast table. Prayer would again be said at the
supper table, and bedtime or evening prayers (Abend
Andacht ) were routine, often following a spiritual
reading or passage from the Bible. In some homes singing was part of
or entirely the routine for evening worship. Children were taught
one or more bedtime prayers from a young age. Common bedtime prayers
said by young children were
Lieber Heiland mach mich fromm das ich in den Himmel komm
(Loving Savior, grant to me entrance into heaven), or
Bewahre mich vom allem Uebel und behuete mich (Protect
me from all evil and bless me).
In Teplitz, even in 1940, few families had the funds to
purchase printed religious material prepared for children or young
people. Such things were available but had to be imported. As a
rule, we did not have simplified Bible story books, religious
magazines or youth papers. Only a few families
purchased memory-verse cards; but every household did have at least
one Bible, a hymnal, one or two prayer books and usually a
catechism. If parents felt a child should memorize a Bible verse,
that was up to them - there was no organized program by the church
to encourage such memorization by children or youth. Fortunate was
the child who had a parent or grandparent with a talent for telling
Bible stories. Most parents read straight from the Bible or from one
of the spiritual sections in the back of the hymnal. Some Bibles,
like the one my
Opa Zacher possessed, had nice illustrations that helped
to hold a child's interest.
Singing was often part of the religious training in the home -
German-Russians love to sing, and sing we did.. Not all homes
had an organ or piano, so often the singing at home was
a cappella . Sometimes singing was done as a family
group in the home and sometimes it was as a community group in
church or preparing for a special program. Sometimes the mother or
grandmother in the home would sing a song as she went about her
household chores. The singing of spiritual songs opened the heart to
God and gave a spiritual lift to the day. The permeation of religion
into the daily life of most villagers is difficult for people to
comprehend today. Children and parents together lived a life that
was shaped by spiritual beliefs and activities. The church was
considered the center and foundation of village life. Most community
social functions were attended by a church Elder or Sexton or
sometimes the Pastor when available. Such events were at least
closed with prayer and often opened with prayer as well. As children
grew and developed, they followed the example of their parents in
the home and in the community. Religious upbringing was central to
family and community life and provided a very solid foundation to
guide the children and youth in all of life's activities. When
parents needed to consult with someone for guidance about their
child's religious instruction the Godparents were always available
as were many relatives, including the grandparents.
The religious instruction of children by the community began when
the child was old enough to attend school. In the early days
the Bible, the Hymnal and the Catechism were the basic textbooks in
the classroom to teach reading, writing and content instruction,
including memorization of the subject matter. In the pioneer years,
a village Elder would teach Bible class at the school. In later
years, after 1865, the Sexton might be the one to come and teach
Bible class to the school children. It was part of the school
exercises to prepare special church programs such as the Christmas
Eve program where students of all ages sang songs and presented
spoken pieces.
At about school age, children were also deemed old enough to attend
church, but there were no special classes for children.
Children sat with a parent or grandparent in the main seating area
of the church. Since women sat on the left-hand side of the church
and men sat on the right-hand side of the church, the child would
sit wherever the parent or grandparent sat. Youth who had been
confirmed were allowed to sit upstairs in the balcony, but always
with the girls in the left balcony and boys in the right
balcony. Since the organ was also situated in the balcony, the
organist (often the
Kuester-Lehrer) could keep an eye on what went on. In
addition, the pastor in the elevated lectern could also observe what
was happening, especially on the boys' side of the balcony.
If necessary, a church Elder would have an otherwise unsupervised
youngster sit with him downstairs in the church. After marriage,
young people sat in the main seating area of the church, not up in
the balcony, but still the women sat on the left side of the church
and the men on the right side of the church. After church, dinner at
home was a family affair. It was common practice for older brothers
or sisters who were on their own to stop by their parents' home for
Sunday dinner.
All children approaching graduation from seventh grade were enrolled
in
Konfirmanden Untericht (Confirmation classes). These
were taught by the Sexton or
Kuester-Lehrer and generally were held at the school.
Konfirmation was held in the spring at the close of the
school year. The
Konfirmation class was responsible for decorating the
church for the
Konfirmation service. Greenery and flowers were popular
materials with which to decorate the church. When the big day
arrived, the class dressed in their best outfits, the boys wearing
dark suits and the girls wearing white dresses (after 1915) and
often white veils. For my mother's confirmation, her parents
purchased a white dress and white stockings for her to wear to the
service - it was rare to have purchased clothing in those
days, and not many families could afford such luxuries. Godparents
of the boys typically gifted their
Patekind with a pocket watch, a white shirt with a tie,
an embroidered handkerchief and socks.
Relatives of the
Konfirmation class crowded the church for the service.
The
Konfirmation ceremony was always impressive and festive.
Each candidate for
Konfirmation recited their
Lebens Spruch, a speech that had been prepared during
their
Konfirmandin Untericht and replete with Bible passages
that gave their philosophy of life. Unfortunate was the young person
who failed to spend adequate time memorizing their
Lebens Spruch and then got stuck midway through the
speech with no words to say! At the end of the service, each youth
was presented with a hymnal with their name embossed on the cover
(paid for by the parents), along with a Konfirmations
Urkunde, a.certificate that was richly decorated with
colorful religious art work. People prized their confirmation
certificates and often hung them up in their bedrooms.
Konfirmation
was the transition point between childhood and young adulthood.
Afterward, the confirmands would gather at home with parents,
grandparents, Godparents and other close family members for a
festive dinner. The confirmed young person was presented with gifts
- each confirmed young person received several gifts but some
received more of some things than others. After confirmation, the
next life step for the young person was to enter into an
apprenticeship to learn a trade, or to enroll in an advanced course
of study at a regional school if the family had enough money. Each
young person set about learning life skills needed to prepare them
to integrate into the communal life of the village as a worthy and
contributing citizen of society. From an early age, each person was
educated to be a useful member of society, to respect others and to
be respected. This is the way our ancestors had been raised, and
they continued to pass on these values as a proud part of our
ancestral heritage.
Alfred Opp
Edited by Connie Dahlke
____________________
Alfred Opp is the author of "Pawns on the World Stage" - the memoirs
of his childhood in Teplitz, Bessarabia and the experiences of his
family in war-torn Europe (Poland during 1941-1945 before they fled
to East Germany in 1945, then the reconstruction of West Germany
1945-1955).