75 they felt that – although what they had sown was not fully yielding fruit in their lifetime – they toiled for the future of the Congregation of Marian Fathers. It is worth pointing out the ongoing interest of the Marians in serving in the Byzantine-Slavic Rite. From 1968–2007 Fr. Roman Piętka served in the Eastern rite in Kostomłoty on the River Bug. Over time, history demonstrated that the Uniates’ work, conducted under such difficult conditions and with such meager first results, began to spread farther and to embrace more people. Witnesses of the mission’s works emphasized the “holiness, heroism and uncompromising nature” of Fr. F. Abrantowicz, martyred in the Butyrki prison on January 2, 1946; Fr. T. Podziawo sent to labor camps and Fr. A. Cikoto, martyred in Siberian labor camps in 1952. These witnesses also underlined the “uniqueness and exceptional character” of the other members of the Marian mission, who literally fulfilled in their own lives Jesus’ words to Peter: When you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go (Jn 21:18). This was their “Mount Moriah” being transformed into Christ’s Golgotha. Their death is to be a blessed sowing of faith, an even deeper, more heroic faith of the Marian Fathers, as well as a constant inspiration for building Christian unity. The work of the Marian Fathers in Harbin was entirely in line with God’s heart: disinterested, filled with love for people who happened to be Russian Orthodox. This hard work, hindered by Catholic and Orthodox Christians, showed the way of a truly Christian life and created the climate of mutual respect. Thanks to this work, the Orthodox faithful realized that their orthodoxy was not unique, and Catholics became convinced that the Roman Church was not only Latin. Questions: 1. Can I admit God’s logic in my life, accept apparent loss, and let my actions bear fruit in the future? 2. What is my relationship to “other” faiths, nationalities and cultures? 3. To what extent do I cultivate the 20th-century Marians’ ecumenical heritage? Am I a man of ecumenism?
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