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1

Justinas Staugaitis – Bishop and Politician

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Katilius A.

Studia Ełckie

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2023

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vol. 25

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issue 4

471-482

PL

Celem artykułu jest przybliżenie trzech ważnych etapów życia i pracy biskupa Justinasa Staugaitisa: 1) edukacji, 2) działalności duszpasterskiej, społecznej, kulturalnej i politycznej, 3) sprawowania urzędu biskupa diecezji Telšiai. Bp Staugaitis był uczniem Gimnazjum w Mariampolu i Seminarium Teologicznego w Sejnach, w którym brał udział w tajnej działalności seminarzystów litewskich i kształtował w sobie silne postawy narodowe. Najważniejszym wkładem, jaki wniósł w litewską kulturę i edukację było założenie Towarzystwa Dobroczynno-Oświatowego „Žiburys”, które działało w ówczesnym województwie suwalskim i przyczyniało się do podniesienia poziomu kultury społeczeństwa. Redagował także czasopismo „Vadovas” adresowane do księży. Podczas I wojny światowej bp Staugaitis zaangażował się w życie polityczne Litwy i został wybrany na członka Rady Litewskiej. Wtedy też podpisał Akt Niepodległości Litwy. Został wybrany do Litewskiego Zgromadzenia Ustawodawczego (Sejmu) pierwszej i drugiej kadencji, w którym pełnił funkcję przewodniczącego. Po utworzeniu Prowincji Kościelnej Litwy J. Staugaitis został mianowany biskupem ordynariuszem diecezji Telšiai.

EN

The aim of the article is to present three important stages of the life and work of Bishop Justinas Staugaitis: 1) education, 2) pastoral, social, cultural and political activity, 3) holding the office of bishop of the Telšiai diocese. Bishop Staugaitis was a student of the Junior High School in Marijampolė and the Theological Seminary in Sejny, where he took part in the secret activities of Lithuanian seminarians and developed strong national attitudes. The most important contribution he made to Lithuanian culture and education was the founding of the “Žiburys” Benevolent and Educational Society, which operated in the then Suwałki Voivodeship and contributed to raising the level of culture in society. He also edited the magazine “Vadovas” addressed to priests. During World War I, Bishop Staugaitis became involved in the political life of Lithuania and was elected a member of the Lithuanian Council. It was then that he signed the Act of Independence of Lithuania. He was elected to the Lithuanian Constituent Assembly of the first and second terms, in which he served as chairman. After the establishment of the Ecclesiastical Province of Lithuania, J. Staugaitis was appointed ordinary bishop of the Telšiai diocese.

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Hierarchs of the Diocese of Sejny or Augustów: Aspects of the Collective Biography of Bishops and Administrators

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Katilius A.

Studia Ełckie

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2022

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vol. 24

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issue 1

37-53

EN

The article focuses on the nineteen ordinaries, suffragan bishops, and ad-ministrators of the diocese of Sejny or Augustów who governed the diocese throughout its existence. In terms of social origin, nine or ten of them came from the nobility and five from peasants; one was probably an urban resident, one of the craftspeople, and two of uncertain social origin. Geographically, ten hierarchs came from other dioceses. Nine hierarchs were born in the diocese of Sejny or Augustów. In terms of ethnic origin, we see one Armenian, one Jew, and five or six clergymen of Lithuanian origin (there are doubts regarding Bonaventūra Butkevičius). Other clergymen were Poles. Theological education of most of the hierarchs of the diocese of Sejny or Augustów was limited to graduation from a seminary. This applies to ten of them. Others studied at higher education institutions for a longer or shorter time and five of them had doctoral degrees (including two with honorary doctorates). Of the nineteen hierarchs, four bishops and all seven administrators were members of the Sejny cathedral chapter. Five bishops had ecclesiastical careers in other dioceses before becoming ordinaries of the diocese of Sejny or Augustów, three of whom were suffragan bishops of other dioceses, and one was the administrator of the Archdiocese of Warsaw. One hierarch was appointed bishop while the diocese of Wigry still existed. Two of the bishops had not risen through the hierarchy, that is, they were not members of a cathedral chapter before becoming bishops of Sejny. Most of the hierarchs of the diocese of Sejny or Augustów were of the mature age of over 50 years.

