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Unitarian Church of Sharon
4 N. Main St.
Sharon, MA 02067
781-784-3652
E-mail UCS
About the Unitarians of Transylvania
There are over 200 Unitarian congregations in the Transylvania
region of Romania, which was once an independent country and has since
been pulled back and forth between Hungary and Romania. We are one of
nearly 200 American Unitarian congregations (8 in our district) who have
committed to a "partner church" relationship with one of them,
to learn from them and to help sustain them in an economically and politically
difficult environment. Some of these congregations are 400 or more years
old. Unitarianism grew out of the Reformation, and while it was vigorously
suppressed elsewhere, it took root in Transylvania thanks to an unusual
policy of religious tolerance first promulgated in the 1500s by the world's
only Unitarian king, John Sigismund, and the inspirational leadership
of Francis David, who said "We need not think alike to love alike."
Their faith is much like the liberal Unitarian Christianity of Channing
(or of our UU neighbors in Weston, Chestnut Hill, and King's Chapel).
Most Unitarians are ethnic Hungarians; almost all ethnic Romanians are
Orthodox, virtually a state religion, with other religions held by ethnic
minorities. Under Communism, they suffered severe repression; tolerance
is now the official policy but not uniformly observed.
There are also Unitarian churches which have survived in Hungary, Poland,
and the Czech Republic. Along with the Unitarian Church of Transylvania,
they are members of the International Conference of Unitarians and Universalists,
and some of their individual congregations have US and Canadian partner
churches as well.
There’s an abundance of information about the Unitarians of Central
Europe available on the website of
the Partner Church Council, including a link to the website of the
Petrosanyi, Romania Unitarian church which offers a comprehensive review
(in your choice of English, Hungarian, or Romanian) of the beliefs, practices
and history of Transylvanian Unitarianism. You can also learn more about
this and other Unitarian churches around the world on the website
of the International Conference of Unitarians and Universalists. Several
other congregations in the Ballou Channing District are also partners
with Transylvanian congregations; Franklin, Brewster, Norwell, Barnstable,
North Easton, and Bridgewater.
A Day in the Life of Our Partner Minister
Partner Church Travel Opportunities
About
UCS
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