George Matulaitis Journal

115 This further strengthened my own determination. I was at the Congregation for Religious. They gave me only one document; the others were not ready yet. They promised to send them to me in Fribourg; I left them my address. I visited an antique shop and bought some books, one of which was Benedict XIV’s On the Beatification and Canonization of Saints . 1 And besides that I also got On the Founding of Religious Life 2 by De Paz. At one o’clock, accompanied by Father Grum, I called on Monsignor Sapieha. We found His Excellency Archbishop Teodorowicz already there. During the meal, the talk was about philosophy and the Russian Catholics of the Eastern Rite. After lunch we discussed, especially with Grum, the same topics as before, including the state of the Church in our part of the world. We decided when and which cardinals Grum ought to call on. When Grum left, Archbishop Teodorowicz, Monsignor Sapieha, and I discussed the possibility of my remaining in Rome. I briefly outlined the difficulties and told them that only after two years would I be able to consider it. They agreed about the impossibility of abandoning the work already begun. We also discussed other candidates for the position. I men- tioned a friend of mine, Father Henryk Prze { dziecki, 3 pastor at Lodz. Among my acquaintances I know of no one else who would be more suit- able. They asked me to write to Prze { dziecki through Chancellor Nikiel 4 in Kraków. I shall have to do this first thing. I then said good-bye and left. Through Grum, Father Fonck 5 had said that he wanted to meet me. But Fonck had to leave Rome for two days, and I could not stay any longer, and so I wrote Father Fonck a card in care of Father Grum. At 6:15 in the evening I left Rome. Fathers Grum, Mosser (the Resurrectionist), and Kepinski were there to see me off. November 29 At two o’clock in the afternoon I arrived at Montreux, where I 1 Original Latin title: De Beatificatione et Canonizatione Sanctorum , 4 vols. published in Bologna, 1734-1738. 2 Original Latin title De Vita Religiosa Instituenda by Alvarez de Paz (1560-1620), a prominent author of the Society of Jesus. 3 Prze { dziecki (1873-1939): Matulaitis’s good friend from their Seminary days in Warsaw (1893- 1895); they also studied together at the Theological Academy of St. Petersburg. A professor at Warsaw Seminary and pastor in various parishes in Poland, he was consecrated bishop in 1918. 4 Karol Nikiel (1873-1929): Chancellor of the Curia at Kraków. 5 Leopold Fonck (1865-1930): a German Jesuit, founder and first Rector of the Papal Biblical Institute in Rome.