The Life and Work of
Blessed George (Jurgis) MatulaitIs

Sister Ann Mikaila, of the Sisters of Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Putnam, Connecticut, is a writer and the editor of BENDRADARBIS (NEWSNOTES), which highlights and informs friends and supporters of the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception.

"Overcome evil with good." Blessed George Matulaitis  personal motto, taken from the words of St. Paul, his favorite saint.

As the twentieth century draws to a close, we cannot help but to 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. 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 Jurgis (George) Matulaitis was beatified by Pope John Paul II. The Pope spoke of him as a special gift for the Church and the Lithuanian nation. 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.

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. 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 Ö for his friends and supporters and for his enemies as well."

Shortly after his beatification, great things began to happen in Lithuania, his native land. In October of 1988, the Soviet government allowed the Lithuanians to display their own flag and use their own language. Lithuanian Catholics were allowed to celebrate Christmas publicly for the first time. The Cathedral in Vilnius was returned to the faithful. It was here that Blessed George was installed as Bishop of Vilnius on December 8, 1918.

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 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 Ö lead me, O Lord."

Early Life

George Matulaitis' life spanned two centuries Ö 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. At that time, Lithuania was part of the Russian Empire: a dark age without religious, cultural or political freedom. Young 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. Sorrow dimmed his childhood when he lost both parents by the age of ten. His older sister, Emilija, looked after him. In later life, his heart always went out to children and orphans.

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 with the farm work. It was only through the kindness of an older cousin, a teacher in Poland, that he was able to fulfill his secret dream of entering the seminary.

Blessed George 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. 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 went on to Switzerland where he completed his doctorate in theology at the University of Fribourg in 1902. He was especially interested in apologetics; the 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 his 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, and persecuted; the hierarchy was pressured to conform with government demands and its control; and 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. In a small hospital on the outskirts of Warsaw, 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 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 Ö otherwise I would not know what affliction is."

He would have probably 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.

His own compassion for the sick was based on real insight into their sense of frustration. He would console them by saying, "If you are seriously ill and bedridden, do not worry that you cannot work. You already have something to do Ö 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 Ö 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. Even after many years, the students remembered this young priest; his radiant personality, what he said to them, and his encouragement to use their talents and education for the good of others.

Blessed George at Bielany during World War I. The Polish Marians had a monastery and an orphanage (later turned into a school) here. Photo courtesy I.C.C., Putnam, CT.

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 studies the leading Christian authors on social reform. In Russia and elsewhere, he had seen the appalling 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. From 1904 to 1907, Matulaitis focused on social action.

Father George Matulaitis, along with a like-minded colleague and 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, Matulaitis edited their paper, The Polish Worker.

In Poland, this movement was considered to be very modern, and many noblemen and landowners disapproved. 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 reform. Matulaitis was one of the key speakers presenting the teaching of the Church on property ownership and the rights of the 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 listeners became social reformers in their own countries.

Matulaitis' interests in social questions and social reform were never merely theoretical. He was moved by deep compassion and real understanding of the plight of the worker. He knew firsthand what it meant to be poor, dependent on others, humiliated by a lack of the bare necessities. He knew too that no pastoral ministry would be effective unless it was also concerned with improving the living conditions of those who were being evangelized. Matulaitis appealed to 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 outward to refresh his flock."

During this period, 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. He 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.

Blessed George Matulaitis as Bishop of Vilnius × 1918 to 1925. Photo courtesy I.C.C., Putnam, CT.

Working For Spiritual Renewal

In 1909, while he was still professor at the Theological Academy, 38 years old, with a promising career ahead of him, Matulaitis made a momentous decision. He decided to become a religious Ö 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, Pranciskus Bucys, 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. Matulaitis 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. (These journals were later used during his beatification process.)

His heart burned with a desire to expend himself for the kingdom of God - the Church. He felt that it was vital for him and his fellow religious to take the risk of evangelizing and prepare the people to evangelize in turn. With the rise of modern philosophies and movements, he could see that people were being influenced to abandon their faith. He wrote in his Journal, "Our concern is with all humanity 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 lifestyle 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 the religious and laity must work together to bring the Gospel to every home. 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 summer, the novitiate was transferred to Fribourg, Switzerland. St. Petersburg proved too dangerous because the Russian secret police had been conducting raids and searches for secret religious organizations. Under cover of the University of Fribourg, Matulaitis hoped that the novitiate would be safer and grow more rapidly.

Blessed George's work continued during good times and bad. In 1913, he and two young Lithuanian Marians traveled 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 the first year of Lithuania's independence, Matulaitis went to Lithuania to restore the Marian monastery in Marijampolé nd start a novitiate. In the fall of the 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.

Archbishop Matulaitis (center) being met at Grand Central Station in Chicago by a group of priests and two Lithuanian American girls - Bernice Ziedas and Bernice Pivorunas on June 11th, 1926. Photo courtesy I.C.C., Putnam, CT.

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 1st, and the installation ceremonies took place in the Vilnius Cathedral on December 8th.

He was not well known to the people of Vilnius and was very much aware of his mission's difficulty. In his inaugural sermon, he presented himself sincerely to his flock, "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 to 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 proved extremely difficult to realize in these turbulent times. During his time as Bishop of Vilnius - 1918 to 1925.   Matulaitis had to contend with six different civil governments; some of these were openly hostile to the Church and its hierarchy. 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. He wanted all of his flock to live in peace and harmony, and did his best to reconcile persons and nations.

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 antagonisms or snubbed him personally.

In the summer of 1925, Matulaitis' resignation from the diocese of Vilnius was accepted by Pope Pius XI, his 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 at 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. He did not live to see its completion. He died after an appendix operation in Kaunas on January 27th, 1927 at the age of 56.

Throngs of people came to mourn him; all the church bells pealed a final farewell. Every national group recognized the enormity of their loss Ö he had been a father to all. Thousands attended the funeral. He was buried in the crypt of the Kaunas Cathedral and, in 1934, his remains were transferred to his own parish church in Marijampolé® 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.

After the Archbishop's burial, groups of prayerful people constantly visited Marijampole's Church to not pray for him but, to pray for Blessed George's intercession with God.

The testimonies of many people were collected for the cause of his beatification. Nearly 900 letters attesting to unusual spiritual and temporal graces received through prayer to Blessed George were used during the process of beatification. Blessed George's compassion for the sick and suffering continued.

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 fully develop.

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. 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, published in the U.S. in 1903, he said,

"The Church has never had to suffer more, it seems, than in out 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."

All of 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 as a candle that burns out on the altar - consumed by the fire of love and the heat of hard work for the glory of God.