Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos Feldkirch is the westernmost town in Austria near the border with Liechtenstein and Switzerland. Small, with a population of 40,000, neat and well-kept like all Austrian cities, it often serves as a transit point for travelers going to Switzerland. Prices here are not yet Swiss, and transport links to cities and towns beyond the western border are well-established—convenient buses and trains run regularly.
Like the whole of Austria, Feldkirch is a predominantly Catholic town, although the number of Catholics has dropped in recent years. Many Austrians are abandoning their religious identity, both Catholic and Protestant. The number of Orthodox Christians in Austria is growing, but let’s be objective: this growth is not so much because Austrians have begun to attend the Orthodox Church (there are not so many such conversions), but mainly thanks to the influx of migrants from traditionally Orthodox countries.
Today Orthodox prayer blesses many cities and towns of the picturesque Austrian land, including Feldkirch. The Orthodox Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos (Frauenkirche) of the Serbian Orthodox Church is situated at Churer Tor, just a fifteen-minute walk from the railway station. However, it is not architecturally designated in any way, because it is a Catholic church building (according to some sources, built in the fifteenth century), now leased to the town’s Orthodox community. The church, as is customary in this area, is open all day; anyone can enter, light a candle, and pray.
We were able to talk with Priest Nikola Balovic, the rector of the parish, in the evening. during the day batiushka is busy with secular work—he teaches the Basics of Orthodoxy in local schools.
“The parish in Feldkirch is almost fifty years old, it was founded in 1976,” Fr. Nikola related. “Although, even before that Orthodox priests would sometimes come here and celebrate services. In 1990, we were given a church at Churer Tor where we currently hold services.”
Priest Nikola Balovic According to the rector, their rent is small, even symbolic. The parishioners are of various ethnic groups: Serbs, Russians, Ukrainians, and Greeks. So their liturgical languages vary: in addition to Church Slavonic and Serbian, Fr. Nikola serves in Greek and German. And German is not in this list accidentally: among the others, people whose native language is the official language in Austria, also attend the services.
—For example, on Pascha last year we received a German into Orthodoxy (he moved from Germany to Austria). He phoned me himself and said that he would like to get acquainted with the Orthodox faith, as he did not find peace of mind and fullness in Catholicism. This German started coming to our services, and a few months later we baptized him.
—Had he been baptized before?
—Yes, but in Catholicism. I do not receive into Orthodoxy through Chrismation [as is done by most Local Churches.—Trans.], but through Baptism. In late November, we received into the Orthodox Church in the same way a Catholic Slovenian and his girlfriend from Colombia.
—What attracted them to the Orthodox community?
—Our openness and our unity. We are truly open to anyone who seeks the truth. And we try to help each other and keep in touch. We have a special meeting hall where we meet after the Liturgy and where our parishioners have a meal and communicate. We acquired this hall about forty years ago from a Serb from Konstanz (Germany), who bequeathed his apartment and money to the parish.
Interior of the Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos
—You’re talking about unity. But in the light of the many sad events of recent years, how do you manage to preserve it?
—I understand the essence of your question and I will not hide that there were some Ukrainians in the community who argued that they did not want to pray with Russians, and there were some Russians who did not want to pray with Ukrainians. But I immediately stressed that we serve God here and there is no place for demagoguery and politicking in the parish. We are Orthodox Christians, Slavs, brothers and sisters. We must pray for the cessation of the war, and we have no right to move this war from the frontline in Ukraine to an Orthodox parish in western Austria.
But in Feldkirch, as it has turned out, there are echoes from another “front”: of enemies of Orthodoxy, be they overt or secret. Last year they carried out their “sortie” to the Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, desecrating and vandalizing the sanctuary and setting the altar table on fire. The culprits were teenagers, aged thirteen and fourteen. It’s hard to say what or even who drove them to do this, but I believe that spiritually broken people are more capable of such acts. Due to the “fascination” with mysticism and occult practices, including fortune-telling, “predictions” and horoscopes, spiritual diseases affect not only adults, but sometimes also teenagers, even children.
Traces of arson on the altar table After this sad incident I had to put the reliquary with the relics of saints and the cross into the safe,” Fr. Nikola says. “Now we are looking for funds to restore the badly damaged sanctuary. Insurance companies are unwilling to make full payments because the church is not guarded and is usually open during the day.
As the rector explained, the parish is not in the category of those “recognized” by the State, therefore it cannot count on support from federal funds. It is extremely difficult to obtain official recognition (it is not equivalent to registration) in Austria. Of the twenty-five Serbian parishes only the parish of St. Savva in Vienna has this status. Recognition, among other things, opens opportunities to receive State subsidies and remuneration for priests.
The parish of the Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. Photo: Azbyka.ru
Towards the end of our talk with Fr. Nikola I touched upon the issues of raising the younger generation, because it is important for any believing father or mother that their children grow up to be worthy Christians. Perhaps there is no universal recipe for “How not to alienate children and teenagers from the Church”, but it is from the diversity of opinions that we learn something of what is valuable. Austria is a secular country, and, according to Fr. Nikola, in order for a child to become a true believer the appropriate atmosphere should reign in his family. Although the basics of religion, including Orthodoxy, are taught in Austrian schools, it is unlikely that these classes can seriously influence the worldview of students.
“In Austria, the basics of Orthodoxy can be taught provided that there are at least three Orthodox students in a school,” Fr. Nikola explains. “The State pays these teachers. The choice of teachers is largely the prerogative of Metropolitan Arsenios of Austria (the Patriarchate of Constantinople), since, by virtue of established practice, it is he who represents the interests of all Orthodox Christians before the Austrian State. The curricula are also prepared by the Greek Metropolis, although they also involve Serbs in their work.”
According to the rector, despite the fact that Orthodox teenagers sometimes experience a crisis of faith and stop attending church services, they usually do not fall away from the Church altogether and do not go to the heterodox. Afterwards, years later, they may return to the Church. This process is complex and often unpredictable. But religious crises among teenagers are not a problem of Austria alone; people in traditionally Orthodox countries cannot avoid such crises either. And if a rebellious teenager who “overthrows authority” remembers at least sometimes with fondness the church services (which he attended) and prayer at home (in which he participated), he will definitely return to the Church, even if his path is winding and very thorny.
Source: Orthodox Christianity
