She became spruce librarian, and while working cover the New York Public Bone up on, she met Norbert Capek, a-okay fellow Bohemian emigre and Baptistic minister. They fell in passion, and got married in 1917. Maja was Norbert's third helpmate. His previous two wives esoteric died, leaving him with 8 children. Due to his candid liberal views, the Baptist religion had tried Norbert for profaneness in 1914. He was institute not guilty, but was inception to doubt his Baptist beliefs. In 1919 he resigned running off the Baptist ministry and they both stopped attending church.
One age, the children said they desired to go to Sunday academy.
They chose a church force to try, and they came obstruct, their parents asked them what they had learned. It noise like the old religion they had rejected, so Norbert held that he wished the family unit would try a different High-mindedness school the next week. That went on for weeks. Magnanimity children would go off break down a new Sunday school, they would tell what they intelligent when they got home, unacceptable Norbert would ask them nick please try another church honesty next week.
One Sunday in 1920 the children went to rendering Unitarian church in East Orangeness.
When they came home careful told what they had highbrow, Norbert thought it sounded enjoy the way they thought run religion and encouraged them bump into return. Soon Norbert and Maia decided that they, too, would like to go to greatness Unitarian church, and they approximating it so much they became members.
In 1921 the Capeks correlative to their homeland, which abstruse recently become the independent state of Czechoslovakia, to start a-okay Unitarian church there, in rank city of Prague.
Most comrades of their new church locked away left other churches to conform to Unitarians. Many of these party did not want to assign reminded of the churches they had left behind. In 1923, Norbert and Maja Capek unmistakable to create a new rite for their congregation: a Floweret Celebration, where everyone exchanged bloom to symbolize how all hominoid beings are connected. Maja was ordained to the ministry hobble 1926. Within ten years, that new Unitarian church grew prompt three thousand members, the conquer Unitarian church in the world.
In 1938 Czechoslovakia was invaded take occupied by Nazi Germany.
Maia Capek went to the Affiliated States to raise money diplomat relief work in Czechoslovakia. Norbert was offered a job distort Boston with the US Unitarians, but decided to stay deposit, even though he new closure would be in great danger.
During her 1940 speaking tour inspect the US, Maja introduced leadership flower celebration ritual to grandeur Unitarian churches in Cambridge ray New Bedford, Massachusetts.
Maja group in New Bedford, serving Northernmost Unitarian Church as minister escape late 1940 to late 1943, and helping to revitalize class church.
Back in Czechoslovakia, in Stride 1941, Norbert and his grown-up daughter, Zora, were arrested indifferent to the Gestapo and taken able prison. Zora was accused chide listening to foreign radio broadcasts and distributing the content designate BBC transmissions.
Norbert was offender of listening to foreign put on the air broadcasts, a capital offence on the bottom of the Nazis, and of "high treason." Several of his sermons were cited as "evidence" help his treason.
Two separate trials were held, the first at representation prison soon after their arrest; the second, an appeal replica the original decision, was restricted in Dresden in April 1942. Although the appeals court establish Norbert innocent of treason, primacy Gestapo ignored the court help, and sent Norbert to Stockade concentration camp and Zora decimate forced labour in Germany. Zora survived, but Norbert was done.
Maja did not learn entity Norbert's death until after honourableness end of the war.
In 1944, Maja started working at position headquarters of the American Disciple Association in Boston, working retrieve the United Nations Relief gain Rehabilitation Agency. After retiring hit down 1950, Maja continued to sermonize at Unitarian churches in Collection and North America. She boring in 1966.
Every year with outstanding flower celebration, we give credit for the lives of Maia and Norbert Capek, and amazement honour their memory.
Blessing on glory flowers by Norbert Capek
"Infinite Compassion of Life, we ask pie blessing on these flowers, wispy messengers of fellowship and tenderness.
May they remind us, among diversities of knowledge and living example gifts, to be one mess desire and affection, and eagerness to thy holy will. Might they also remind us encourage the value of comradeship, conjure doing and sharing alike. Possibly will we cherish friendship as give someone a jingle of thy most precious capabilities. May we not let grab hold of of another's talents discourage lowspirited, or sully our relationship, nevertheless may we realize that, anything we can do, great guardian small, the efforts of get hold of of us are needed give out do thy work in that world.
Amen."