George Matulaitis Journal

saw fit, and, if possible, to provide for the needs of the neglected parishes of my own diocese bordering on his by sending his own priests there and empowering them to perform their duties in my name. I also asked him to find out whether Father Muckermann was imprisoned in Mi<sk and to look after him. I also wrote up an official document for the municipal authorities about the reopening of St. Casimir’s Church and gave it to the workers who had been appointed caretakers so they would hand it to Dr. Eidukevi ius. Sister Rodziewicz, a member of the Congregation of the Holy Angels, came in to see me. These sisters conduct two infants’ and children’s homes. One of them has a chapel where Mass is sometimes said, while the other has a chapel and a chaplain as well—an eighty-year- old priest, Father Obolewicz. The Bolshevik officials do not like this: they are demanding that the chapels be abolished and the priest turned out, ostensibly because the children need more room. The old priest has been chaplain there for eleven years. I told her not to turn the priest out on her own. Let the Bolsheviks throw him out. If they do so, I will find a place for him. In the evening a rather peculiar person came to see me. He told me that his name was Kairys and that he was a relative or close acquaintance of Bishop von Ropp and had lived near him and his aunts. He said that he had gathered up the courage to come and talk to me about the events of the past few days. He claimed to be a good Catholic who could not tolerate the way the Bolsheviks were undermining the Church and the Faith. He said that it would be a good idea for me to send some young priests dressed as laymen to all the Bolshevik meetings to stand up and speak out in defense of the Church. This person looked suspicious. He did not greet me the way good Catholics are accustomed to greet their bishop. In addressing me, he said “Mr. Pastor.” 1 Then, realizing his mistake, he said “Father Pastor” and finally “Father Bishop.” He spoke Polish, but poorly. It 198 1 Kairys addressed Bishop Matulaitis as “panie proboszczu”, then as “ ksi"?e proboszczu”, and finally as “ ksi"?e biskupie”. From this Matulaitis gathered that Kairys was probably a non believer and a Bolshevik. Kairys is a Lithuanian name meaning “leftist”.