Krakių kotryniečių vienuolynas: nuo dievotų bendruomenės iki Lietuvos kotryniečių provincijos

LTKnygos tikslas - parodyti Lietuvos kotryniečių veiklą nuo vienuolyno įkūrimo Krakėse XVII a. pirmojoje pusėje iki XX a. pabaigos, išryškinti, kaip kongregacijos įkūrėjos palaimintosios Reginos Protmann (1552-1613) charizma skleidžiasi lokalioje bendruomenėje įvairiais istoriniais periodais, skirtingose kultūrinėse, socialinėse ir politinėse aplinkose. [Leidėjo anotacija]Reikšminiai žodžiai: Lietuvos istorija; Katalikų bažnyčia; Vienuolynai; Vienuolės; Žemaitija (Samogitia); The Lithuanian history; The Catholic Church; Convents; Sisters; The Samogitia.

ENThis study reveals the life story of the Lithuanian sisters of St Catherine in 1645-1988. On the initiative of the Beatified Regina Protmann (1552-1613), born in Braniewo (German: Braunsberg, Polish: Braniewo) the Congregation of the sisters of St Catherine Virgin and Martyr was established. In 1583 the first regulation of Regina Protmann was created followed by the second regulation in 1602. Alongside with the contemplative life, the specific of the Congregation is the active social, i.e. charitable and educational, activities. The main purpose of the monograph is to highlight how the charisma of the Beatified Regina Protmann unfolds in Lithuania, i.e. in a local community, at different historical periods, in different cultural, social, and political contexts. It is aimed at reflecting on how the regulation of Regina Protmann was adapted to the conditions of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL), how it was modified during the time of the Republic of Lithuania, and how much it changed after the Second Vatican Ecclesiastical Council. It was also aimed at revealing the main characters of this study, the sisters, their charitable and educational activities, their impact on the society, and their material situation. It has also been assumed that the study will help to better assess the specifics of the Lithuanian sisters of St Catherine in the context of the whole Congregation of St Catherine. The book consists of seven chapters. The first one, Origins, deals with the activities of the Beatified Regina Protmann and describes Warmia (German: Ermland, Polish: Warmia), the region where the Congregation under investigation was born, and reveals the peculiarities of the Regulation of the sisters. The second chapter Creation is devoted to the description of the development of the Krakės convent from 1645 to 1673.It also discusses the confusing circumstances of the foundation, and discloses how the community of the devout women was transformed into the convent of St Catherine. The third chapter, Stability, tells about a relatively stable life of the sisters of St Catherine in the period of 1673-1802. The fourth chapter, Challenges, discusses the difficulties faced by the sisters of St Catherine of Krakės between 1802 and 1918, the restrictions of the Tsarist administration, the attempts to survive and continue the mission under the Russian occupation. The fifth chapter, Prosperity, is dedicated to the unfolding the development of the sisters of St Catherine in Lithuanian Republic in 1918-1940. It was a period when the number of the sisters increased to more than 100, the branches of the Krakės Convent were active in various parts of the Lithuanian Republic, and the sisters were able to fulfill their mission by working in shelters, hospitals, schools, kindergartens, and other institutions. The years 1940-1948 were marked by the changing Soviet - Nazi - Soviet occupations of Lithuania followed by a heavy oppression on the monastic life. The sisters of St Catherine were intensively searching for the ways to survive, adapt, and develop their activities. Thus, the sixth chapter was titled Desperation. Unfortunately, the experiences of the sisters of St Catherine were followed by even more difficult trials. The seventh chapter, Secret Life, deals with the situation of the sisters of St Catherine in 1948-1988, when the Soviet authorities banned the activities of the monasteries and convents in Lithuania. During this period, the sisters of St Catherine were only able to recognize each other by certain conventional signs, and the members of the community were united by an undeclared system of values and lifestyles.The appendices to the monograph provide the original Regulation of the sisters of St Catherine in Krakės in the Polish language established in 1673 by the Samogitian Bishop Kazimierz Pac, which was followed by the sisters until 1922, the list of the Elders of the Lithuanian sisters of St Catherine, and the biograms of the sisters in 1645-1949. The study carried out revealed that it is quite difficult to generalize the phenomenon of the sisters of St Catherine in Lithuania in the period of 1645-1988. Basically, there are three different communities that existed over the three different periods: the 17th century Krakės devout women convent, the 1673-1919 Krakės Convent of St Catherine, and the 20th century Lithuanian sisters of St Catherine. [...]. [Extract, p. 464-465]

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