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CHRONICLE OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN LITHUANIA, No. 69 
In this issue:
2. Petras Anilionis "Instructs" Priests-to-Be
3. A Reader's Letter to the Chronicle
4. When Will the Desecration of Churches Cease?
7. From the Chronicle Archives
9. New Underground Publications
Lithuania January 10, 1986
CHRONICLE OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN LITHUANIA No 69
A Translation of the Complete Lithuanian Original LIETUVOS KATALIKŲ BAŽNYČIOS KRONIKA Nr. 69 Documenting the Struggle for Human Rights In Soviet-Occupied Lithuania Today
Translated by: Rev. Casimir Pugevičius Translation Editor: Marian Skabeikis Published by Lithuanian Catholic Religious Aid, Inc. 351 Highland Blvd. Brooklyn, NY 11207
©Lithuanian Catholic Religious Aid, 1987
ISSN 0197-0348
This issue of the Chronicle was made possible by the generous support of the Knights of Lithuania
Franciscan Fathers Press 341 Highland Blvd. Brooklyn, NY 11207
ON THE COVER: Bishop Antanas Vaičius of Telšiai preaching at the closing ceremonies of the Year of Saint Casimir at the Church of SS. Peter and Paul in Vilnius. Government interference sought to undermine public celebration of the 500th Anniversary of the death of Lithuania's Patron.
CHRONICLE OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN LITHUANIA No. 69
Introduction
In 1940, when the Soviet Union occupied Lithuania by force, 85.5% of the country's more than 3 million inhabitants were Roman Catholic, 4.5% Protestant, 7.3% Jewish, 2.5% Orthodox and 0.2% of other persuas i ons.
In the two archdioceses and four dioceses were: 708 churches, 314 chapels, 37 monasteries, 85 convents, three archbishops, nine bishops, 1271 diocesan priests, 580 monks, of whom 168 were priests. Four seminaries had 470 students. There were 950 nuns.
Nuns cared for 35 kindergartens, 10 orphanages, 25 homes for the aged, two hospitals, a youth center, and an institute for the deaf-mute.
On June 15, 1940, the Red Army marched into Lithuania; the independent government was replaced by a puppet regime.
On July 14-15, rigged elections were staged. On July 21, with the Red Army surrounding the assembly house, the new People's Diet "unanimously" declared Lithuania a Soviet Socialist Republic.
On June 25, 1940, the Church was declared separate from the state, and the representative of the Holy See was expelled.
Parish lands were confiscated, clergy salaries and pensions were cut off, and their savings confiscated. Churches were deprived of support. Catholic printing plants were confiscated, and religious books destroyed.
On June 28, 1940, the teaching of religion and recitation of prayers in schools was forbidden. The University's Department of Theology and Philosophy was abolished, and all private school s were nationalized. The seminaries at Vilkaviškis and Telšiai were closed, and the seminary at Kaunas was permitted to operate on a very limited scale. The clergy were sp i ed upon constantly.
On June 15, 1941, 34,260 Lithuanians were packed off in cattle-cars to undisclosed points in the Soviet Union. After World War II, the mass deportations resumed and continued until 1953.
Vincentas Borisevičius, Bishop of Telšiai, was arrested on February 3, 1946, and condemned to death after a secret trial. Before year's end, his auxiliary, Bishop Pranas Ramanauskas, was also arrested and deported to Siberia. Bishop Teofilius Matulionis of Kaišiadorys and Archbishop Mečislovas Reinys of Vilnius were deported to a Siberian labor camp. Archbishop Reinys perished in prison at Vladimir, November 8, 1953.
By 1947, Lithuania was left with a single bishop, Kazimieras Paltarokas, of Panevėžys. He died in 1958.
In 1947, the last convents and monasteries were closed, their communities dispersed, and all monastic institutions were outlawed.
After Stalin's death in 1953, there was a slight improvement in the religious situation. Bishops Matulionis and Ramanauskas were allowed to return to Lithuania, but not to minister to their dioceses or to communicate with the clergy or laity.
Bishop Ramanauskas died in 1959, and Archbishop Matulionis in 1963.
In 1955, two new bishops were appointed by Rome and consecrated: Julijonas Steponavičius and Petras Maželis. Steponavičius has never been permitted to administer his diocese.
