90 dislovas Mažonas and Janis Mendriks. They died prematurely, never reaching old age, and although their lives were different, each of them gave his life for the love of Christ and in service to his brethren. Each one of them, unaware that he was meant to give the highest testimony to Christ, which is a martyr’s death, matured to it during his life, learning in various ways to give his life out of love for Christ and for the Church. Father FabianAbrantowicz (1884-1946) entered our Congregation as a mature man and priest, being 42 years of age and a priest for 18 years. He had an established position in the Church (a doctorate in philosophy obtained in Leuven, Belgium, cooperation with Bishop Łoziński in organizing the Minsk and then the Pinsk Dioceses, and a number of important ecclesiastical offices), which, in human terms, he lost when he joined the Congregation. As a Marian, he served in the demanding Eastern Rite mission in Harbin, China, facing many adversities, without seeing spectacular fruits of the mission in the form of mass conversions or the Orthodox faithful converting to Catholicism. Father Abrantowicz organized an orphanage for Russian boys, which was later transformed into a high school, where both the pupils and the staff were the Orthodox faithful. His was not a pro-Church activity under the guise of charity, but a testimony to the generosity of his heart and his readiness to actively serve everyone. Father Abrantowicz’s sacrifice and death in a Moscow prison were preceded by a brutal NKVD investigation in Lviv and Moscow. During this investigation, Fr. Fabian tried to provide numerous explanations about his activities, believing that the allegations against him resulted simply from the investigators’ unawareness. One might consider it naïve, but it was a sign of the simplicity of a righteous man who refused to presume malice even in his persecutors. Father Andrew Cikoto (1891-1952) served the Congregation as its Superior General for six years. Everyone fulfilling the office of a superior in the Church thus participates in the mission to strengthen his brethren in the faith entrusted to Peter (cf. Lk 22:32). And Fr. Cikoto was faithful to this mission until the end of his life. During the investigation in the Siberian city of Chita in 1949, he helped Fr. Thomas Podziawo overcome a moment of crisis in his faith. Once, during Fr. Cikoto’s interrogation, the spirit-broken Fr. Podziawa was brought
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