George Matulaitis Journal
7 PREFACE TO GEORGE MATULAITIS-MATULEWICZ JOURNAL by Joseph Cardinal Bernardin Archbishop of Chicago Recently, I rededicated St. Anthony Church in Cicero, Illinois, after extensive renovation on the building. Bishop George Matulaitis had dedicated the original church in 1926 when he visited Chicago and attended the XXVIII Eucharistic Congress here. His life and mine have intersected before. When I first came to Chicago, I learned about the cause for his beatification as I visited Lithuanian- American parishes in theArchdiocese. In 1987, I had the honor of being pre- sent at his beatification in Rome and the privilege of celebrating a Mass of Thanksgiving and giving the homily in the Basilica of St. Mary Major. In late summer of 1990, I made a pastoral visit to Lithuania which included some very special days in his diocese of Vilnius, where his memory is very much alive. As I read his Journal , I discovered many other points of convergence between his life and mine. Our ministries have been in turbulent times of transition — his when the boundaries of Europe were constantly shifting, mine in the post-conciliar era. I can identify with his struggles to build unity in a local church that is marked by ethnic, cultural, and religious diversity. Also, a bishop is often pulled in several directions at one time by special interest groups or individuals with personal agendas. When a Church leader takes a stand or makes a decision, he cannot expect to please everyone, and at times, resistance and criticism come from one’s closest friends and colleagues. At times, one seems to stand quite alone. What struck me most about his Journal , however, is his conviction about the importance of prayer, especially for Church leaders who struggle to balance faith with the challenges they face daily. As a bishop, he faced many difficult pastoral challenges, but he was sustained by personal prayer, by communion with God.
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