Saint Georges Matulaitis, évêque
Évêque de Vilnius et fondateur
d'Ordres religieux : la Congrégation des Clercs de Marie-Immaculée, les Sœurs
de l'Immaculée-Conception et les Servantes de Jésus Eucharistie. Il fut un
évêque d'une grande activité pastorale à une époque difficile pour son pays et
son Église, entre la Pologne, la Russie et les nationalistes lituaniens. Il se
fit le promoteur de la justice sociale et du service des pauvres, des
travailleurs agricoles et des ouvriers. Il lance l'association catholique des
travailleurs et fonde une revue pour promouvoir l'enseignement social de
l'Eglise. Il mourut en 1927.
SOURCE : http://www.paroisse-saint-aygulf.fr/index.php/prieres-et-liturgie/saints-par-mois/icalrepeat.detail/2015/01/27/2005/-/saint-georges-matulaitis-eveque
Saint Georges Matulaitis
Évêque de
Vilna (✝ 1927)
Évêque de Vilnius et
fondateur d'Ordres religieux: la Congrégation des Clercs de Marie-Immaculée,
les Sœurs de l'Immaculée-Conception et les Servantes de Jésus Eucharistie. Il
fut un évêque d'une grande activité pastorale à une époque difficile pour son
pays et son Église, entre la Pologne, la Russie et les nationalistes
lituaniens. Il se fit le promoteur de la justice sociale et du service des
pauvres, des travailleurs agricoles et des ouvriers. Il lance l'association
catholique des travailleurs et fonde une revue pour promouvoir l'enseignement
social de l'Église. Il fut béatifié en 1987.
À Kauna en Lituanie, l’an 1927, le bienheureux Georges Matulaitis, évêque
de Vilna et ensuite délégué apostolique en Lituanie, qui fonda la Congrégation
des Clercs de Marie et celle des Pauvres Sœurs de l’Immaculée Conception de la
Vierge Marie.
Martyrologe romain
SOURCE : http://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/5381/Saint-Georges-Matulaitis.html
Bienheureux Georges MATULAITIS (MATULEWICZ)
Nom: MATULAITIS
(MATULEWICZ)
Prénom: Georges
(Jurgis)
Pays:
Lituanie - Pologne
Naissance:
13.04.1871 à Lugine (Lituanie, près de
la frontière polonaise)
Mort:
27.01.1927 à Kaunas (Lituanie)
Etat: Evêque
- Fondateur
Note:
Prêtre en 1898. Professeur au grand séminaire de Kielce, à Varsovieet à
Piétrobourg. Rénove les Marianites (Clercs réguliers de
l'Immaculée-Conception). Fonde en 1918 les Sœurs des pauvres de l'I.C., puis en
1923 les Servantes de Jésus dans l'eucharistie. Evêque de Vilnius (Wilna) en
1918 jusqu'en 1925. Pie XI le nomme visiteur apostolique pour la Lituanie et
prépare le concordat entre le S.Siège et la Lituanie.
En 1891 il a polonisé son nom en MATULEWICZ.
Béatifié à l'occasion du 600e anniversaire de la christianisation de la Lituanie.
En 1891 il a polonisé son nom en MATULEWICZ.
Béatifié à l'occasion du 600e anniversaire de la christianisation de la Lituanie.
Béatification:
28.06.1987 à Rome par Jean Paul II
Canonisation:
Fête:
27 janvier
Réf. dans
l’Osservatore Romano: 1987 n.27 p.1-2
Réf.
dans la Documentation Catholique: 1987 p.788
Notice brève
Georges Matulaitis
naît en Lituanie en 1871. Ordonné prêtre en 1898, il est professeur au
séminaire polonais de Kielce. En ce temps où la région connaît beaucoup de
pauvreté, il approfondit la question sociale. Il s’intéresse aussi à la vie
religieuse, redonnant vie à la Congrégation des Marianites dans laquelle il
devient religieux, et fondant les Sœurs des pauvres de l’Immaculée qui
deviendront le groupement de religieuses le plus important en Lituanie. Nommé
évêque auxiliaire de Vilna en 1918, il doit faire face aux nombreuses factions
antagonistes, notamment Lituaniens et Polonais. Homme de paix, il pourra
dire : « Je suis né en Lituanie…Presque toute ma vie, j’ai travaillé
en Pologne, et je l’ai fait avec loyauté et de toute ma force. » Effectivement,
il va jusqu‘à l’épuisement. Il donne sa démission en 1925 ; mais Pie XI
qui apprécie ‘‘cet homme vraiment saint’’ le nomme immédiatement archevêque et
Visiteur apostolique en Lituanie. Il rétablit de nouveau la paix entre Polonais
et Lituaniens et prépare un Concordat entre la Lituanie et le Saint-Siège. Il
meurt brusquement à 55 ans en 1927. Le Concordat sera signé peu après.