Bishop Vincentas Sladkevičius, consecrated in 1957, was kept under severe government restrictions until 1982. In 1965, Monsignor Juozas Labukas-Matulaitis was consecrated in Rome to head the Archdiocese of Kaunas and the Diocese of Vilkaviškis. Two new bishops were consecrated in 1969: Bishop Romualdas Krikščiūnas was appointed Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Panevėžys, and Bishop Liudvikas Povilonis was appointed auxiliary to Bishop Labukas, and succeeded him after his death in 1979.
In 1982, Bishop Sladkevičius was permitted to return to his diocese as Apostolic Administrator of Kaišiadorys. Father Antanas Vaičius was named bishop and Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Telšiai and the Prelature of Klaipėda.
Relaxation of pressure on religious believers soon revealed that the Lithuanian people were still deeply religious. It was decided in the mid-fifties to resume the attack. The principal means of attack would be unlimited moral pressure, since physical terror seemed only to strengthen and unify the faithful.
In 1972, the Chronicle of the Catholic Church in Lithuania, clandestinely published in that country, began to reach the free world at irregular intervals. Primarily intended to keep Catholics in Lithuania informed of the situation of the Church there, these Lithuanian samizdat also serve as a constant appeal to the free workd not to forget the plight of a people struggling against overwhelming odds to defend their religious beliefs and to regain their basic human rights.
Rev. Casimir Pugevičius
Translator
INDEX OF PERSONS
(Kvietkevičius), Vincas 13 ..., Klemensas 13 .... Pranas 25
Abromavičius, Father Vladas 31 Andriuška, Father Benediktas 31 Anilionis, Petras 1, 4, 5, 6, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 22 Antanaitis, Father (Canon) Bronius 5
Bagužas, Father Brunonas 31 Beiškienė, Mrs. 32 Bieliauskienė, Jadvyga 33 Borisevičius, Bishop Vincentas i Bružas 32 Bučel is, Father Jonas 10 Bumbulis, A. 14, 19 Burneikis, Father Bronislovas 31 Butkus, Father Juozapas 31 Butkus, Mykolas 26 Butkuvienė, Malvina 25 Butvytis, Father Stanislovas 31
Dėdelis, Karolis 26 Dambrauskas, Father (Canon) Vaclovas 31 Dambrauskas, Liudas 33 Dausynas, M. 19 Doestoyevski 23 Dulksnys, Msgr. Kazimieras 4, 5
Eituvienė, Mrs. 32
Gaidelionis, Father Jonas 31 Galustian, E.S. 17 Gaštentienė, Birutė 13 Gavėnaitė, Monika 25 Giedraitis, Blessed Mykolas 11, 12 Girnius, J. 6 Gorbachev, Mikhail 4, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 Grigas, Robertas 26 Gudaitytė, Ona 25 Gudanavičius, Father Gustavas 20 Gudmonas, Father Bronislovas 31 Gudonienė, Genė 25. 26
Iešmantas, Gintautas 33
Jancevičienė, Mrs. 32 Jancevičius 32 Januškaitis, Father Aloyzas 31 Jeselski 7, 8 Job 28 Jokubauskas, Father Antanas 5, 14 Jurevičiūtė, Miss M. 25
Kadys, Father Vytautas 10 Kanaprokas, V. 27 Kapičkienė, Petronė 24, 25 Karoliūnas 26 Kaubrė, Father Antanas 31 Kavaiiauskas, J. 15, 16, 17 Kelbauskienė, Mrs. 15 Kelbiauskienė, Mrs. 16 Kinshev 27 Krenčius, Father Antanas 31 Krikščiūnas, Bishop Romualdas ii Kveitiniai 27 Kvietkevičius, Pranciškus 13 Kviklys, Bronius 31
Labukas-Matulait is, Bishop Juozas ii Lapienis, Vladas 33 Latvis, Father Jonas 31 Leita, A. 16, 17 Lukas, Z. 25
