Bishop Sipovich new file

25 realised how little he knew about his native country during a visit which he and Father Hermanovich paid to the Ukrainian College, where he was asked questions about Belarusian history, culture and its present situation. He began to study these things more intensively, especially history. Soon he was able to present a paper on Francis Skaryna to an audience of students and superiors of the Russicum. The paper has not been preserved, but here is the description of Sipovich himself in his "Letter from Rome", dated 25 May 1939, to Chryscijanskaja dumka in Vilna: "Not long ago I read a paper on Dr F. Skaryna to an ethnically mixed audience. Many (listeners) became interested in the person of our scholar. One German professor (Ammann? – A.N .) asked me to help him in his work. He is working on early Russian Church history, and in various documents he encounters Belarusian language and Belarusian personalities" 23 . Incidentally Sipovich, probably encouraged by Father Hermanovich, began to write to Chryscijanskaja dumka while still in Vilna. The paper ceased publication with the outbreak of war in September 1939. In October of the same year Vilna became part of Lithuania. The Belarusians in Vilna revived the publication of the paper Krynica . Sipovich sent them his reports from Rome, the last one being printed on 3 May 1940. In July Lithuania was overrun by Soviet troops and Krynica ceased publication. On 14 January 1940 Father Adam Stankievich celebrated the 25th anniversary of his priesthood. Belarusians began preparation for this occasion some 6 months in advance, when Father Stankievich was in exile in Slonim. The early start was undoubtedly intended to draw the attention to this fact, and was also due to the uncertain political situation. Greetings began to arrive as early as June 1939. Among those who sent greetings were Metropolitan Andrew Sheptycky from L’viv, other Ukrainian and Lithuanian bishops, priests (both Catholic and Orthodox) as well as many Belarusians and other persons who knew and respected him. Characteristically there was not a single greeting from a Polish bishop (not even from his own ordinary, archbishop Jalbrzykowski), priest or lay person. Some greetings were sent to the Belarusian quarterly Kalossie in Vilna, presumably because the writers did not know the Slonim address of Father Stankievich. The Polish police raided the editorial offices of the journal and confiscated some greetings, including those from Father Hermanovich. Ceslaus Sipovich also sent his greetings. A copy, which has been preserved in his papers, is dated 27 August 1939. It never arrived, probably because of the war which broke out on 1 September. Sipovich was impressed by the Ukrainian College with nearly one hundred students, wearing blue cassocks with yellow sashes (Ukrainian national colours). It was there that he was asked why Belarusians had no place of their own. "With shame, – he wrote to Tsviachkouski, – I managed somehow to explain that there was shortage of Belarusian priests and Belarusians in general in Rome". It must have been a humiliating moment for Sipovich. One may wonder whether it made him think about the bitter irony of his own position, namely as the only Belarusian cleric in Rome he was getting ready to "convert Russia", while there was a crying need for priests in his native country. Obviously at that time he knew nothing about the project of Princess Radzivill to establish a Belarusian college in Rome and how her efforts had been frustrated by the Marian Fathers... In any case he seemed to have felt acutely the absence of Belarusians in the Eternal city, and in his modest way tried to to make it up for it. In his correspondence from Rome to Chryscijanskaja dumka about taking possession of Basilica St. John in Lateran by the newly elected Pope Pius XII on 18 May 1939, he wrote that among the voices in honour of the Pope in 23 V. Kryvicanin, "List z Rymu", Chryscijanskaja dumka , No.19, Vilna, 20.6.39, p.5