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HAUS-fah-ter

Hausvater: /HAUS-fah-ter/
noun (German)
1. Housefather.
2. Spiritually responsible head of household, including the housefather as assisted by the housemother.
>> Example: "As the Hausvater should teach it [Christian doctrine] to the entire family ..."
(Martin Luther, Small Catechism, 1529)

While Hausvater is a gendered term emphasizing the man's role, it includes, in its broader sense, women in their special vocations as wives and mothers who assist husbands and fathers in the spiritual nurturing of their home. Thus, Hausvater might be translated more fully as "a man serving his family with the assistance of his wife, the mother of their children." The Hausvater Project accordingly serves both men and women. Moreover, some of our programs may focus specifically on children as they are maturing into men and women.

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