Notice développée
Jurgis (Georges) Matulaitis naît en 1871 en Lituanie à Lugine, tout près de
la frontière polonaise. À Marijanpole, sa paroisse, existe un couvent de Clercs
marianites et c’est l’un des religieux qui le baptise. Jurgis est le dernier
d’une famille de 8 enfants, dont les parents sont de petits cultivateurs. (Plus
tard, dans ses études sociales, il prendra volontiers l’exemple de ces
cultivateurs qui aspirent à un peu plus de terrain.) À l’époque où il vit, la
Lituanie, annexée par la Russie, sent peser sur elle le pouvoir tsariste. Pas
de liberté, ni politique, ni culturelle (le russe est obligatoire à l’école),
ni religieuse (les catholiques lituaniens sont oppressés par les Russes
orthodoxes). Il reçoit une bonne éducation en famille, mais à 10 ans, il perd
ses deux parents. (Cela le rendra sensible plus tard à la condition des
orphelins, dont il s’occupera personnellement.) À la même époque, il contracte
une tuberculose osseuse à la jambe, qui sera diagnostiquée plus tard, et dont
il souffrira toute sa vie, ce qui l’aidera à nourrir de la compassion pour les
malades. L’enfant doit marcher avec des béquilles. Plus moyen d’aller à
l’école ; alors il aide comme il peut à la ferme. Ce faisant, il garde au
cœur le secret désir d’entrer au séminaire. Grâce à un de ses parents,
professeur à Kielce en Pologne, il peut réaliser son projet et entre en 1891 au
séminaire de Kielce. Il change son nom de Matulais en celui plus polonais de
Matulevicz. Doué d’une intelligence supérieure, il apprend aussi, en plus du
lituanien et du russe, le français, le polonais, l’allemand, le latin.
Il va à Piétrobourg continuer ses études théologiques et il est ordonné prêtre
le 20 novembre 1898. Puis il fait un doctorat à Fribourg, en Suisse (1902). Sa
thèse, qui dénote ses préoccupations œcuméniques, porte sur la théologie
orthodoxe russe.
D’abord vicaire en
paroisse, il est ensuite professeur au Grand Séminaire de Kielce. Tombé malade,
il se rétablit grâce à l’aide d’une bienfaitrice. Il y voit l’intervention de
la Providence et désormais, il comprend, et explique aux autres, que la maladie
peut être l’occasion d’exercer un apostolat encore plus actif : Jésus
n’a-t-il pas manifesté son activité suprême dans l’œuvre de la rédemption
lorsqu’il était immobilisé sur la croix ? Très attentif aux pauvres, il
étudie la doctrine sociale de ‘Rerum novarum’, de Léon XIII (1891). Il a pu
observer personnellement la condition épouvantable des ouvriers, notamment en
Russie. Avec perspicacité, il ne se borne pas à décrire la situation telle
qu’elle apparaît, mais il en cherche les causes, seule façon de leur apporter
des remèdes adéquats. Par exemple, lorsque certains attribuent tous les maux au
Socialisme (marxiste), il répond que ce sont plutôt les maux sociaux qui ont
permis la naissance du socialisme. Ce professeur ne néglige pas le ministère
des âmes (direction spirituelle et confessions) et c’est un bon prédicateur.
Dans son ardeur, il songe à évangéliser au-delà des frontières, jusque dans les
steppes de Sibérie. C’est aussi un zélé promoteur de la vie religieuse :
Il voudrait redonner vie aux Marianites dont la Congrégation est presque
éteinte, condamnée par le régime tsariste. Au couvent de Marijanpole, par
exemple, la paroisse de son enfance, il ne reste plus qu’un seul Père. Alors,
avec lui, il se rend à Rome en 1909 pour demander l’autorisation de relancer la
Congrégation en la rénovant. Cela lui étant accordé, il s’applique à réformer
les Constitutions pour les adapter aux nécessités des temps nouveaux. Lui-même
devient religieux marianite. Ayant été dispensé du noviciat, il fait profession
à 38 ans le 14 juillet 1911. Puis, il est nommé Supérieur général. Il revient à
Saint-Pétersbourg où il reconstitue un noviciat marianite dans la
clandestinité. Ensuite, pour être plus libre, il transfère ce noviciat à
Fribourg. Il fait un voyage à Chicago où les émigrés lituaniens le reçoivent
triomphalement et il y fait une fondation marianite avec noviciat (1913). Il en
fait une autre avec noviciat en Pologne, dans la banlieue de Varsovie. Après la
guerre de 14-18, la Russie affaiblie étant absorbée par ses problèmes internes,
la pression russe se relâche et la Lituanie connaît provisoirement une relative
indépendance. Le Père réalise alors son ancien désir et redonne vie au couvent
de Marijanpole, avec noviciat (1918). Puis, il fonde les ‘‘Sœurs de l’Immaculée
conception’’, connues par les gens sous le nom de ‘sœurs des pauvres’. En
Biélorussie, il fonde les ‘‘Servantes de Jésus dans la Sainte Eucharistie’’.
Malgré ses réticences, le pape Benoît XV le nomme évêque de Vilnius le 23
octobre 1918. Consacré à Kaunas le 1er décembre 1918, il est
installé à Vilnius le 8 du même mois. Sa devise est tirée de saint Paul, son
saint préféré: ‘‘triompher du mal par le bien’’ (Rm 12, 21). Durant son temps
d’épiscopat, la Lituanie connaît une période politique très agitée ; de
1918 à 1922, elle voit se succéder 8 régimes politiques différents et opposés.
