George Matulaitis Journal

APPENDIX I Sermon given in Lithuanian by Bishop Matulaitis on the occasion of his installation as Bishop of Vilnius December 8, 1918* The Holy Father has appointed me Shepherd and Bishop of this hon- orable Diocese. For the first time I stand in this holy place with you, my dearly beloved, to speak with you openly and publicly about how we shall live together, how we shall care for the needs of souls, and how we shall discharge our duties. I stand before you as a stranger and therefore, first of all, I ask one thing of you—to regard me as the servant of Christ, who has been given you to show you the way to heaven and to guide you to eternal happiness. From now on we shall live together as one large spiri- tual family of which I am to be father and head as we move on along our wearisome spiritual journey. Apparently, you have been anxious to see who your new Shepherd will be. And this is what you may expect and demand of me: “Before God, we are confident of this through Christ: not that we are qualified in ourselves to claim anything as our own work; all our qualifications come from God” (2 Cor 3:4-5). I shall make every effort to be mediator and intercessor for my flock before God. As I go to the altar to offer holy Mass to our heavenly Father, I shall offer the spotless Lamb of God not only for myself, but for the whole diocese—that the good may be strengthened, that sinners return to God, that the sick and the afflicted be at peace, that the departed receive mercy and be saved. I shall be your teacher. Diligently and constantly I shall preach the word of God to you. I shall enlighten you so you would know God, Christ, and the Church better. I shall remind you of the laws of God and 341 * Translated from the Lithuanian text given in the monograph Archbishop Jurgis Matulaitis, published by the Marian Fathers in Marijampole, 1933. This text seems to have been reconstructed from Matulaitis’s per- sonal notes.