George Matulaitis Journal

197 They went around the various Bolshevik agencies and finally got to see Camrade Eidukevi ius himself. He told them that the church would be returned, the guards removed, and the arrested persons released after questioning. He also said that I should appoint another priest as rector of the Church of St. Casimir and send my own representatives to repossess the church. The delegates came back to see me at about two o’clock. I received a letter from His Excellency the Bishop of Mi<sk , who reported which priests from my diocese had taken refuge there and mentioned some other matters. After a talk with Canon Ellert, I appointed him Rector of St. Casimir’s, since the church is in his parish. I told Father Charucki, a refugee from the Diocese of Mogilev, and also Father Petrvoski to say Mass there and to hold other services. I appointed four workers as caretakers for the church and delegated them, with Father Ellert, to take the church back from the Bolsheviks. It seems that Father Muckermann, after consulting with me, with the help of the workers, had removed what had been built by the Russians. I told them to continue this work. The good that has come out of all this is that St. Casimir’s Church has been returned to the Catholics. As soon as I came to Vilnius, I immediately advised the clergy wherever I could, that, with the help of the people, they could reclaim those churches which were traditionally Catholic, but had been confiscated by the Russian government. This should be done wisely and reasonably. I empowered the priests to reconsecrate the churches and to hold services there. In this way the Catholics recovered many of their former churches—some with the permission of the German authorities and others after the Germans left and before the Bolsheviks arrived. Perhaps God will grant that these churches will stay Catholic. They have even begun to establish parishes around those churches which had been reclaimed under Monsignors Michalkiewicz and Hanusowicz and are now under my own administration. February 18 As soon as I was able to, I wrote a letter to His Excellency the Bishop of Mi<sk . I asked him to make use of my refugee priests as he