Priekulės Šv. Antano Paduviečio bažnyčia ir parapija

LT[...] Leidinys atspindi Priekulės katalikų parapijos žmonių intenciją nepraleisti progos atpažinti konkretų Lietuvos ir Bažnyčios Lietuvoje nueitą kelią šiame Mažosios Lietuvos kampelyje, išryškinti išskirtinius, taurius čia gyvenusių Lietuvos žmonių ir tikinčiųjų nuveiktus darbus, gražiąsias pastangas, atpažinti savitą krikščionišką ir priekulietišką tapatumą, aptarti ateities perspektyvas. Įsižiūrėdami į praeityje čia gyvenusių tikinčiųjų tautiečių žygdarbius, atrasime stiprybės metodiškai tyrinėti ir tinkamai suprasti mus supančią realybę, vesti ekumeninį dialogą su čia gyvenančiais evangelikais liuteronais bei surasti būdą nešti Kristaus Jėzaus viltį į Priekulės katalikų parapijoje įsikūrusias jaunas šeimas. [...] [p. 1].

ENThe Priekulė Catholic Church and the Parish are comparatively young and still in the process of the development. For a long time Lithuania Minor and Priekulė as well were known as a part of Prussia and Germany. The residents there spoke German mostly and were members of the Evangelical Liutheran Church community. To say the truth, Lithuanian community living there was really small and belonged to the Evangelical Liutheran Church. From time to time servants and craftsmen were coming there from Lithuania Major to look for better paid jobs. To be honest, they had some difficulties there to attend the Catholic Church on Sundays, to confess and even to pray, because there was no Catholic Church in Priekulė at that time. Everything became different there in 1923, when Klaipėda region was affiliated to Lithuania. Slowly the Catholic community started growing there, because more and more Lithuanian catholics moved to live in the part which for a long time was separated from Lithuania Major. At that time Klaipėda Region was a part of the Diocese of Warmia and was managed by the Bishop of Warmia. Everything was changed on the 4-th of April 1926 when Klaipėda Region was separated from the Diocese of Warmia and joined to the newly formed Klaipėda Prelature which became part of Diocese of Telšiai. The catholics of the Klaipėda region were integrated into Church structures controlled from Lithuania, unlike the Evangelicals who remained part of the composition of the Prussian Evangelical Church. Since then serious changes had been started. It became important to build Catholic churches as fast as possible and educate Lithuanian Catholic priests to serve in that specific part of the country. From 1926 to 1939 the number of parish priests from Lithuania was increasing and the proportion of priest from Warmia was decreasing considerably.Three Catholic churches (Plikiai, Priekulė, Dovilai) were build and one new parish (Pagėgiai) was created at that time. Albert Dannelautzski, the Dean of the Catholic Church in Memel (Klaipėda) started speaking about a need to build Catholic churches or chapels in Klaipėda Region in 1928 but unfortunately he was not understood because of some misunderstandings between the Catholics from Lithuania Major and the Catholics from Lithuania Minor. In 1936 a Catholic priest Nikodemas Juozapas Petkus was appointed to take care of building the Catholic Church in Priekulė. The fast changing political situation in the world was a reason why it was important to be in a hurry to build that church in Priekulė. On the 3-rd of July 1938 the Catholic Church in Priekulė was consecrated. It was a really special day to the Catholics who lived in Priekulė. After the annexation of the Klaipėda Region by Germany in 1939, the local organization of the Catholic Church again underwent changes as a result of pressure put on the Holy See by Nazi Germany, the Bishop of Warmia was appointed as an apostolic administrator of the Klaipėda Prelature. The Lithuanian Catholic priests appointed by the Bishop of Telšiai were stopped their pastoral work in Klaipėda Region and moved back to Lithuania Major and the Catholics started doing the same as well. From 1939 to 1944 there was almost no Mass held in the newly built church, only from time to time the Belgian, French or Polish war prisoners stopped to pray God there. After the World War II the Mass was held the church again but there was no local dean in Priekulė and priests were coming mostly from Veiviržėnai town/parish. A list of priests who served in the church is not very long: A. Dannelautzki, J. Galdikas, K. Olšaukas, N. Petkus, H. Šulcas, L. Serapinas, A. Šimkus and C. Degutis. Senior parishioners still remember some o f their names.In 1947 Henrikas Šulcas was appointed as a Dean of Priekulė Parish. He did his best to turn an empty church building he found into the right place to worship God. In August 2015a young and energetic priest Canon Viktoras Ačas was appointed as a Dean of Priekulė parish and in a short time he managed to prove that it was important not only renovate the church building but to create a friendly community here. The Dean Canon V. Ačas has given an example to the community that being together is the best way to cope with problems and difficulties, to enjoy spending time becoming pilgrims, praying and worshiping God as well.