Maironis 5 Martusevičius, Father Juozapas 31 Masalskis, Father Juozapas 32 Matulionis, Bishop Teofilius i, ii Matulionis, Father Jonas-Kąstyti s 5, 33 Maželis, Bishop Petras i i Melderis 27 Mileris, Father Adomas 32
Narkevičius, Father Aleksandras 31 Novickis, Father (Canon) Jonas 31
Pakalnienė, Elena 32 Paišys, Father Petras 31 Paltarokas, Bishop Kazimieras ii Paulai t is, Petras 6 Paulauskas, Pranas 27 Pauliauskienė, Vanda 27 Pečeliūnas, Povilas 33 Pečkauskaitė, Marija 29 Petkus, Viktoras 30, 33 Platužas, A. 14 Polkienė, Ona 26 Povilonis, Bishop Liudvikas i i Pūkas, Father Vytautas 13 Pukinskaitė, Miss 24 Puodžiūnas, Father Antanas 31 Pupleigis, Father Stanislovas 31 Puzonas, Father Rokas 5, 22, 26, 32
Ramanauskas, Bishop Pranas i, ii Reagan, Ronald 4 Reinys, Archbishop Mečislovas i Rimkus, Father Stanislovas 31 Rugienis 22
Sadūnaitė, Nijolė 6 Saint Casimir 4, 5 Saint Francis Xavier 29 Saint John Bosco 29 Šalkauskis, Stasys 23 Šapoka, Father Leonas 31 Šarkauskas, Father Liudvikas 31 Sasnauskas, Jul i us 33 Šepetys, Lionginas 3 Šeškevičius, Father Antanas 14, 16, 19 Šikšnys, Father Valentinas 32 Simutis, L. 32 Skuodis, Vytautas 33 Sladkevičius, Bishop Vincentas ii, 11, 12 Šleinius, Father Konstantinas 31 Stakelskis, J. 27 Stalin ii, 17 Stankevičius, Father (Canon) J. 22 Stasiui is, Father Juozapas 31 Steponavičius, Bishop Julijonas ii, 12, 22 Stonienė, Mrs. 25 Surplienė, Mrs. J. 25 Svarinskas, Father Alfonsas 5, 7, 8, 9, 14, 25, 27, 33
Tamkevičius, Father Sigitas 5, 8, 28, 33 Taškūnas, Father Vladas 31 Terleckas, Antanas 33 Tvirbutas 26, 27
Urbanavičius, Father Justinas 31
Vėlavičius, Father Vincentas 10, 31 Vaičius, Bishop Antanas ii, 13, 14 Vaišnorienė, Mrs. M. 25 Vaitelis, Father Stanislovas 31 Vaitonis, Father Jonas 13 Valančius, Bishop Motiejus 24 Valiukonis, Father Donatas 4 Vanagas, Father Benediktas 31 Vienuolis-Žukauskas, Antanas 33 Viskanta, Father Antanas 31
Žemaitis, Romas 33
INDEX OF PLACES
Adakavas 25 Africa 19 Alytus 11 Bagaslaviškis 32
Batakiai 3 Berlin 2, 4 Braziūkai 10 Butrimonys 13 Byelorussia 13
Czechoslovakia 4
Dūkštas 10
Gargždai 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 27 Gelvuonai 32 German Democratic Republic 19 Giedraičiai 11
Helsinki 22 Hungary 19
Joniškis 20 Josvainiai 6 Juodeikiai 20
Kaišiadorys i i, 2 Kaunas i, ii, 6, 10, 11, 12, 22, 33 Kaunatava 10 Kiaukliai 25, 26 Klaipėda i i, 2, 14, 15, 16, 18, 24, 25, 27 Kretinga 10 Kulautuva 22 Kuršėnai 31
Laugaliai 15, 16 Lenkimai 10 Lieplaukė 11
Marcinkonys 27 Molėtai 11 Moscow 2, 3, 4, 16, 17, 18
Paliepiai 22 Panemunė 10 Panevėžys i i, 4 Perm 30 Pivašiūnai 11 Plungė 11 Pociūnėliai 5, 13, 14 Poland 4, 6, 19
Radviliškis 13 Raseiniai 12, 14, 22, 25 Rome i i Ryliškiai 2
Šakiai 5 Šalčininkai 13 Saldutiškis 32 Šančiai 10 Šiauliai 11, 17, 25 Siberia i, 5 Šiluva 12, 21, 28 Širvintai 25, 26, 32 Skaudvilė 32 Skuodas 10 Švenčionėliai 10
Tauragė 3, 25, 32 Telšiai i, ii, 3, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 Tilžė (Tilsit) 19 Tūbausiai 10
Ubiškė 31 Utena 32
Vepriai 5 Varėna 27 Varduva 11 Vatican 18 Viduklė 6, 14, 25 Viekšniai 31 Vilkaviškis i, i i, 3 Vilnius i, 3, 4, 5, 8, 11, 12, 22, 26, 30 Vladimir i
Žagarė 20, 22, 23, 24 Žalioji 3 Žemaičių Kalvarija 11
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