Impulses for Richard Gölz

KMD Gerhard Kaufmann:
Richard Gölz in the context of his time – his legacy in the context of our time

The work and influence of Richard Gölz not only give cause to reflect on him within the church, not only with regard to the celebration of worship or choral singing alone. Even with regard to his political resistance and his late conversion to the Russian Orthodox Church, his work and influence remain of an unbroken and straightforward farsightedness that carries far more weight in society as a whole than we realize. It is up to us to look at our situation today in the light of his spiritual legacy, to clarify it and to continue to make it public.

We also occasionally approach this in “singing thoughts”.

Prof. B. Leube

Harry Wassmann:
Richard Gölz – how strange and yet so close. His impulses for the present
A few images and quotes will highlight a few aspects of Richard Gölz’s spiritual legacy. A “special one”? An evangelical saint? Out of his time? Into today?

• Why did Gölz open himself so strongly to Reformation spirituality after 1918?
• How did he become a staunch critic of the church’s efforts to adapt to National Socialism?
• Why was he committed to reopening Gregorian chants and the mass as a form of worship for Protestants?
• What motivated him and his wife Hilde Gölz to illegally take in Jews in the Wankheim vicarage?
• What fascinated him about monastic services and ways of life?
• Why did Orthodoxy become his spiritual home?

These questions provoke conjecture. They can make Richard Gölz’s path easier to understand – his path from theology student and Württemberg priest in the imperial era to church musician and opponent of the Nazis – and to Orthodox priest in the USA.

orth. Evening prayers with priest J. Kaßberger

Musicians of the vielklang