L’évêque s’efforce de ramener la paix. Personnellement, il ne veut prendre
parti pour aucun ; son seul et ardent désir est le salut des âmes, son
seul amour, l’Église, l’Immaculée, le Saint-Père. Il manifeste un grand courage
pour défendre les droits de l’Église et la liberté des citoyens, ce qui lui
attire de nombreuses inimitiés de la part des différentes factions, mais il
force l’admiration générale par ses vertus extraordinaires. Toute son action si
intense, en tant de domaines, ne peut s’expliquer que par une profonde et
constante union à Dieu. Après huit années d’épiscopat, épuisé, il donne sa
démission. Elle est acceptée, mais, immédiatement, son ancien ami, Pie XI, le
nomme Visiteur apostolique de Lituanie, avec le titre d’archevêque d’Adulia et
il lui confie notamment une mission importante : l’élaboration d’un
concordat entre la Lituanie et le Saint-Siège. Mgr Matulevicz fait tout le
travail de base, mais il meurt subitement à Kaunas, le 27 janvier 1927, âgé de
55 ans. Le Concordat est signé peu après, le 17 septembre de la même année.
SOURCE : http://www.abbaye-saint-benoit.ch/hagiographie/fiches/f0287.htm
Blessed George Matulaitis-Matulewicz
(1871-1927)
Renovator of The Marians
SIGNS OF
THE TIMES
As the
twentieth century draws to a close, we cannot help but reflect on the people
and events that it has brought us. Ours has been a violent, turbulent century
with more than its share of sorrow and suffering. But it has also had its share
of goodness — especially the radiant goodness in lives like that of Maximilian
Kolbe, Edith Stein, Brother Andre, Solanus Casey, Mother Teresa, Padre Pio and
many others. Some of these extraordinary people have already been recognized by
the Church for their heroic Christian love and others will probably be
recognized in time.
On June 28, 1987, Archbishop George Matulaitis was beatified by Pope
John Paul II. The Pope spoke of him as a special gift for the Church and
for the Lithuanian nation. Blessed George's life and words speak to us today.
His life was full of suffering, hardship and trials of all kinds, yet it was
abundantly blessed by God and bore fruit during his own lifetime and after his
death. His vision of God working in and through the human person revives our
hope in our power for good. In his Journal he expressed the conviction that
every human being has great power at his disposal:
The human mind is the source of all kinds of ideas that eventually reach the
masses and spread throughout the world. The human will is a power that either
draws people to itself, raises them up, sways and moves them toward a positive
goal or, on the other hand, it can drag them down, bringing humanity, either
happiness or misery. The human heart, burning with emotion, can be a powerful
source of energy that warms, enkindles, ignites others — like steam or
electricity — inspiring people to do good or it can be an evil and destructive
force (Journal: Nov. 17, 1910).
The twentieth century has amply illustrated the awesome human potential for
both good and evil. Blessed George Matulaitis' personal motto, taken from the
words of St. Paul, his favorite saint, was: "Overcome evil with
good." He remained faithful to this ideal despite great personal cost.
And, in the end, both friend and foe had to admit that he had overcome.
In his obituary a priest friend expressed what many had experienced: Matulaitis
"had a smile for everyone—or his friends and supporters and for his
enemies as well."
Shortly after his beatification, great things began to happen in Lithuania, his
native land, under Soviet rule since 1940. In October of 1988 the
Soviet government allowed the Lithuanians to display their own flag and use
their own language. The cathedral in Vilnius, the capital city, has been
returned to the faithful. This, the most important church in the country was
confiscated during the Stalin era and turned into a picture gallery. Here
Blessed George was installed as Bishop of Vilnius on December 8, 1918
— it was his church in a special way. Lithuanian Catholics were allowed to
celebrate Christmas publicly for the first time in 1988. In 1989 Pope John
Paul II will make his first visit to Lithuania, a request denied him
in 1987 when he wanted to celebrate the 600th anniversary of
Christianity in Lithuania and beatify Archbishop Matulaitis in Vilnius.
Many healings and other graces have been obtained through the intercession of
Blessed George both in Lithuania and elsewhere in the free world. During his lifetime
he had special compassion for the sick, since he himself suffered from an
incurable illness most of his life. The sorrows and sufferings he endured
deepened his faith in the loving Providence of God which never abandons us in
our need. His favorite prayer was: "I kiss the hand of Providence; I
entrust myself completely to your guidance — lead me, O Lord."
EARLY LIFE
George
Matulaitis' life spans two centuries—the end of the 19th and the beginning
of the 20th — a period which molded our own era. He was born in 1871
in Lithuania, one of the three Baltic states whose struggle for autonomy has
recently caught the attention of the world. At that time Lithuania was also
part of the Russian Empire — a dark age without religious, cultural or political
freedom. Little Jurgis (George) learned his native language at his mother's
knee, but at school he was taught in Russian.
He was a country boy and life on his parents' farm was good. However, sorrow
dimmed his childhood — he lost both parents by the age of ten. His older sister
Emily looked after him. In later life his heart always went out to children and
especially to orphans. He would always stop to speak to a child.
At an early age he fell ill with tuberculosis of the bone, although it was
diagnosed only much later. His illness interfered with his schooling and he had
to drop out of high school. Walking on crutches, he helped out with the farm
work. It was only through the kindness of an older cousin who was a teacher in
Poland, that he was able to fulfill his secret dream — to enter the seminary.
He completed his seminary studies in Poland and it was here that his last name
was changed to Matulewicz. As an exemplary student he was sent to continue his
studies at the Theological Academy in St. Petersburg (now Leningrad). Here
he was ordained a priest in 1898 and received his Master's degree in
theology. Among the students he was known as a quiet, friendly and pious young
man with a formidable intelligence. He was active in several student organizations
and always willing to help his friends with their studies. He went on to
Switzerland where he completed his doctorate in theology at the University of
Fribourg in 1902. He was especially interested in apologetics, that branch
of theology concerned with the defense of Catholic doctrine. His dissertation
on Russian Orthodox theology showed a bent for ecumenical dialogue. He had also
become proficient in languages — Polish, Russian, French and German. He was an
expert Latinist as well.
