NORKA
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      • Johann Heinrich Fuchs
      • Johann Georg Herwig
      • Johann Baptist Cattaneo
      • Lukas Cattaneo
      • Emanuel Grunauer
      • Friedrich Börner
      • Christian Gottlieb Hegele
      • Christoph H Bonwetsch
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Religion > Pastors of the Norka Church

Pastors of the Norka Church

The pastors of Norka were the colony's spiritual, educational, and administrative leaders.  The pastors presided over worship services, baptisms, confirmations, marriages, and funerals. The church Küster (sexton) and Schulmeister (schoolmaster) worked under the supervision of the Pfarrer (pastor). 

According to Pastor Eduard Seib, the pastor and the schoolmaster were respected personalities in the colonies. One asked them for advice and usually received good advice. Because of this, the saying "The pastor said so" usually dismissed any statement to the contrary. Everyone showed respect toward the pastor by their behavior. If he strolled through the village when the gate benches were still occupied, all would stand up when the pastor passed. Even the oldest people removed their head coverings and greeted him in a friendly and respectful manner.
The following ten pastors served the Norka parish from 1767 to 1934:
1767-1769
1769-1782
1782-1784
1784-1831
1831-1841
1841-1845
1845-1876
1877-1908
1910-1913
1913-1925
1925-1934
​1934-1941
Johann Heinrich Fuchs
Johann Georg Herwig
No pastor in residence
Johann Baptist Cattaneo
​Friedrich Börner
​Christian Gottlieb Hegele
Christoph Heinrich Bonwetsch
Wilhelm Stärkel
​David Weigum
​Friedrich Alexander Wacker
​​Emil Pfeiffer
No pastor during Stalin's Great Terror from 1934 through the deportation in 1941

The following men served the Norka parish as assistant pastors:
1801
1817-1821
​1828
1828-1830
1875-1877
​1897-1901
​​Karl Jakob Früauf assisted Johann Baptist Cattaneo
​Lukas Cattaneo assisted his father Johann Baptist Cattaneo
​Lukas Cattaneo assisted his father Johann Baptist Cattaneo
​
Emanuel Grunauer assisted Johann Baptist Cattaneo
Gottlieb Nathanael Bonwetsch assisted his father Christoph Heinrich Bonwetsch
​Woldemar Emil Arthur Sibbul assisted Wilhelm Stärkel

Sources

Amburger, Erik. Die Pastoren Der Evangelischen Kirchen Russlands Vom Ende Des 16. Jahrhunderts Bis 1937: Ein Biographisches Lexikon. Lüneburg: Inst. Nordostdt. Kulturwerk, 1998. Print. Translated to English by Horst W. Gutsche in October 2002.

Dalton, Hermann. Geschichte Der Reformirten Kirche in Russland: Kirchenhistorische Studie. Gotha: R. Besser, 1865. Print. The English translation of the section pertaining to Norka was prepared by Bill Pickelhaupt for Steven Schreiber, July 2011.

Litzenberger, Olga. Deutsche Evangelische Siedlungen an Der Wolga. Trans. Johannes Herzog and Paul Höringklee. Nürnberg: HFDR, 2013. 441-452. Print.

​Preisendorf, Johannes. "Auszüge aus der Chronik der Kolonie Norka and der Wolga." Der Kirchenbote. Date Unknown. 6-7.

Schnurr, Joseph. Die Kirchen Und Das Religiöse Leben Der Rußlanddeutschen. Stuttgart: AER-Verl., 1978. Print. Translated to English by Horst W. Gutsche, October 2002.

