Your fruit will remain

226 the full jurisdiction received from Fr. Senkus, and petitioned the Holy See for permission to change the Marian white habits for a plain cassock worn by the diocesan clergy, and a suit which the laity would wear, for the religious brothers. At the same time, he submitted his request to open a secret novitiate in St. Pe- tersburg. It was also necessary to adjust the Marian Constitutions “ Statua ” to the new situation in which the Community found itself, and to the “ Norma ” which the Apostolic See published in 1901. Finally, for fear of the extinction of the Order, in case of the unexpected death of Fr. Senkus, another request was made to the Holy See to permit Fr. Matulaitis – Matulewicz to take his religious vows without delay and to make the necessary preparations in the novitiate. Having received favorable answers, Fr. Matulaitis – Matulewicz took his reli- gious vows on 29 th August 1909, and his friend, Fr. Francis Bucys (d.1951) began his canonical novitiate. This day is regarded as the date of the Renovation of the Marian Order. The renovation and reformation were canonically confirmed on 28 th November 1910, on the day when Pius X approved the considerably changed Marian Constitutions: • the final vows were changed to simple vows; • instead of the daily Office for the Dead, the Marians had the duty of a special service for souls in purgatory (without a definition of its precise form); • apostolic activity was extended to comprise any apostolic means; • the monastic habit was replaced by the dress of the diocesan clergy. The then Superior General, Fr. Senkus died on 19 th April 1911, having led the renovated Order for 19 months and 12 days. At his death the Marian community had two professed, and, when Fr. J. Totoraitis (d.1914) completed his novitiate the same year as third professed, Fr. Matulaitis – Matulewicz was elected the new Superior General (14 th July 1911). The growth of the Renovated Congregation of Marians was progressing dy- namically. The number of candidates was steadily increasing, initially mostly Lithuanian and Polish. To ensure the necessary religious formation, Fr. Matulaitis – Matulewicz with the approval of the Apostolic See opened a religious house and novitiate in Fribourg in Switzerland in 1911. In the same year, 10 novices started the novitiate: 7 priests, one seminarian and two lay men. However, this house was closed down in 1919 because, as a result of political changes, it was now possible to organize the religious life in Poland and in Lithuania. Beside, large numbers of candidates called for the opening of more novitiates. The first openly functioning religious house in the USA was started in Chica- go in 1913. A year earlier, the Marians started working in Warsaw, and in Bielany, where in 1915, Fr. Matulaitis – Matulewicz founded a religious house and a gram- mar school. In 1918, the Marian Monastery in Mariampol was reactivated as the main center for the Lithuanian Community. That year, the Marians numbered 57