With such great intellectual gifts and a heart burning with enthusiasm to work
in the Lord's vineyard, it seemed that this young priest would do great things.
Already he was filled with compassion for the persecuted Church in his own
country and throughout the lands ruled by Russia. He could see how the Catholic
Church was oppressed and hampered in every way: religious orders were expelled,
closed down, persecuted; the hierarchy was pressured to conform with government
demands and its control; the faithful were not allowed to worship in their own
language and were penalized for engaging in the most harmless religious
activities.
THE WAYS
OF PROVIDENCE
Matulaitis'
first assignment was that of seminary professor in Poland. However, he was
unable to continue this work for long because of illness. He had received
medical treatment in Fribourg, but had a relapse and moved to Warsaw where he
was hospitalized in a small hospital on the outskirts of the city he lay in a
general ward because he had no money. The situation seemed hopeless, but it
turned out to be a time of grace and spiritual growth. He used his time for
prayer and reading. He did not complain about being bedridden, but wrote to his
spiritual director, Fr. Honoratus Kozminski, a Polish Capuchin: "I am
very content in the hospital. The nurses take good care of me and other people
are also kind. Perhaps the Lord God visits me with illness because I am happy
in this world — otherwise I would not know what affliction is."
Probably he
would have died if not for the kind offices of a high-born lady and member of a
secret religious community. She heard of his plight and took him back to her
school where he was given expert medical attention and good food until his
health improved. In this kindness Matulaitis recognized the finger of God.
Later on he would often say: "The important thing is that we love God,
then all evil will turn to good. It is true that we do not always know what
form it will take. But it will come just the same. We can be certain of
that."
His own compassion for the sick was based on real insight into their sense of
frustration. He would console them: “If you are seriously ill and bedridden, do
not worry that you cannot work. You already have something to do — to bear the
pain and discomfort of your illness patiently and peacefully… Suffering in the
spirit of Christ is very worthwhile. Our Savior never accomplished so much as
when he appeared to be doing nothing — on the cross.”
When he recovered somewhat, he agreed to be chaplain at the girls’ school run
by his benefactress, Cecilia Zyberg-Plater. He taught religion and was often
brought to class supported by two people. Sometimes he would limp in on
crutches. But even after many years the students remembered this young priest —
his radiant personality and what he said to them, encouraging them to use their
talents and their education for the good of others.
From 1904 to 1907 Matulaitis himself became deeply involved in social
action.
COMPASSION
FOR THE POOR
Since his
student days Matulaitis had been interested in social reform and in practical
methods of improving the life of the working people according to the principles
set down by Pope Leo XIII. At the University of Fribourg he had studied
the leading Christian authors on social reform. In Russia and elsewhere he had
seen the appaling conditions in which urban workers had to live and work.
Something had to be done to help these people under Catholic auspices,
otherwise they would be drawn toward atheistic socialism and revolution.
Father George Matulaitis, along with a
like-minded colleague, a Polish priest, Fr. Marcel Godlewski, organized a
Catholic Workers' Association in Warsaw. Several thousand workers joined and it
proved to be very successful. Matulaitis cooperated with the Christian
Democrats who were also concerned with the welfare of the urban workers. For a
time he edited their paper, The Polish Worker.
In Poland the movement attracted both positive and negative attention. It was
considered to be very modern and many noblemen and landowners disapproved.
However, enough of the clergy and laity were enthusiastic to keep Matulaitis
busy giving talks and conducting seminars on social questions. Both in Poland
and in Lithuania he was instrumental in organizing a series of lectures on
social thought and social reform. Matulaitis was one of the key speakers
presenting the teaching of the Church on property ownership and the rights of
workers.
In the fall of 1907 Matulaitis was invited to teach sociology at the
Theological Academy of St. Petersburg. Not only the students, but also
members of the faculty attended his lectures. A number of his listeners later
became social reformers in their own countries.
Matulaitis' interests in social questions and social reform were never merely
theoretical. He was moved by a deep compassion and real understanding of the
plight of the worker. He knew first hand what it meant to be poor, dependent
upon others, humiliated by a lack of the bare necessities. He knew too that
pastoral ministry would not be effective unless it was also concerned with
improving the living conditions of those who were being evangelized. Matulaitis
appealed his fellow priests: "As living conditions change and the
spiritual and cultural level of the people also changes, new problems and
difficulties arise in the field of pastoral ministry; new tasks confront us.
As life moves forward, it presents new problems. We must look for new methods
and solutions to deal with them... As the life of the people flows on, so must
the pastor be the living water of the Gospel, always flowing onward to refresh
his flock."
During the same period that he was involved in social action, Matulaitis was
also acting as spiritual director and advisor for various underground religious
communities for women founded by Father Honoratus, his own mentor. Father
George revised their Constitutions, consulted with their superiors, gave
conferences and helped individuals through the confessional. Matulaitis began
to realize how much the Church needed new religious communities in order to
survive oppression by hostile governments and the crisis of faith brought on by
new philosophies and movements.
WORKING FOR SPIRITUAL RENEWAL
In 1909
while he was still professor at the Theological Academy, 38 years old and
with a promising career ahead of him, Matulaitis made a momentous decision. He
decided to become a religious, to follow more closely in the footsteps of
Christ. Having received permission from Rome, he made the three vows of
poverty, chastity and obedience in a private chapel in Warsaw. At the same
time, his close friend and fellow professor, Francis Būčys, was received into
the novitiate. This was the beginning of the revival of the Marian
Congregation. Closed down by the Russian government, it had only one surviving
member. Matulaitis was convinced that God was leading him to resurrect this
dying community and infuse it with new life.
