George Matulaitis Journal

156 When I arrived at the Cathedral, 1 Monsignor Michalkiewicz met me at the door with a group of priests and spoke briefly in greeting. Having dressed in the bishop’s robes, I began the usual ceremony of installation. A great many people had gathered; it was very crowded, and there was no room for all of them inside the church. I briefly addressed the priests in Latin from the bishop’s throne. Then I spoke to the people from the pulpit: first in Polish, then in Lithuanian. The canon who was assisting read the Gospel in Polish only. When I finished my sermon in Polish, I asked if the Gospel would also be read in Lithuanian, but he answered that such was not the custom here. It seemed to me that before the Lithuanian sermon the Gospel should also be read in Lithuanian. However, I passed over the matter in silence and began to speak in Lithuanian. I spoke 2 to the people with as much warmth and sincerity as I could. Both Poles and Lithuanians seemed satisfied. After solemn Mass, as I was going out with Monsignor Hanusowicz, I repeated my request that the representatives of the Lithuanian Council and officials of State be given first place. I had a feeling that there would be some unpleasantness. As I entered the bishop’s residence, Monsignor Michalkiewicz met me with bread and salt. 3 The other monsignors and canons also arrived. The representatives and the various delegations were assembling in the reception rooms on the second floor. As I was going in to breakfast, Canon Kukta came up to me and told me that if the Chapter agreed to allow the representatives of the Lithuanian Council to be the first to address me, they would come; otherwise, they would not. I replied that Monsignor Hanusowicz had assured me that he would not oppose such an arrangement. Then Canon Kukta sent a coachman to bring the Council representatives. When I sat down to breakfast, Canon Lubianiec came in and sharply protested against the request of the Lithuanian Council members to speak first. According to him, the arrangement had been for the 1 The first Cathedral of Vilnius was built in 1388, just after Lithuania accepted Christianity and subse- quently rebuilt five times on the same site. The cathedral that Bishop Matulaitis entered had been remodeled in the neoclassical style by the architect Stuoka-Gugevicius in the late 19th century. It was famous for the baroque chapel dedicated to St. Casimir (“Kazimieras” in Lithuanian), containing his remains. On the roof were statues of the three saints to whom the cathedral was dedicated: St. Stanislaw, St. Helena, and St. Casimir. In 1921 Pope Benedict XV granted it the title of Basilica. 2 The text of this address is given in Appendix I. 3 An old Eastern European custom when welcoming a person.