George Matulaitis Journal

There are no entries in the Journal for over five months. During this period several significant events have taken place. Father Vincent S"kowski , 1 the last white Marian and Superior General of the Congregation, died April 10, 1911. During summer vacation the three professed Marians of the renewed Congregation—Matulaitis, Bu ys, and Totoraitis—held a general Chapter in the sacristy of the parish church in the town of Gelgaudi kis, Lithuania. On July 14, Matulaitis was elected Superior General. Because the situation in St. Petersburg had become too dangerous, it was decided to move the Marian novitiate to Fribourg, Switzerland, 2 where all three Marians had studied. Matulaitis resigned from all his duties at the Theological Academy, and the little band of Marians moved to Fribourg in August. They lived at the Canisianum, a house of studies con- nected with the University. Here Matulaitis continues to write his Journal. August 17 I have not written anything down for some time, although many experiences came my way—I had to suffer a great deal and to think about many things. A new storm of persecution arose against the Church; I had to remove and conceal everything because it was dangerous to have any scrap of paper lying about. I was afraid not only of involving other people needlessly, but also of betraying myself. May God be praised for everything! Lord, You alone know how many and how difficult were the temptations I had to overcome during that time. If it were not for the example of Your Son Jesus Christ, firmly repelling and overcoming the evil spirit in the desert when he tried to hinder Jesus and distract Him from His mission; if it were not for the example of the Lord Jesus enduring His agony in the Garden of Olives—fainting and sweating blood; if it were not for His words on the cross: “My God, my God, why have you deserted me” (Mt 27:46) and at the same time commending His soul completely to God—“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Lk 23:46); and especially, if it had not been for Your grace, O heavenly Father, 90 1 Vincent S " kowski (Senkus) (1840-1911) the last Superior General of the Marian Order before its renova- tion in 1909. He died in Marijampole, Lithuania, where he had been pastor of the parish church since 1904, when the Russian government closed the Marian monastery. He still wore the traditional white habit, not used after Matulaitis reformed the Order. 2 The June 1911 issue of the Jesuit magazine Civilta Cattolica reported a series of raids by the Russian secret police on the prowl for underground Catholic religious communities. These raids took place in Russia itself and also in various countries under Russian rule. This is probably what prompted Matulaitis to remove the Marian novitiate to Fribourg.