George Matulaitis Journal

meeting on the second or third day after Easter. I delegated Father Chomski to organize this meeting and indicated what sort of resolutions it should vote on. On April 10th to 13th, retreats were conducted in the schools. The Bolsheviks did not disrupt them. Nevertheless, Lesz czy<ski and Olski came to see Sister Czarnowska of the Sisters of the Holy Family, inquiring why classes were not held. She told them very directly and unequivocally exactly what they should be told. They demanded that programs and curricula without religious education be prepared. I celebrated Mass and gave a conference to the girl students on April 12th in St. Catherine’s Church. Father Tumas had been to the Bolsheviks to demand that they allow retreats to be conducted for the prisoners and that the prisoners be permitted to go to chapel to hear Mass. The Bolsheviks agreed. The imprisoned priests conducted a retreat for the other inmates and heard their confession. Father ÷ arnowski helped out, since his parish includes the Luki kiai prison. I celebrated Mass in the Cathedral on April 13th. 1 I was very con- cerned about the school issue. Besides, another decree had come out on the separation of Church and State. I cannot remember on what day the Bolsheviks issued this decree, 2 but if they had managed to enforce it, it would have done the Church a great deal of harm. The purpose of this decree was clearly to destroy the Church and to do away with religion. On April 15th I celebrated Mass and gave a short sermon to the members of the Sodality of the Blessed Virgin Mary. On Holy Thursday (April 17) services were held at the Cathedral. At three o’clock in the afternoon I called together the members of the Cathedral Chapter and also the pastors of the city to meet at the seminary to discuss whether it was time to issue a pastoral letter or whether it were better to wait a while longer. I explained the current state of affairs to them. Monsignor Sadowski, Dean of the Chapter, and Father Kretowicz, the assistant Dean, as well as the other calmer and more 248 1 This was Passion Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. 2 The Decree on the Separation of Church and State was issued by the Council of the People’s Commissars on March 31st.