On March 18, 1981, the Associate Pastor of the Parish in Prienai, Father Antanas Gražulis, was invited to visit the faithful of the Villages of Ašminta, Apušotas and Bagrėnas in the Rayon of Prienai to bless their homes.
On March 30, 1981, (Mrs.) Ona Vaitauskienė, a staff member of the Ašminta District Library, was summoned to see Vice Chairman K. Morvėnas of the Prienai Rayon Executive Committee.
"A cultural worker is not allowed to go to church, taking her daughter with her, or to make up a list of people expecting the priest, and, after that, to invite the priest," Morkvėnas assailed her. The Vice Chairman emphasized that it was time for (Mrs.) Ona Vaitauskienė to draw the appropriate conclusions and to change her world view since otherwise, she would be embarrassing to the rayon. (Mrs.) Ona Vaitauskienė stated that she went to church and would continue to do so; had taken her daughter to church and would continue to take her; that no one was about to reform her, nor was she about to deny her faith. If, because of her conviction, she could not work in the library, she would take any other kind of work.
Vice Chairman Morkvėnas ordered Directress (Mrs.) G. Pole-kauskienė of the Prienai Central Library to discharge (Mrs.) Vaitauskienė.
On April 6, (Mrs.) Vaitauskienė was summoned to the Prienai Rayon Department of Culture where Chairman A. Veselis of the Ašminta District Executive Committee tried to demonstrate that because of her beliefs, (Mrs.) Vaitauskienė was not obeying work rules.
(Not true! (Mrs.) Vaitauskienė used to perform her duties carefully and conscientiously — Ed. Note) That day, (Mrs.) Vaitauskienė was forced to write a request that she be relieved of her duties as staff member of the Ašminta District Library, effective May 18, 1981.
On May 28, 1981, in the Village of Ašminta, Rayon of Prienai, one girl who was a religious believer was celebrating her birthday. Invited to the celebration was Father Antanas Gražulis. Soon after the birthday, an interrogation of the schoolchildren began. Ašminta District Chairman A. Veselis summoned students Rolandas Čeplins-kas (7th Grade) and Loreta Lapinskaitė and rudely badgered them about who participated in the birthday, etc. By his interrogation, Chairman Veselis drove Loreta Lapinskaitė to tears.
Directress (Mrs.) A. Šervenikienė of the Ašminta Middle School ordered class leaders to warn parents of the pupils. The latter warned them, saying everything would be entered in the school records and their children would never to on to higher education.
At Prienai I Middle School, students (Miss) V. Bandoraitytė, (Miss) D. Bendinskaitė, and (Miss) D. Čeplinskaitė (10th Graders) were being interrogated. The school administration, summoning the parents of the aforesaid girls, asked them who had invited the priest to the birthday party, and what he had talked about. Finally,they said that pupils were forbidden to go to gatherings in which a priest participated. He tried to move them emotionally by saying that they, the parents, were wrecking their children's future, that everything would be entered in the scholastic records, and that their daughters, upon finishing middle school would not be able to enter anywhere to study.
At the Birštonas School of Sports, student (Miss) Z. Padelskaitė was interrogated.
On April 11, 1981, Chairman A. Veselis of the Ašminta District summoned Librarian (Mrs.) Ona Vaitauskienė and accused her of organizing the birthday party and inviting the priest. "The school carries on atheistic work, and what do you do? There is no doubt that you will lose your job . . . The Security Police will question you. You may end up in prison ... It would be better for the library to be shut down for ten years, rather than to have such personnel working there. Where have we been that we failed to notice earlier what you are?!" Chairman Veselis raved.
On September 6, 1981, at the birthday party of Giedrė Babravičiūtė (5th Grade) residing in the Village of Ašminta, besides her friends, Father Antanas Gražulis was a participant. At the end of October, the class leader at the Ašminta Middle School questioned pupils (Miss) Giedrė Babravičiūtė (5th Grade), (Miss) Odeta De-reškevičiūtė (5th Grade), (Miss) Rasa Vaitauskaitė (5th Grade) and (Miss) R. Daugelytė (5th Grade). The girls refused to answer any questions and the teachers tried to pry information from the girls by threats. The mother of pupil Giedrė Babravičiūtė told the class leader that she would invite whomever she wanted to her home, and demanded that they stop driving her daughter to tears.
On December 5, 1981, some residents of the Village of Pagaršvis gathered with their children in the yard of A. Šukevičius. Toward evening, a group of young people hurried over. Participating in the gathering was Father Antanas Gražulis. On December 7, teachers of Ašminta Middle School ordered Romas Juozaitis (3rd Grade) to bring his parents. During the interrogation, the teachers tried in various ways to frighten the boy, even to the point of tears. For the same reason, (Miss) Rasa Vaitauskaitė (5th Grade) was interrogated.
December 30, 1981, (Mrs.) Una Vaitauskienė was summoned in writing to the Ašminta District Council. Waiting for her there was Chairman P. Šeniauskas of the Lenino keliu Collective Farm, District Chairman A. Veselis, Secretary (Mrs.) Grigaravičienė of the Collective Farm Primary Organization and Principal (Mrs.) A. Ser-venikienė of the Ašminta Middle School.
"There are ugly things going on in the district. Meetings with the priest are being organized. People are scandalized at your behavior. The children's parents are also unhappy . . . You are unaware of what you are doing to your family. Your daughter after finishing school, won't get in anywhere, and you will go to prison for your deeds... You are being widely discussed in the Party Committee, at the Rayon Executive, and among the Security Police. We know well how many such meetings there have been, and who was there. Confess that you organized the whole thing," District Chairman Veselis threatened (Mrs.) Ona Vaitauskienė.
School Principal (Mrs.) Šervenikienė claimed that believers are allowed to gather only in houses of prayer, and that such meetings in the village must not be; most of all, she was angry because parents take part in them with their children.
"For over seventeen years, no priest had visited people, and now you have decided to invite him," sneered Collective Farm Party Organization Secretary (Mrs.) Grigaravičienė.
(Mrs.) Vaitauskienė responded to the accusations, saying that they, the parents, are responsible for their own children, we invite for them whomever we wish. Please do not interrogate the children or drive them to tears; if you say you know everything, then why ask?"
Ending the discussion, the Ašminta District Council of the Prienai Rayon said that they were warning (Mrs.) Ona Vaitauskienė for the last time.