The Marian Fathers were well known to him — they worked in his parish church at
Marijampole in Lithuania. He had been baptized by one of their generals. Now he
resolved to revive and prepare them for an apostolate in the modern world. He
gave up lecturing on sociology and taught dogmatic theology instead. He began
to rewrite the Constitutions and at the same time directed his two novices. In
the fall of 1910 he began to keep a journal in which he recorded his
thoughts, inspirations and resolutions.
His heart burned with a desire to expend himself for the kingdom of God — the
Church. He and his fellow religious must take the risk — go out among the
people, reach out to all to renew and strengthen their faith, then prepare them
to evangelize in turn. With the rise of modern philosophies and movements, he
could see that people were being influenced to abandon their faith. In his
Journal he wrote: "Our concern is with all humanity and with the needs of
the universal Church. We should be willing to hasten to any place where there
is an opportunity to do something for the greater glory of God... In a special
way we must direct our attention toward the vast territories of Russia and
Siberia, where so many souls have strayed from the fold because there is no one
to guide them; toward America with its noisy life-style where it is so easy for
people to forget their spiritual needs" (Journal:
Jan. 25, 1911).
His idea was to build up a modern, mobile religious community dedicated to the
apostolate. He was convinced that religious and laity must work together to
bring the Gospel to every home. A life of intense prayer and work was the best
way to achieve this: "Without continual prayer the soul wilts and withers;
our energy burns out, our spirit is dissipated and our work becomes amazingly
sterile. On the other hand, let us not forget that we worship and serve God not
only when we pray, but also when we work for His glory" (Journal:
Nov. 14, 1910).
In 1911 Matulaitis was elected superior general of the Marians and
remained in this position until his death. He was also novice master since they
were so few. That same summer the novitiate was transferred to Fribourg,
Switzerland, for St. Petersburg proved to be too dangerous: the Russian
secret police had been conducting raids and searches for secret religious
organizations. Under cover of the life of the University of Fribourg,
Matulaitis hoped that the novitiate would be safer and grow more rapidly.
In 1913 he and two young Lithuanian Marians travelled to the United States
to start a mission in Chicago. In 1915, unable to leave Poland because of
the war, Matulaitis gathered the Polish Marians together at a monastery outside
Warsaw. This was the beginning of the Polish province. During this period the
Marians and several sisters cared for a number of war orphans. Matulaitis
himself would often go into German-occupied Warsaw to beg for provisions for
the children. He would often return in the evening sitting on a wagonload of
coal or potatoes.
A number of interesting stories circulated in
the area about the young priest and professor who was not afraid of the
Germans. Once he went to a German official to ask for cots for the children.
"You are a priest, you should trust in divine Providence. Why are you
bothering me?!” barked the German. "That is true," replied Matulaitis
quietly "but Providence often works through good people."
Shamefaced, the German wrote out an order for the cots. However, the priest
kept coming back. He was cursed at for being an infernal nuisance. Matulaitis
humbly listened to the tirade, then said: "All that is for me, but what do
you have for the children?”
Serving the poor was a priority in all the religious communities that
Matulaitis founded. In the spring of 1918 he went to Lithuania to restore
the Marian monastery in Marijampole and to start a novitiate. In the fall of
that same year he founded a Lithuanian community for women, the Sisters of the
Immaculate Conception, popularly known as the Sisters of the Poor. Several
years later he founded another religious community for women in Belorussia, the
Servants of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. All these communities are still
active.
Matulaitis updated the Constitutions of a number of religious communities
according to the new Code of Canon Law — about ten in all. He was often asked
for help and advice in spiritual matters and on concrete problems of how to
adjust to the demands of modern life. He not only prepared these religious
communities for a more effective apostolate during the postwar period, but also
for an even greater challenge in the future. With the Soviet regime came a new
wave of religious persecution and it was these communities that were able to
adjust to the situation, to hold out and to continue their apostolate in the
persecuted Church. They helped and encouraged the laity to remain firm in their
faith and were a great help to the clergy. The religious resistance movements
that developed in the east European countries gives evidence of the firm
foundations that had quietly been laid down earlier.
A GOOD SHEPHERD
Despite his own
wishes to remain a simple religious, in the fall of 1918 George Matulaitis
was appointed Bishop of Vilnius by Pope Benedict XV. He was consecrated in
Lithuania, at the cathedral in Kaunas on December 1 and the installation
ceremonies took place in the Vilnius cathedral on December 8. He was not
well known to the people of Vilnius and was very much aware of the difficulty
of his mission. In his inaugural sermon he presented himself to his flock
humbly and sincerely: "I stand before you a stranger and therefore, first
of all, I ask one thing of you — to regard me as the servant of Christ who has been
given you to show you the way to heaven and to guide you to eternal happiness.
From now on we shall live together as one big spiritual family of which I am to
be the father and head as we move forward along our wearisome spiritual
journey."
His vision of unity and harmony, however, proved extremely difficult to realize
in those turbulent times. During his time as Bishop of Vilnius —
1918 to 1925 — Matulaitis had to walk along a thorny and treacherous
path. He had to contend with six different civil governments — some of these
were openly hostile to the Church and to its hierarchy. Political and national
conflicts often blinded clergy and faithful alike to the demands of Christian
charity. His large, ethnically mixed diocese was seething with unrest: the people
were fearful, food was scarce and political passions ran high. Lithuanians,
Belorussians and Poles were all striving for independence after the long and
unhappy period of Russian rule since 1795.
