Bishop Sipovich new file

55 9. "New Druia" On 5 November 1952 Father Sipovich wrote the following letter to the General Council of Marian Congregation: "After careful consideration before God, having in mind the greater glory of God and of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as well as the better attainment of the aims of our Congregation among Belarusians who now live in exile, namely to present the possibility (of the establishment) of the religious House of Belarusian Marian Fathers (ut possibilitas domui religiosae Marianorum Alboruthenorum praeberetur), the undersigned proposes the following. Acquisition, i. e. purchase, for the Belarusian Mission of the house situated at Holden Avenue, London N.12 bearing the name Marian House, together with the garden and all furniture for the price of £8200. The conditions of the purchase are: the sum of £4000 should be paid within three years from the time of approval of the proposal by the General Council. After the sum of £4000 has been paid to the Lithuanian Fathers of our Congregation, the title of the ownership of Marian House formally passes to the Belarusian Mission. The remaining £4200 should be paid during the next three years, together with interest of 2.5% for the sum not paid. After the purchase of Marian House the ownership of the Byzantine- Slavonic chapel passes definitely to the Belarusian Mission". The idea of buying Marian House from the Lithuanians had germinated in Sipovichs mind earlier, but he did not disclose it, except to a few friends whom he could trust. On 11 September 1952 he wrote to Father Haroshka: "It is necessary to buy Marian House for the Belarusian Mission. It is a very important but difficult task". There is no record of the reaction of the Superior General and the Council to this bold proposal. And it was bold, considering that at that time the Belarusian Marian "community" consisted of one priest with no funds except a small annual grant from the Oriental Congregation, and no immediate prospects for this situation to improve. But that was very much in the character of Father Sipovich, who, if anything, was a man of vision and courage. There was, however, a flaw in the proposal which was likely bound to create in the future serious difficulties, or even a conflict. Two important points can be distinguished in the letter, namely: 1.The house is to be bought for the Belarusian Mission; 2. This is being done in pursuance of the aims of the Marian Congregation with regard to Belarusians, namely in order eventually to establish a religious house of Belarusian Marian Fathers. The Belarusian Catholic Mission in England was established to provide pastoral care of Belarusian Catholics of Byzantine rite in that country. The head (or Rector) of the Mission was at that time Father Ceslaus Sipovich who happened to be also a member of the Congregation of Marian Fathers. There is nothing in the terms of his appointment which said that his successor should also belong to the Marian congregation. Thus if the house belonged to the Mission and Belarusian Marian Fathers succeeded in establishing their religious community in it, what would happen if the next rector of the Mission did not belong to their community? On the other hand if the house belonged to the Marian Fathers, the Mission could find itself