Jan Jelen
1802–1890 (age 88)
Biography
Jan Jelen, born in 1802, served the Libice nad Cidlinou parish at a time when his neighbors wrestled with new ideas about community and identity, and he sought to keep his flock rooted in Scripture while also respecting the evolving cultural currents in the Bohemian countryside. He balanced the daily duties of a parson with the broader ministry of helping neighbors discern their obligations to one another and to the emerging civic life of their towns.
When he passed in 1890 he left a legacy of compassionate preaching, calm pastoral visits, and an enduring sense of hospitality, and his gravestone in the Protestant cemetery in Libice nad Cidlinou stands as a quiet marker of his faithful service.