IGNALINA
In 1973, after the commissioner of the Council for Religious Affairs was replaced by K. Tumėnas, the churches in Ignalina Rayon were inspected on April 2-8 by either the commissioner himself or his representatives, together with functionaries from the rayonexecutive committee. They examined the church interior, its altars, organ, electrical wiring, liturgical vessels, vestments; they scrupulously checked the account books and electric meters; and they asked questions. Who kept the money collected by the church? How did the parochial committees get along with the pastors? Do children serve mass? Wherever children did serve, they rebuked the parochial committee chairmen and ordered them not to allow children near the altar. When they visited the schools, they questioned certain students about priests and about the children's relations with the Church.
Most likely they were carrying out the instructions issued to Soviet agencies concerning the gathering of all possible information about the Catholic Church in Lithuania (cf. pp. 233-36).
VALKININKAI
On February 16, 1971, the Valkininkai Parochial Committee informed the locality office about the need to supplement the parish council of twenty, for several members had died or resigned. The locality office informed the rayon administration about this note, and the latter demanded that the letters of resignation of the members who had resigned be sent to them, otherwise forms on which all committee members would have to be listed would be sent out. After the rayon administration received the letters of resignation, it summoned the chairman of the Valkininkai Parochial Committee and the chairman of the auditing commission and demanded that new committee members be elected. During the elections, rayon representatives would be required to participate. The committee members were astonished, since new members had been elected long ago, and the rayon administration had been informed of this through the locality office. Why must the parochial committee be re-elected? Why must a government representative be present during this election? After all, the Soviet government "does not interfere" in the internal affairs of the Church!
KABELIAI
In the school records of some students who were graduating from the Kabeliai eight-year school remarks were added to the effect that that they are believers and attend church or are children of believing parents or that "their education was influenced by factors external to the school."
One Saturday in November, 1970, a resident of Kabeliai Village named Adolfas Galcius, a pensioner, was repairing the fence around the church. Jonas Kazlauskas, the manager of the State farm, drove him away saying, "I don't want to see you near the church again!"
CEIKINIAI
On April 13, 1973, a retreat and a religious festival were being held at the parish church in Ceikiniai. Near the church doors a certain elderly lady was selling rosaries, medallions, crucifixes, and photographic holy cards. A policeman with two officials from the executive committee, who arrived from Ignalina, took away the old woman's merchandise and wanted to apprehend her, but she quickly slipped into the church, which was full of people. The police did not dare to search for the old lady inside the church so they waited several hours for her outside, but in vain, for the old woman had walked out unnoticed.