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Conflicts over the Language of Additional Services in the Diocese of Sejny or Augustów in the Second Half of the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries

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Katilius A.

Studia Ełckie

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2022

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vol. 24

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issue 4

501-524

EN

In 1898, a questionnaire was sent the parish clergy on behalf of Antanas Baranauskas, Bishop of Sejny, in which, among other things, they were asked about the local languages used in church practice. An analysis of the clergy’s answers shows that at the end of the nineteenth century, there were not many potential parishes in the diocese of Sejny or Augustów where conflicts over the use of languages in the additional services could arise. The Lithuanian language was well established in most Lithuanian parishes or in those with few Polish believers. The most important source for studying the causes and development of linguistic conflicts in parishes is the parishioners’ petitions written to their spiritual superiors and to the civil authorities. These petitions include demands of each side, explain the situation, and ask for a change in the situation with regard to one language or the other. In the appeals written by the Lithuanian believers, the justification of the introduction of the Lithuanian language in additional services was that the majority of the believers in the parish were of Lithuanian nationality and that most of the parishioners did not understand Polish. The reason given by the Polish believers in their petitions was the tradition, i.e., that the Polish language had been around for a long time or that their ancestors built a particular church. The reactions of the hierarchs of the diocese of Sejny or Augustów to linguistic conflicts in the parishes depended on the number of believers of one nationality or the other in a parish. This was to maintain the principle of fairness, so that neither side would be disadvantaged. In the parishes discussed, the majority of the believers were Lithuanian parishioners, and this was taken into account in determining the proportions of sermons, hymn-singing, and other liturgical rites. The use of Polish in additional services was thus given its proper place.

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Conflicts over the Language of Additional Service in the Samogitian (Telšiai) Diocese: The Cases of Zarasai and Čekiškės Parishes

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Katilius A.

Studia Ełckie

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2024

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vol. 26

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issue 2

225-248

EN

Conflict situations unfolded mostly in the so-called mixed parishes inhabited by parishioners of Lithuanian and Polish. The article discusses different situations in two parishes of the Samogitian (Telšiai) Diocese. In one of them, Zarasai parish, it was the Lithuanian parishioners who demanded their rights, while in the other, Čekiškė parish, it was the Polish believers. In Zarasai parish, the Polish believers conflicted mainly about the time scheduled for the sermons in Lithuanian or Polish. At the bishop’s instruction, the time for the Lithuanian sermon was set before the Holy Mass, because the Lithuanian-speaking parishioners lived mainly in the villages outside the town and usually it took them long to travel to the church. Meanwhile, the Polish sermon was preached after the mass, because the Polish-speaking parishioners were townspeople, and the church was closer to them. The main tool in the struggle of the Polish parishioners was the singing of hymns when the Lithuanian sermon was preached, thus attempting to disrupt it. The Poles were dissatisfied with the parish priest Rev. Juozapas Liasauskis for following the bishop’s instruction to the letter and wanted him to be removed from Zarasai parish. Yet the conflict in Zarasai parish did not escalate to acrimony or bloodshed in the church. Until 1909, the language of the additional services and sermons in the parish of Čekiškė was Lithuanian. However, the Polish-speaking parishioners, mostly the nobles, thought that a sermon in Polish should be preached in their parish church. The most important criterion for introducing Polish sermons was statistical, that is, the number of parishioners who wanted sermons in Polish. A survey of parishioners was carried out, during which they were asked in which language the sermons should be delivered. In this survey, 986 people signed up as Polish and over 3000 as Lithuanian. In view of this, Bishop Gasparas Cirtautas introduced sermons and hymns in Polish on every fourth Sunday and on feasts in the parish of Čekiškė.

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4 Studia Ełckie

4 Katilius A.

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Justinas Staugaitis – Bishop and Politician

Hierarchs of the Diocese of Sejny or Augustów: Aspects of the Collective Biography of Bishops and Administrators

Conflicts over the Language of Additional Services in the Diocese of Sejny or Augustów in the Second Half of the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries

Conflicts over the Language of Additional Service in the Samogitian (Telšiai) Diocese: The Cases of Zarasai and Čekiškės Parishes