Pastor of Lutheran church in Hrodna gets married for the first time in 200 years
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_images_carousel images=”24078,24074,24082,24086,24090,24094,24098,24102,24106″ img_size=””][/vc_column][/vc_row]Unlike Catholics and Orthodox, Lutherans do not consider wedding to be a secret. It’s just a pair’s open confession of unity, for which at this moment all those present in the temple are praying.
For the Hrodna Lutheran church – the only one operating in Belarus – this is the first wedding of a pastor. After all, since 1793, when there appeared a Lutheran house of prayer, all the pastors of whom there was eight, arrived being already married. Uladzimir Tatarnikau, the ninth pastor, is getting married here for the first time.[vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnKMfvEPvuM&feature=youtu.be”][/vc_column][/vc_row]The couple was married by a Lutheran Archbishop from Moscow, Dmitri Brown. The visit of a priest of that level, according to Tatarnikau, is a great honor for the city and for him personally.
Bride of the Pastor Uladzimir is a doctor. By religion she is Orthodox. The wife of a pastor in the Lutheran tradition does not have any special duties, in contrast to, for example, the Orthodox “mother”, but according to Tatarnikau, she will, of course, help and take part in the life of the church.
The couple are dressed traditionally – white dress the bride and the groom’s classic suit.
“There was a lot of trouble with accommodating guests – said the pastor – people came to us from Irkutsk, Kamchatka, Israel … I am from the region of Vitsebsk, as are my family, the bride is from Brest area. All must be placed, cared for. I am glad I have made friends here in the last five years – they are very helpful in all matters: with transportation, decorating the hall, etc.”
The wedding ceremony was accompanied by an organ, imported from Germany to replace the lost one, which was played by a well-known musician from Hrodna Aliaksei Pyatrou.
The pastor whose ministry coincided with the revival and restoration of the church, will continue to engage in ‘church affairs’, his wife will continue to study for an internship in Brest.
