BYELORUSSIAN SSR
Varanavo Rayon.
In the City of Varanavo, already in Krushchev's time, the church was closed and later demolished. Believers in the city gather somewhere in the homes of neighbors, so that they might be able to pray. On May 1, 1981, the City Militia deputy and other representatives of the Executive Committee came to see Feliksas Ščygla, where people had gathered for May Devotions. For receiving believers into his home, the Administrative Committee of the Varanavo Rayon fined Ščygla fifty rubles. For the same kind of offense, Wanda Versyla was fined fifty rubles. Representatives of the Administrative Commission warned that if those fined tried a second time to organize "illegal" meetings, i.e., devotions, they would be fined between 300 and 500 rubles. A third offense would bring one to threee years imprisonment.
Four km. from Varanavo rises the stone church of Armoniš-kės. It was also closed during the Krushchev Era. The faithful have been struggling for a long time to regain their church, but all their efforts have been like water off a duck's back.
During Lent, 1982, in the Village of Markovshchyzna, Parish of Armoniškės, the faithful gathered at Juralaitis' to pray the rosary. At the end of March, Juralaitis was visited by Vice Chairman Kuz-mičius of the Executive Committee, together with the district chairman. Finding the faithful gathered, the arrivals wrote up a report and fined Mykolas Juralaitis and Vaclovas Griška, who had led the rosary, fifty rubles each.
The Rayon of Varanavo borders on the Rayon of Ivjė. Six km. from Ivjė is the wooden church of Dūdai. In Krushchev's time it was closed and for twenty years had been used as a warehouse. Lately the church was a warehouse for mineral fertilizer.
In April, 1980, the faithful decided secretly to repair the disintegrating church. Obtaining the keys, they quickly hauled the fertilizer out of the church and began the repair work. From the Ivjė Rayon came three carloads of militia. To wreck the altar, they brought in a tractor. The Russian tractor-driver refused to wreck the altar. At that point, a militiaman seated himself on the tractor, but women kneeling and weeping would not let him near the altar. The militia became nervous. More and more people were gathering at the church, and the militia left. Even though the Rayon interfered very much, nevertheless, at the cost of great efforts and suffering on the part of the faithful, the church was beautifully renovated. Now the faithful gather every Sunday in the church which they won back.
In the Rayon of Ivjė at the present time, there is only one priest, living in Lipniškės and simultaneously serving the church at Ivjė.
