Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Catholic News

Home

Home
Catholic
Religion News
Lithuania’s first Soviet-era martyr to be beatified

Lithuania’s first Soviet-era martyr to be beatified

Last updated on: June 13, 2017 at 9:01 am by CNA Daily News

Lithuania’s first Soviet-era martyr to be beatified 2017-06-13T09:01:00+00:00 CNA Daily News

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Vilnius, Lithuania, Jun 13, 2017 / 03:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- A Soviet-era priest and bishop who continually defied communist rule and spent much of his ministry in prison will be beatified later this month in Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital.

Archbishop Teofilius Matulionis was declared a martyr by Pope Francis Dec. 16, clearing the way for his beatification.

Archbishop Matulionis was known for his heroism and determination in faith in the midst of the harsh atheism of the Soviet regimes which ruled the countries in which he served.

Born in Kudoriškis, in what is now Lithuania, in 1873, Archbishop Matulionis was the second son of a farming family, and seemed to be drawn to the religious life from an early age.

In 1900 he was ordained a priest in what is now Belarus, where his zeal for the faith immediately raised the suspicions of the authorities of the Russian Empire, which was closely aligned with the Russian Orthodox Church.

In 1909, he was sentenced by a court for baptizing a child from a mixed Orthodox and Catholic family, a sentence he served in a Dominican convent.

In 1917, he witnessed the violent persecution of the Church under the Bolshevik Revolution. And in 1923, he was sentenced to three years in Moscow prisons for refusing to sign an act on the appropriation of church property and buildings.

Released a year ahead of time and allowed to return to Lithuania, the priest chose instead to go back to his parish in St. Petersburg, where he was secretly ordained a bishop in 1929.

Soviet trouble never far behind, the bishop found himself in prison again in 1929, where this time he was subjected to solitary confinement, and then to hard labor and malnourishment, which took its toll on his health. He was eventually released in an exchange of prisoners between Lithuania and the Soviet Union in 1933.

Upon his release, Bishop Teofilius paid a visit to Pius XI, who praised his heroism. When Teofilius knelt down in front of the Pope, the Holy Father had the bishop stand and instead knelt down himself, saying: “You are a martyr! You must bless me first!”

During the visit of a group of Lithuanian pilgrims to Rome in 1936 Pius XI again praised Bishop Teofilius: “Glory be to the Lithuanian nation that gave us a hero like him!”

In 1943 he was appointed Bishop of Kaišiadorys.

While he was free, Bishop Teofilius traveled to the United States of America, Rome, the Holy Land, and the Sinai Peninsula.

Afterwards he returned to Kaunas, Lithuania, where, despite Soviet and Nazi threats, the bishop spoke out boldly against the regimes, their destruction of churches, and religious persecution. This led, again, to his arrest in 1946.

Ten years later, the depleted but not defeated bishop came to Birštonas, where he secretly ordained another bishop, and was subsequently punished for his actions by being sent to Šeduva, where his communications were tapped and his room regularly searched by Soviet authorities.

In 1962, he received notice from Rome that he had been made an archbishop and that he was invited to participate in the Second Vatican Council, but he would ultimately be unable to attend. During a “search”, the archbishop was given a lethal injection under the pretense of sedatives, and died three days later, Aug. 20, 1962.

He is remembered for his courage and faith despite the hardships that he endured. During one of his many times in prison, the priest wrote: “Just think how good and merciful the Lord is: He finds His flock in the woods, in the tundra, at midnight… I am thankful to Him with all my heart! Providence made sure that we, priest brethren, be sent where the believers are. Pastors follow their flock.”

In 1957, rumors were spreading that the 84 year-old bishop would be imprisoned again, to which Bishop Matulionis responded: “If I were passing by some bushes and someone suddenly jumped in front of me and said ‘Boo’, I might be frightened… But I’m not at all scared at the idea that they can arrest and imprison me.”

Archbishop Teofilius Matulionis will be beatified in the Cathedral Square in Vilnius June 25 by Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

Europe

Previous Post

June 13, 2017

Francis: Migrant crises require focus on reality, dialogue, commitment

Next Post

June 13, 2017 For the First World Day of the Poor, Francis encourages personal encounter

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Americas Asia - Pacific Europe Middle East - Africa Uncategorized US Vatican

Select a Month November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who said, "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Job Moses David Solomon