Šiauliai
On August 28, 1985, Jonas Jurevičius, Methods Specialist in the Šiauliai Rayon Department of Education, was summoned before Education Department Director Krūmas. The director asked Jurevičius whether he had been to church for the funeral of his neighbor, Greičius. When the methods specialist explained that he had stopped by for a few minutes (he had left work with the permission of his immediate superior), the director threatened to discharge him from his position for alleged dereliction of duty. He said he should have done so long ago, just on account of his brother, Mečislovas Jurevičius.
A few days later, Jurevičius was again summoned to the director's office. Awaiting him here were Chairwomen Mrs. Dirvonskienė, of the rayon teachers' union, Party Secretary Mrs. Mečvienė and others. Jurevičius was told that this was no place for him to be working, and by order of Rayon party Secretary Miss Abkaitė, he was discharged from his current duties. Director Krūmas demanded that he sign a statement saying that he had resigned his duty voluntarily; otherwise the appropriate paragraph would be entered in his work permit, and he would not get work anywhere. Thus Methods Specialist Jurevičius, after working in the Education Department for seventeen years, awarded the badge of a leader in LSSR education, and citations, was forced to leave his job. Presently he is working in the Ginkūnai Elementary School as an ordinary teacher.
Aukšteklė (Šiauliai Rayon)
In 1980, former director Dargužas of the Aukšteklė Elementary School was being buried. Since the deceased was being interred with the rites of the Church, in spite of his great services to the educational system (during the post-war era he had collected money and built a school), schoolchildren and teachers were strictly forbidden to participate.
Kiaukliai (Širvintai Rayon)
On October 21, 1985, the Director of the Pioneers, at the Kiaukliai Elementary School, Mrs. Lapėniene, and Vice Principal Kalininą, took Fourth Class student Inga Zvingevich to a ?school. The teachers scolded the girl for having gone to church and to the rectory several times, and demanded a promise that such transgressions would not be repeated. The teachers unbuttoned the pupil's uniform, checking to see whether there was any religious medal on her neck.
On October 24, Kalininą and other teachers interrogated Miss Zvingevich, asking how many times she had been in church and in the rectory. Inga returned to the classroom weeping. Believing pupils comforted her and urged her not to be afraid of threats. After school, Inga's homeroom teacher, Mrs. Kvacksienė, and Teachers Kalinina and Kadžiulis, drove her home and forced her mother to sign an explanation for
her daughter's "crime". They obliged the mother to take Inga each day from school directly home just so she would not mingle with believing friends.
Sixth class pupil Dainius Matijošius of that same school, who is a believer and so stopped wearing the Pioneer's neckerchief was scolded by school principal Mrs. Grigaitienė, Teachers Lapenienė and others. Mrs. Lapenienė took Dainius to class and put on his the kerchief. Someone had already complained that on October 20. in the neighboring parish of 2alva. during a religious festival, the boy had served at Mass, so the teachers sneered, "You see, you prayed too little, and so today you forgot your pen..."
Lithuanian, remember that:
Father Alfonsas Svarinskas
Father Sigitas Tamkevičius
Father Jonas Matulionis
Docent Vytautas Skuodis
Viktoras Petkus
Jadvyga Bieliauskienė
Liudas Dambrauskas
Balys Gajauskas
Gintautas Iešmantas
Vladas Lapienis
Romas Žemaitis
Julius Sasnauskas
Povilas Pečeliūnas
and others bear the bonds of imprisonment so that you might be able to live and believe in freedom.