Within two weeks of assuming his duties, Bishop Matulaitis felt himself caught
in a political crosscurrent. "My own position is extremely
difficult," he wrote; "whatever one faction approved of, another
opposed. It was impossible to please them. The cauldron was boiling over. I
kept to the teaching of Christ and of the Church." (Journal:
Dec. 16, 1918).
In spite of all this, he received everyone who came to him and listened to
their woes. He encouraged them to use their native, tongue because, he assured
them, "I do not despise any nation or any language."
He wanted all of his flock to live in peace and harmony and did his best to
reconcile persons and nations. He would not allow the Jews to be persecuted and
when public furor rose against them he would intercede for those who were
arrested or plead that food be distributed fairly to all.
The conflict between the Poles and the Lithuanians over the city of Vilnius was
especially acute at this time. Bishop Matulaitis refused to take sides but
urged both nations to negotiate peacefully: "Perhaps, when each takes a
good look at the other, they will see that neither is the monster they had
imagined," he noted down in his Journal. However, his efforts were often
disregarded and misinterpreted. He experienced great sorrow and inner anguish
because of the way Christian people and nations were behaving toward each
other: "My God, my God what a terrible thing is the politics of our time!
Morality is completely excluded from the political arena. The same morality
which governs and guides relations between individuals should also govern the
relations between nations. Christ has not given us a double standard nor dual
justice, but only one. There can be no peace between nations until they begin
to base their relations with one another on the moral principles of Christ"
(Journal: May 3, 1919). Today his words have a prophetic ring.
Because of his refusal to take sides or to promote the interests of one
political party or nation against another, Bishop Matulaitis was criticized,
attacked and denigrated. Yet, he remained gracious and cordial even to those
who publicly vented their antagonism or snubbed him personally. In some cases
his goodness won them over. One of these was Bishop Wladislaw Bandurski who
came to Vilnius with General Zeligowski's army which occupied the city
in 1920. Bandurski was official army chaplain and spokesman for Pilsudski
and his supporters. At first he refused even to pay Bishop Matulaitis the
required formal visit. Persuaded to do so by Chancellor Lucjan Chalecki, a
fellow Pole, Bandurski came to pay his respects and ended up staying till
midnight, so charmed was he by Matulaitis' cordiality. Later on, when different
political winds were blowing and Bandurski was in disfavor, his financial
situation became difficult. Bishop Matulaitis noticed that his cassock was worn
and frayed. He secretly ordered a new one made and delivered. Bandurski guessed
who was responsible. He was deeply moved and when Matulaitis was celebrating
the silver jubilee of his ordination in November of 1923, Bandurski agreed
to give the sermon. In it, he warmly praised Bishop Matulaitis for his truly
Christian spirit, his love for the Church and his fairness and regard for all
entrusted to his care.
In the summer of 1925 Matulaitis' resignation from the diocese of Vilnius
was accepted by Pope Pius XI, his personal friend and colleague. Poland
had signed its Concordat with the Vatican and Vilnius was going to be made an
archdiocese. Matulaitis was well aware that he had to withdraw. He quietly left
Vilnius and went to Rome where he hoped to establish the Marian generalate and
a house of studies. However, the pope made him titular Archbishop of Adulia and
appointed him Apostolic Visitor to Lithuania.
Archbishop Matulaitis returned to his native
land and settled in the Marian monastery in Kaunas. His first task was to
prepare a project for the formation of an independent ecclesiastical province
for Lithuania. When the project was approved by Rome, Lithuania was divided
into five dioceses. Matulaitis officiated the consecration of the five new
bishops in 1926.
In June he sailed to the United States to attend the International Eucharistic
Congress in Chicago. He also visited 92 Lithuanian parishes and gave over
200 homilies and speeches. Everywhere he was welcomed with great enthusiasm.
The railway car in which he was traveling was even painted violet in his honor!
Back home he began work on the Concordat between Lithuania and the Vatican.
However, he did not live to see its completion. He died after an appendix
operation in Kaunas on January 27, 1927 at the age of 56. Throngs
of people came to mourn him; all the church bells of Kaunas pealed a final
farewell. Every national group recognized the enormity of their loss: he had
been a father to all. Thousands attended the funeral. He was buried in the
crypt of Kaunas cathedral, but the remains were transferred to his own parish
church in Marijampole in 1934. On May 11, 1982, the Congregation
for the Saints issued a decree stating that during his lifetime Archbishop
George Matulewicz practiced virtues to a heroic degree. On
June 28, 1987, the Holy Father, John Paul II solemnly beatified
him at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. On the occasion of his beatification,
a special repository was made for the remains and an altar constructed. This
has now become a national shrine where Lithuanians and people from other
countries come to pray.
A MAN OF PEACE
Blessed George
Matulaitis was a man of peace and also blessed with a special love for the
Church.
He was able to be a peacemaker between persons and nations because he had
attained inner peace which radiated to all who came in contact with him. This
was both a gift and an achievement that took many years to develop fully. In a
letter that he wrote to a friend in 1913, he spoke eloquently on peace. He
was well aware that "this world is not paradise, nor are people angels.”
