In 1963, the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Germany established its Head Office in Bonn to organize the Greek Orthodox diaspora and advocate for their needs in a non-Orthodox country. Each parish aligned with a Greek diasporic community, shaped by shared language and religiocultural identity. Over time, demographic shifts led to declining local church communities, creating interconnected challenges.
The Greek Orthodox community of Göttingen exemplifies these struggles, facing a lack of a permanent worship space and limited youth participation. These issues are intertwined, as younger generations increasingly lose touch with the Greek language, a key element of their diasporic identity alongside religion and culture. Families often cannot provide sufficient language education, weakening ties to these identities.
The absence of a dedicated church further undermines religious upbringing, hindering stable worship schedules, Sunday school, and youth engagement. Services in Greek are often inaccessible to younger members, fragmenting their Orthodox identity.
Can this trend be reversed? How can the Greek Orthodox youth in Germany receive religious education in a non-Orthodox context? This paper introduces the challenges facing the religious upbringing of Göttingen's Greek Orthodox community in the modern era.