Mokslo ir tikėjimo dialogai

The article describes the pastoral duties of Pastor Kristijonas Donelaitis, and aspects in the life of the Tolminkiemis parish during his ministry. It examines Donelaitis’ path to the priesthood, the ethnic composition of his parish and the reasons for the decline in the number of Lithuanians, the construction projects initiated by the pastor, difficulties encountered during the Seven Years’ War, the entries made by the pastor in the church records, the liturgical life of the congregation, the pastor’s attitude towards Pietism, the case of land separation that was disadvantageous to the Church, and the opinions of later parish clergy about their predecessor. The author suggests that the village of Metai is a Lithuanian village in the parish of Tolminkiemis, as the pastor saw it in his interactions with his Lithuanian parishioners.

During the ‘Khrushchev Thaw’, the Soviet government eased its anti-religious policies, and this opened up the possibility for the Lithuanian Lutheran Church to publish its first postwar hymnal. However, due to its too ‘modern’ language, the 1956 hymnal was not introduced in parishes, but was only intended for personal use. The demand for a hymnal in line with the modern Lithuanian language remained relevant. Therefore, the 1970 synod decided to prepare a hymnal, the texts of which would be closer to the old hymns in the 1936 Lithuania Minor hymnal. The hymnal was published in 1982, and was introduced for use in many parishes. The third edition appeared in 1988. The article describes the challenges the Church faced in preparing a hymnal during the Soviet period, both internally and from the atheist Soviet government, which viewed religious literature as the manifestation of a foreign ideology.

The article discusses the question of whether everyday life in an ordinary small Lithuanian town is indeed inactive, stagnant, empty and immobile. Mobility in everyday life is analysed through the habits of locals in the town of Josvainiai, and relations with the nearest cities and relatives living abroad. In analysing mobility, the main focus is on areas of everyday life such as work, consumption, communication and leisure. The article analyses data from a field study carried out in Josvainiai from July 2019 to January 2020.