The model and source of peace is Jesus himself: "How peaceful Our Lord
always was. No matter what people did to him, he never stopped loving and
serving them... Christ often greeted his apostles with the words 'Peace be with
you'; he would often give them peace — 'I give you my peace.' It seems that
this peace is precious indeed since Christ continually offered it to his
apostles." But maintaining this peace also requires something of us.
"Make every effort, my brother," he wrote in his letter, "to
keep peace in your heart, the true peace of Christ, which the world cannot
give, which it does not even understand... We must pray that God would give us
more peace. Of course, we cannot change other people, but we must learn to see
and not to see, to hear and not to hear; we must learn not to feel injuries and
malice so deeply, nor to trouble ourselves over it. You can achieve this peace
by uniting yourself with the Sacred Heart of Jesus and giving Him all the hurts
in your heart." At the end of his life it was evident that Blessed George
lived in undisturbed peace. The last resolution recorded in his Journal was:
"To pray more for those from whom I have experienced any kind of evil"
(Journal: August, 1925). His favorite Scripture quotation had
always been: Non in commotione Spiritus Dei — The Spirit of God cannot
be felt in turmoil.
Blessed George's love for the Church was the great passion of his life — but it
was a peaceful passion that stretched his heart and broadened his vision. One
of his biographers, Msgr. Vincenzo Cusumano, said that he was a man in
love with the Church.
Even as a young priest, Blessed George was already filled with great compassion
for the persecuted Church. In an article he wrote addressing his fellow priests
and which was published in the USA in 1903, he said: "The Church has
never had to suffer more, it seems, than in our own times. If we turn our eyes
to our country, we can see that things are much more difficult for us than
before — our beloved Church is weighed down by no small burdens."
His model and inspiration in loving the Church was Jesus himself who gave all
he had and even laid down his life that the Church, the kingdom of God, might
have life and continue to grow. In 1911, overcome by a burning desire to
follow Jesus devoting himself completely to the building up of the kingdom of
God, Blessed George prayed:
If I may ask, Lord, let me be but a kitchen rag in your Church, a rag used
to wipe up messes and then thrown away into some dark and dirty corner. I want
to be used up and worn out in the same way, so that your house would be a
little cleaner and brighter. And afterwards, let me be thrown away like a
dirty, worn out dishrag (Journal: Jan 13, 1911).
His prayer was heard. All his natural and spiritual gifts were used by God for
the growth of the Church in his own country and in other lands. He wanted to be
like a candle that burns out on the altar — to be consumed by the fire of love
and the heat of hard work for the glory of God. Today, the light of his life
shines out for us all to see. We know that God is with us and with all who toil
and suffer for His kingdom. That kingdom has not, nor will ever be overcome by
the powers of darkness.
SOURCE : http://www.matulaitis-matulewicz.org/hislife.php
Beato Giorgio Matulaitis (o Matulewicz) Arcivescovo
Lugine (Lituania), 13 aprile 1871 - Kaunas, 27 gennaio 1927
Martirologio Romano: A Kaunas
in Lituania, beato Giorgio Matulewicz, vescovo di Vilnius e poi Nunzio
apostolico in Lituania, fondatore della Congregazione dei Chierici Mariani e
della Congregazione delle Suore Povere dell’Immacolata Concezione della Beata
Maria Vergine.
Il beato Giorgio Matulaitis o Matulewicz fu un fine tessitore delle
sorti della Chiesa nella piccola Lituania, in un periodo storico dove la
Lituania conobbe l’appartenenza alla Polonia, alla Russia e anche
l’indipendenza.
Giorgio Matulaitis nacque nel villaggio
lituano di Lugine il 13 aprile 1971, ultimo degli otto figli di Andrea e Orsola
Matulaitis.
A dieci anni era già orfano di entrambi i genitori ed ebbe come tutore il
fratello maggiore Giovanni, il quale dopo gli studi elementari lo pose ai
lavori di campagna. A 18 anni nel 1889 seguì il cognato Giovanni Matulewicz in
Polonia, dove cambiò il cognome da Matulaitis in Matulewicz.
Compì gli studi superiori nel seminario di Kielce e poi in quello di Varsavia,
perfezionandosi poi all’Accademia Romana Cattolica di Pietroburgo, dove fu
ordinato sacerdote il 20 novembre 1898.
Nel giugno 1899 divenne Maestro in Teologia, a dicembre si iscrisse
all’Università di Friburgo in Svizzera, dove nel 1903 ottenne la laurea in
Teologia, con una brillante tesi sul tema “Doctrina Russorum de statu iustitiae
originalis”, che fu poi pubblicata a Cracovia.
Intraprese subito l’insegnamento; dal 1902 al 1904 tenne la cattedra di Lettere
latine e Diritto Canonico nel Seminario di Kielce da poco riaperto e dal 1907
al 1909 quella di Teologia Dommatica e Sociologia all’Accademia Ecclesiastica
Cattolica di Pietroburgo.
Nel 1904 si manifestò il male della tubercolosi, che lo costrinse a farsi
ricoverare all’Ospedale dei Poveri di Varsavia, da dove fu poi trasferito
presso le Ancelle del Sacratissimo Cuore di Gesù che lo curarono; pieno di
gratitudine per la loro opera, nel 1907 ritoccò le Costituzioni della loro
Congregazione.
In quegli anni fu precursore dell’Azione Cattolica in Polonia, organizzando a
Varsavia la prima Associazione per giovani universitari denominata ‘Rinascita’.
