Recollections of Margareta Schanta of Whitehall/PA, native of Raabfidisch, as told to daughter Gretl.

“Each village in the parish had its special place to stand around the church before mass began. Also, men/boys and women/girls stood in their separate groups. 
For example, the girls from Fidischer Bergen stood on the southwest side near the right side of the church entrance. This is where they chatted and decided where they would go to the dance that afternoon. The folks from Hausergraben (just below the church) were always the last ones to show up often waiting until the final bells.”
”Quite often when Mass began, some of the boys were “missing”. They were over in the stables hanging out with “Gfoarri-Ferdl” (the parish priest’s brother, Ferdinand, who wasn’t a priest, of course). As was the custom, ”Bartl-Gfoarri” (Father Bartl) would walk back through the church blessing everyone with holy water at the beginning of the mass, but he’d just keep walking out the door - a few minutes later, the boys would come running in from the stables.”
”Holy days were always celebrated with the Schröttner Orchestra from Raabfidisch playing in church - sometimes on brass instruments, sometimes on strings. Once or twice at Christmas, the brass players would go up in the church tower and play several Christmas hymns (“Turmblasen”), which could be heard throughout the surrounding hills and valleys. They didn’t do this too often because the stairs were steep and narrow - difficult to navigate with instruments. Music was an important part of life at St. Emmerich’s. “Bartl-Gfoarri” himself played the bass violin.”
”At Easter Vigil, there was always a big procession with the brass band, flags, singers, firemen and boy scouts (“Levente”) in their uniforms. They would shoot off a little cannon (this was Gfoarri-Ferdl’s job and he selected a few of the older boys to help - a big honor) during certain times of the procession. Since gunpowder couldn’t be bought in Hungary, this was always “smuggled” over from Austria. When everyone walked home after the vigil around twilight, the “Osterfeuer” were burning - everyone tried to put these bonfires on a high point and include a stump so it would keep burning for a long time”.

Bobby Strauch

Zwischen Radling (Ungarn) und Inzenhof (heute Österreich) wurde 1904 die St. Emmerichs-Kirche gebaut, fiel 1921 durch die neue Grenzziehung auf die ungarische Seite, nach 1945 von den Kommunisten schwer beschädigt, danach renoviert feierte das Gotteshaus heuer das 100jährige Jubiläum.