Seib, Eduard. "Der Wolgadeutsche im Spiegel seines Brauchtums." Heimatbuch Der Deutschen Aus Russland 1967/1968 (1968): 152. Print.
Last updated February 5, 2024
Copyright © 2002-2025 Steven H. Schreiber
  • Home
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    • Contact
  • People
    • Founders
    • Personal Histories
    • Notable Norkans
    • Stories
    • Photo Identification
    • Photo Gallery
  • Community
    • Village Life
    • Entertainment
    • Agriculture
    • Climate
    • Homesites
    • Geographical Description
    • Government
    • Social Structure
    • Health
    • Education
    • A Land of Ethnic Diversity
    • Cottage Industries >
      • Sarpinka
      • Mills
    • Language
    • Population
    • Military Service
    • Crime and Punishment
  • History
    • Timeline
    • Origins of the Colonists
    • Catherine's Manifesto 1763
    • Why go to Russia?
    • Recruitment 1766
    • Planning 1764-1766
    • Marriages Prior To Emigration 1766
    • Voyage to Russia 1766 >
      • Ship Transport 1766
    • Journey 1766-1767
    • Founding of Norka 1767
    • Early Years 1767-1769
    • Norka 1769
    • Pallas Report 1773
    • Pugachev Raid 1774
    • Norka 1775
    • Norka 1798
    • Norka 1811
    • Napoleons Soldiers
    • Norka 1834
    • Daughter Colonies 1850s >
      • Neu-Norka
      • Oberdorf
      • Brunnental
      • Rosenfeld (am Jeruslan)
      • Neu Hussenbach (Gaschon)
    • Privileges Lost 1871-1874
    • Immigration 1875-1924 >
      • To the United States >
        • Colorado
        • Ft Collins Colorado
        • Globeville Colorado
        • Mason City, Iowa
        • Culbertson, Nebraska
        • Lincoln, Nebraska
        • Sutton, Nebraska
        • Burlington, Oklahoma
        • Weatherford, Oklahoma
        • Canby, Oregon
        • Portland, Oregon
      • To Canada >
        • Duffield, Alberta
        • Ponoka, Alberta
        • Spruce Grove, Alberta
        • Stony Plain, Alberta
        • Vegreville, Alberta
        • Arcola, Saskatchewan
      • To Germany
      • To South America
    • Famine 1891-1892
    • Norka 1898
    • War & Turnoil 1904-1906
    • World War 1914-1918
    • Revolution & War 1917-1922
    • Soviet Rule 1918-1941
    • Famine 1921-1924
    • Famine 1932-1933
    • The Great Terror 1936-1938
    • Deportation 1941
    • Repression 1941-1956
    • Cultural Loss 1957-2006
    • A Culture in Peril
    • Recent Times
  • Traditions
    • Food and Drink
    • Clothing
    • Holidays >
      • New Year
      • Fastnacht
      • Lent
      • Easter
      • Ascension Day
      • Pentecost
      • Founder's Day
      • Harvest Festival
      • Jahrmarkt
      • Christmas
      • Anniversaries & Birthdays
    • Crafts
    • Games
    • Folk Medicine
    • Superstitions
    • Nicknames
    • Folk Music
    • Church Music
    • Funerals and Burials
  • Religion
    • Planning and History >
      • Norka Reformed Church 1767-1864
      • 1909 Norka Parish Report
    • Pastors >
      • Johann Heinrich Fuchs
      • Johann Georg Herwig
      • Johann Baptist Cattaneo
      • Lukas Cattaneo
      • Emanuel Grunauer
      • Friedrich Börner
      • Christian Gottlieb Hegele
      • Christoph H Bonwetsch
      • Gottlieb N Bonwetsch
      • Wilhelm Staerkel
      • Woldemar Sibbul
      • David Weigum
      • Friedrich Alexander Wacker
      • Emil Pfeiffer
    • Church Practices >
      • Baptism
      • Confirmation
      • Weddings
      • Communion
      • Prayers
      • Parochial Certificates
    • Church Buildings
    • Church Organs
    • Bell Tower
    • Brethren Movement
  • Resources
    • Family Research
    • Research Resources >
      • Arrival Records 1766
      • Descendant Charts
      • German EWZ Records
      • Soviet Gulag Records
    • Maps
    • Glossary
    • Bibliography
    • Periodicals >
      • Die Welt-Post Letters
      • Sonntagsblatt der Omaha Tribune
    • Related Links