As the Marians prepare to mark the Feast Day of their Renovator, let’s meet Blessed George Matulaitis-Matulewicz and get a glimpse into his life of holiness. He was known for his courage and zeal, a priest whose efforts allowed the Marians of the Immaculate Conception to become the modern religious congregation it is today. While his native land was under the oppressive domination of the Russian czar and nearly all Marian monasteries had been closed and confiscated, he saved the Marians from extinction. Marians around the world marked the feast day Jan. 27 of Bl. George MatulaitisMatulewicz (1871-1927), known as the "Renovator" of the congregation. The feast day comes amidst a year of thanksgiving that began Dec. 8, for the 100th anniversary of the renewal and reform of the Marians that Bl. George led. "The miraculous deliverance of our Congregation from death 100 years ago and its reform seems to have been the strongest experience of God's mercy in our history, an important confirmation that God cares for us, that our charism is valuable for the Church," wrote Fr. John M. Rokosz, MIC, the Marians' General Superior, in a letter in December to his confreres. Marians today continue to draw inspiration from Bl. George's spiritual writings. Perhaps most famous among his writings was his call of service to Christ and His Church. He wrote in his spiritual journal: If I may ask, Lord, let me be but a dishrag in your Church, a rag used to wipe up messes and then thrown away into some dark corner. I want to be used up and worn out in the same way so that your house may be a little cleaner and brighter. And afterwards, let me be thrown away like a dirty, worn-out dishrag. From the Marian Archives January 29, 2009 Blessed George Matulatis— Matulewicz Renovator of the Marians of the Immaculate Conception
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