Palaimintasis Jurgis Matulaitis: "Tik turėk kunigo apaštalo širdį"

LTŠis straipsnis - bandymas pažvelgti į konkretų pal. Jurgio Matulaičio (1871-1927), Vilniaus vyskupo, ganytojiškos veiklos aspektą - rūpinimąsi Vilniaus kunigų seminarija. [Iš straipsnio, p. 35]Reikšminiai žodžiai: Lietuvos istorija; Katalikų bažnyčia; Seminarija; Dvasininkai; Lithuanian history; Catholic Church; Seminary; Clergy.

ENThis article is a glimpse at one particular aspect of the pastoral activity of BĮ. Jurgis Matulaitis - Bishop of Vilnius - his concern for Vilnius’ Seminary. It might seem a rather specific and narrow issue. On the deeper inspection however, even one limited to the study of the diary of Bishop Jurgis, it proves to be fairly multifaceted and deeply interconnected with most crucial aspects and characteristics of entire pastoral ministry of Bl. Jurgis in Vilnius. Many passages of his Vilnius diary are devoted to the remarks on the canonical visitation of the Seminary, which he conducted starting in February 1919 - just a couple of months after taking up his office. His concern about the financial situation and various attempts to ensure the provision for the basic material needs of the Seminary are also reflected on the pages of the diary alongside some fleeting remarks on an extremely complicated issue of the relationships between the Seminary and the newly re-founded Department of Theology in the University of Steponas Batoras. Despite a very different character of various activities of Bishop Jurgis with regards to the Seminary, they were all provoked by the situation the city of Vilnius and the entire diocese were in. And therefore he put all of his heart and used all the means at his hand to try and heal this fundamental decease. Therefore, the essence of his multiple and various concerns about the seminary is, in fact, summed up in one single entry of the diary: “I am especially anxious to make the seminary truly Catholic so it would produce priests who are apostles determined to serve everyone equally, without despising or discriminating against any nation, but rather supporting the good efforts of each and guiding the people toward the Kingdom of God and not somewhere else-into all kinds of political intrigues” (G. Matulaitis-Matulewicz, Journal, FHM 17, Stockbridge 2003, 232). [From the publication]