Bishop Sipovich new file

9 against Druia, had they known that the author was a member of that community. The second reason was that most of the poems were initially published in the newspaper Belaruskaia Krynitsa . Founded by Catholic priests, but run by laymen, it incurred the displeasure of Archbishop Jalbrzykowski for its independent Belarusian character, the advocacy of closer cooperation with the Orthodox and social justice. In 1928 he forbade the faithful to read the paper, and the priests to write to, or in any way to cooperate with it on the grounds that the paper promoted religious indifferentism and... communism. The order was ignored by the faithful, but the priests were forced to comply, at least outwardly, for the fear of being suspended a divinis . Some of the more enterprising among them found a way round this senseless and unjust prohibition. The years spent in Druia in close contact with Father Hermanovich were pobably the most formative period in the life of Ceslaus Sipovich. In 1932 this period ended abruptly when Father Hermanovich left Druia for Harbin on the orders of Buchys. More than thirty years later Bishop Sipovich remembered the moment of departure of his beloved teacher: "After so many years I cannot forget the sad and moving moment when we said goodbye to dear Father Joseph in Druia... Our hearts ached not only because of the departure of a man dear to us, who for many of us had become asecond father, but also because our country was losing another priest and patriot, with no one to take his place" 10 . On the occasion of his departure the Belarusian Catholic paper Chryscijanskaja dumka (Christian Thought) expressed the feelings of all Belarusian Catholics when it wrote: "On 14 May this year... another Marian father, Joseph Hermanovich, the prominent Belarusian priest and writer, left Druia for Harbin. Many well known Belarusians, as well as students, came to the railway station in Vilna to say good bye to Fr J. H. The parting was doubly sad: firstly because the journey is long and dangerous; and secondly because Fr J. H. was leaving for missions in a faraway country at the time when there is much missionary work to be done in Belarus which has been neglected for centuries" 11 . Father Hermanovich was accompanied to Harbin by a lay brother, Anthony Aniskovich. The year 1932 marked another crisis in Druia: out of five students sent to the Russicum in Rome, three abandoned their studies and left Druia in an atmosphere of recriminations and mutual accusations. Extreme caution must be exercised in drawing any conclusions in such cases, but the general impression is that the main reason was the breakdown of communications between the young people and the superior, Father Andrew Tsikota. The complex figure of Tsikota, the first Belarusian Marian Father, is central to the whole history of Druia. Opinions about him are divided. Most of them are positive. There even are some people who consider him to be the most faithful follower of blessed George Matulewicz. He was a man of unshakeable faith and sincere piety, a brilliant preacher and speaker, able organiser and administrator. According to eyewitnesses, he had an astonishing capacity for hard work, never wasted time, and slept no more than 4 hours a night. At table he showed great moderation, and consequently was thinner than the other fathers. But there are also some disturbing features. Dr Joseph Malecki, who was a boarder in Druia in 1920s, wrote that Tsikota always knew everything about the boys – boarders and members of the juniorate, – and was tireless in discovering their smallest transgressions. Father Thomas Padziava, who was one of the first pupils in Druia and entered the novitiate 10 Ja. Vuchan, op. ci t. p.93 11 Chryscijanskaja Dumka, No.6, Vilna, 15.6.1932, p.6