Inoltre in collaborazione con il sociologo sac. Marcello Godlewski di Varsavia,
istituì un’Associazione Cattolica di Lavoratori, con una pubblicazione
periodica “Socio di Lavoro”.
Nel periodo del suo insegnamento a Pietroburgo, poté constatare che gli
Istituti religiosi venivano soppressi dal governo russo e memore della vita
quasi clandestina delle Ancelle del S. Cuore, volle salvare alla stessa maniera
anche l’antico Ordine dei Chierici Regolari Mariani, del quale era rimasto solo
il convento di Marijampolé.
Quindi nel 1908 recatosi dall’anziano Preposito Generale dell’Ordine, gli
prospettò il suo piano di riforma delle Costituzioni, ricevendo la sua piena
approvazione e l’autorizzazione ad agire presso la Santa Sede. In linea con le
sue aspirazioni, si recò a Roma nel 1909 ottenendo di emettere i voti religiosi
senza fare il noviziato.
Ritornato a Varsavia, il 29 agosto 1909 emise i voti nelle mani del Preposito
Generale; subito dopo s’impegnò nella riforma delle Costituzioni dell’Ordine,
che prevedeva l’abolizione dell’abito bianco senza sostituirlo con altro abito
religioso, abolizione dell’obbligo del coro e la professione dei voti semplici
e non più solenni.
Dette Costituzioni furono approvate da s. Pio X il 15 settembre 1910 e padre
Giorgio Matulaitis-Matulewicz divenne il primo professo della nuova
Congregazione dei Chierici Regolari Mariani; nel contempo in clandestinità,
aveva formato presso l’Accademia di Pietroburgo un primo noviziato clandestino
con tre novizi.
Nel 1911 il 14 luglio venne eletto Superiore Generale, essendo deceduto il
vecchio Preposito, allora padre Giorgio rinunciò a tutte le cariche
dell’Accademia e per evitare di essere scoperto dalla polizia dello zar, si
recò in Svizzera dove aprì un noviziato a Friburgo, denominato “Casa di Studio”
per dare l’opportunità ai religiosi di rientrare in Russia senza problemi da
parte delle autorità zariste.
A Friburgo affluirono parecchi sacerdoti dalla Lituania e dalla Polonia, poi fu
tutto un crescendo, nel 1913 si recò negli Stati Uniti aprendo a Chicago una
Casa religiosa e un Noviziato, nel 1915 altre Case in Polonia; ripristinò nel
1918 la vita religiosa e il noviziato nell’antica Casa di Marijampolé in
Lituania.
Il suo ardente amore per il prossimo bisognoso lo portò, dopo la fine della
Prima Guerra Mondiale, a fondare la Congregazione delle “Sorelle dei Poveri
dell’Immacolata Concezione della B. V. Maria”, le cui Costituzioni furono
approvate il 15 ottobre 1918.
Mentre era impegnato a consolidare le sue Istituzioni, gli giunse il 23 ottobre
del 1918 la nomina pontificia di papa Benedetto XV a vescovo di Vilna in
Lituania. Gli anni che seguirono non furono facili per il nuovo vescovo, perché
il territorio di Vilna nei tre anni seguenti, conobbe ben otto governi diversi,
tedesco, russo-bolscevico, polacco, lituano.
Anche i fedeli della diocesi erano di nazionalità diverse e ciò costituiva un
grosso problema, perché le varie etnie lottavano affinché nelle chiese si
parlasse le propria lingua; dal 1920 con il nuovo governo polacco, cominciò una
grande ostilità contro il vescovo perché non era polacco.
Mons. Giorgio Malulaitis usò con tutti una grande carità e pazienza, infatti
fondò nel 1924 la Congregazione delle “Ancelle di Gesù nell’Eucaristia” con lo
scopo di aiutare i poveri di lingua bielorussa.
Nel 1925 dopo il Concordato stipulato tra la S. Sede e la Polonia, la diocesi
di Vilna fu smembrata e il vescovo Matulaitis il 3 agosto 1925 lasciò Vilna e
si recò a Roma, dove fondò un Collegio internazionale per gli studenti Mariani
e trasferì qui la Casa Generalizia.
Papa Benedetto XV, riconoscente per la sua opera, lo elevò alla dignità di
arcivescovo titolare di Aduli, nominandolo Visitatore Apostolico della
Lituania, ricostituita in nuova Repubblica.
Lavorò alacremente per la costituzione delle cinque diocesi lituane in una
Provincia Ecclesiatica Lituana, con sede metropolitana a Kaunas; il progetto fu
approvato dalla S. Sede, la quale il 4 aprile 1929 emanò la Costituzione
Apostolica “Lituanorum gente”, che riordinava tutta l’organizzazione della
Chiesa in Lituania e confluita alla fine nel Concordato fra la S. Sede e la
Repubblica Lituana, del quale mons. Giorgio Matulaitis riuscì a gettarne le
basi.
Come Visitatore Apostolico intraprese un viaggio nel Nord America, dove visitò
92 parrocchie di emigrati lituani, sparse un po’ dovunque. Aveva 56 anni quando
un’appendicite acuta perforata lo portò rapidamente alla morte il 27 gennaio
1927 a Kaunas; fu sepolto nella cripta della locale cattedrale, da dove nel
1934 le sue spoglie furono traslate nella chiesa parrocchiale di Marijampolé.
Mons Giorgio Matulaitis - Matulewicz vero apostolo della sua terra lituana, è
stato beatificato a Roma il 28 giugno 1987 da papa Giovanni Paolo II.
Autore: Antonio Borrelli
