Father Hermann Shultz had created a place for children and young people, who can not find warmth at their own home and are in need of care and attention. This place was named Jaunimo sodyba ( transl. - Youth homestead) .
Hermann Shultz was born in 1939 10 29 , in lithuanian and german origin fammily, Lithuania. His childhood was quite hard after loosing his father during the war 1941. Together with mother and eldest brother boy moved on to Germany, where he had worked a lot and his life was poor. When young man grew up and became a Salesian priest, he decided to help children, who has low opportunities in life to learn, to bee safe in their environment, to express themselves.
Young priest became a missioner in Rwanda ( Africa), in 1978 and he is in this mission today. Starting with just a tent, the industrious priest went on to built a youth centre, that offered food, education and the teaching of trades.
In 1994 father Hermann and people in Ruanda had experienced a terrible genocide. About 800 000 people was killed in the civil war. Children from the Youth centre was killed too, only 12 young people stayed alive from the whole farm. Father began to rebuilt all the farm later, when situation in the state prepeared to become better...
Father Hermann had established a 200 places orphanage for children without parents after the war, - he has built homes for many people, several churches, parish houses, a charity dining hall, gymnasium and the school of trades.
The genocide remains on the minds of the Rwandan people all the time.
"They have songs about it; they talk and pray about it. They are people of great resilience and hope, but it has had a great impact upon them. However, having suffered so much, their faith has not wavered.
Rwandans have exhibited an amazing Christian ability to forgive. While murderers of their family members and friends may still saunter among them, they are quick to say that “We are no longer Hutu and Tutsi. We are Rwandans."
Father Hermann Shultz
He may assert that he has become “one of his Rwandan sisters and brothers,” and he may claim he cannot see himself pasturing in cozy Europe, but the Salesian has not forgotten his Motherland, Lithuania either. Not only does he come with his flamboyant entourage every year and celebrates Mass “in Rwandan Christian style,” but, probably more importantly, he has contributed much to the local community and the Church.
Being a spiritual leader and founder of the Jaunimo sodyba (Youth Homestead), a kind of shelter for a group of Lithuanian orphans and kids from social risk families located in the Kretinga district, 30 kilometers from Klaipeda, he has become a real-life true father for many impoverished children of LIthuania.
Text by www.baltictimes.com