Concentration camp burial service

[spellinggirl]

Hi, I hope this isn’t in the wrong forum. I wasn’t sure where it should go, honestly.

I’m currently studying abroad in Austria and on Monday, my class is going to tour a concentration camp. Today I found out that we have a “community service opportunity.” Recently a flood washed out a road near the camp and people discovered the ashes of thousands of bodies that had been burned at the camp. The directors of the camp museum have invited us to hold a burial service for the ashes. Our program leader told me today that we will be “saying prayers from Christian, Jewish, and Muslim traditions,” and then we are invited to say a few words each about what the experience means to us.

Immediately I felt very uncomfortable at this idea. I strongly suspect many of the dead were Catholics, as Austria is a very Catholic country and the Nazis took many political prisoners from it during the war. It seems somewhat irreverent to lay these ashes in the ground with the “prayers” of a bunch of non-religious teenagers (I am one of the few religious people in the group). What is the appropriate thing to do here? Aside from the fact that funerals are pretty traumatic for me-- this seems like a possible liturgical abuse. Any help would be great. Thank you!

 

[bben15]

Hi, I hope this isn’t in the wrong forum. I wasn’t sure where it should go, honestly.

I’m currently studying abroad in Austria and on Monday, my class is going to tour a concentration camp. Today I found out that we have a “community service opportunity.” Recently a flood washed out a road near the camp and people discovered the ashes of thousands of bodies that had been burned at the camp. The directors of the camp museum have invited us to hold a burial service for the ashes. Our program leader told me today that we will be “saying prayers from Christian, Jewish, and Muslim traditions,” and then we are invited to say a few words each about what the experience means to us.

Immediately I felt very uncomfortable at this idea. I strongly suspect many of the dead were Catholics, as Austria is a very Catholic country and the Nazis took many political prisoners from it during the war. It seems somewhat irreverent to lay these ashes in the ground with the “prayers” of a bunch of non-religious teenagers (I am one of the few religious people in the group). What is the appropriate thing to do here? Aside from the fact that funerals are pretty traumatic for me-- this seems like a possible liturgical abuse. Any help would be great. Thank you!

I think it would be better to have a Mass offered for their souls that to do that. If he really feels the need to do that, then he should have a rabbi say the Jewish prayers, while an iman says the Islamic prayers.

Plus, most of the people were likely Jews, since the main focus of the Nazis were to “exterminate the Jews.”

 

[spellinggirl]

I should have mentioned that most students are not catholic, nor are the directors.

 

[Made]

@spellinggirl

What is the name of the camp? I haven’t heard about that in the news. Further information would be greatly appreciated.

 

[spellinggirl]

@spellinggirl

What is the name of the camp? I haven’t heard about that in the news. Further information would be greatly appreciated.

It is Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp. I myself don’t know much about it, just what my professors have told me. What I would like to know is whether it is appropriate to participate in this upcoming “ceremony.” I find it pretty inappropriate for American teenagers to perform anything like this, and feel that clergy should definitely be involved instead.

 

[Made]

It is Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp. I myself don’t know much about it, just what my professors have told me. What I would like to know is whether it is appropriate to participate in this upcoming “ceremony.” I find it pretty inappropriate for American teenagers to perform anything like this, and feel that clergy should definitely be involved instead.

Thanks for the information! If you don’t feel good about than you should not participate in it.