Even if this takes a lot of effort. And step forward to those, that you fear and to those that suffer from you. And if you can even embrace them - those that you fear and those that suffer from you. That is taking a lot of effort, because as soon as love is growing too big, one tends to shut down and run away from it.
Eginald Schlattner, lutheran pastor in Rothberg/Roshia, Romania.
Eginald Schlattner was born on September 13th, 1943, in German-Saxonia - the part of Romania. There many german rooted families lived since hundreds of years. He studied protestant Theology and Mathematics. In 1957 he had been sent to prison by the "Securitate" and had to stay in prison under the communist regime. The dramatic years in prison influenced him, to not only finish his studies of Theology in Hermanstadt/Sibiu, since 1978 he works in the near by parrish of Rothberg/Roshia. There he cares for the gypsy´s and poor. Through the experiences that he himself had made in prison during communism, he was able to choose to help those people that are in prison today. Even though he is retired now, he still keeps working, going to the prisons every week and dayly celebrates the Holy Mess in his church in Rothberg/Roshia.
One of his great sadnesses is, that since communism is over, most people of his parrish have left the village to go abroad. So instead of having a parish of formerly about 750 german blooded people, now there are only a hand full left. However, nothing will make Schlattner leave his little village and parrish. He says, he will be the last german speaking pastor there, and he already chose his tomb "nothing will take me away from here!".
Schlattner is well known - not only nationally, but also internationally, for his novels which are translated into several languages and even entered the romanian schoolbooks. The books display in an interesting way, how life felt like in Romania, during communism and from the perspective of a german-saxonian (Siebenbürger).
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