Blessed Archbishop George Matulaitis-Matulewicz: his life and writings
ENBlessed Archbishop George Matulaitis-Matulewicz belongs to a group of people who initiated the process of renewing the religious life in Poland and Lithuania in the early decades of the 20th century. He was born to a Lithuanian family, but he dedicated the most important years of his apostolic life to serving the good of the Church in Poland, especially in Warsaw and Vilnius. He was only 56 years of age, when he passed away in 1927. His relatively short life was extremely rich. He was a pastor of the workers and the intelligentsia, educator and teacher of priests, the founder of new religious communities, protector of abandoned children, the bishop of Vilnius, and the Pope’s representative in Lithuania. In his work, Blessed George skillfully combined his faithful adherence to the traditional teachings of the Church with proper understanding of progress. Breaking away from overstated conservatism, he proclaimed the social teachings of the Church, the idea of the secular apostolate, basic principles of ecumenism, respect for the language and culture of every nation, and the great dignity of every person.Defending these values, he bore great suffering and learned to accept defeat in a Christian manner. Thanks to his work and ideals, he entered permanently into the history of Polish and Lithuanian national culture. But it was his “style” with which he undertook all these works that demonstrated his greatness. His life-long motto was: “For the glory to God and the salvation of souls.” His spiritual profile can be concisely described as a man enamored of the Church. The authenticity of Archbishop George’s position was confirmed in 1987 by St. John Paul II, who placed him among the Blesseds of the Church and gave him to the faithful as a model to follow. Both Archbishop Matulaitis’s activities and spiritual life were very richly fulfilling. The goal of the present biography is not to describe his entire life and character, but merely to draw the readers’ attention to the most salient aspects of the outstanding character of this man. Along with excerpts from Blessed George’s correspondence, this book also includes passages from his „Journal“ [p. 7-8].
