The handwritten original of the published letter from priest I. B. Pranaitis to Bishop Jan Tseply... more The handwritten original of the published letter from priest I. B. Pranaitis to Bishop Jan Tseplyak is kept in the personal file of the former, in fund No. 826 of the Russian State Historical Archive (RGIA). This message stands out among other documents of the case in that it contains information not about a private single issue (moving, appointment, complaint, construction, etc.), but is an overview of the situation in the entire vast Turkestan parish as of November 1915. The letter informs about the arrival in Turkestan in 1915 of a significant number of immigrants due to military operations in the west of the empire, about the high mortality rate among them and the lack of chaplains, about priests-prisoners of war in the parish, about the activities of the Committees for Relief of War Victims, about the construction of a temple and about plans for the establishment of a Siberian diocese.
Religious literature became difficult to access during the occupation of Lithuania, es... more Religious literature became difficult to access during the occupation of Lithuania, especially when the Soviet army occupied the country for the second time in the autumn of 1944. Throughout the Soviet era there was, so to speak, a ‘famine’ of this literature. In this context, the so-called ‘self-Publishing’ emerged. One of the persons involved in this illegal distribution of books was the priest Juozas Konstantinas Ma-tulaitis. During the Soviet occupation, this priest translated and typed and distributed several hundred different books. The books translated during the underground period ended up in typescript form in various libraries and archives: in the parish rectory in Šunskai, where J. K. Matulaitis lived and worked for a long time, in the Centre for the History of the Catholic Church in Lithuania at the Faculty of Catholic Theology of the Vytautas Magnus University, and in a few publications in private libraries. The above-mentioned collection of the Vytautas Magnus University was the object of this research. Using analytical-descriptive and classification methods, it was found that J. K. Matulaitis translated books in all his places of ministry, especially intensively in Liudvinavas and Šunskai. The books and manuscripts he published were mostly catechetical, pastoral, sermons, i.e., in the field of practical theology. Another priority was spiritual literature: thoughts, teachings, lives of saints.
he published letter of Academician Lev Igorev (1822–1894) about the events of 1860 in China and a... more he published letter of Academician Lev Igorev (1822–1894) about the events of 1860 in China and about the situation of Catholics in the country is of interest not only to Sinologists and Church historians, but also to researchers of international and interreligious relations, to historians of painting and photography. The value of this source is given by the mention in it of a significant number of important historical figures, facts, details, primarily about Catholicism in China: parishioners, clergy, missions, temples, rites. In the context of Academician Igorev‘s memoirs published in 1896, his Beijing letter expands and clarifies knowledge about China in the 1860s, about the life of the country‘s Catholics. The original letter is stored in the State Archives of the Irkutsk Region, in the fund of the Irkutsk Roman Catholic Church, and it is most likely addressed to the rector Christopher Shvermitsky (1812–1894), a native of Suvalkia, who led one of the largest parishes in the world from 1856 to 1894.
Extensive archival documentation related to Lithuania and Lithuanians is kept in Russia, and not ... more Extensive archival documentation related to Lithuania and Lithuanians is kept in Russia, and not only in St. Petersburg or Moscow. Archival cases of Lithuanians containing high numbers of ego-documents, are dispersed throughout the vast territory, and are especially numerous in the Siberian memory institutions. Thanks to the project Lithuanian Sibiriada, copies of documents brought from Tobolsk, Tomsk, Krasnoyarsk and Irkutsk can be found in the Lithuanian State Historical Archives. By using the analysis of documents and the method of classification, this article tries to systematize the information about the relevant materials found in the state archives of Siberia and to determine their typology. The studied documentation covering the period between 1773 and 1923 was found to belong to such areas of public life as politics, economics, scien-ce, education, culture, religion, administration, law, statistics, labor, and migration. These are documents (ranging from drafts and copies to official originals) produced by Lithuanians themselves, scribes, state officials not only in Siberia, but also in Lithuania, St. Petersburg or other parts of the Russian Empire. By type, among the discovered documents, there are decrees and manifests, deportation sentences, appointment letters, certificates, sheets, decisions, court records, lists, metrics, reports, reviews, statistics, financial documents. In terms of ego-documents, letters, requests, complaints, explanations, and wills can be found. With such texts, people sought to report, ask, defend themselves or those close to them, or bequeath property. The government created documents with the purpose of informing, registering, taxing, deporting, liberating, accommodating, employing, accumulating data; (not) issuing permits, allowances, salaries. Photos were taken for the mass media, identification, or inspection. Siberian documents touch on such topics as the uprisings, the annexation of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, attempts of Russification, exiles and prisoners, police surveillance, deaths, liberation, return to the social group, employment, marriage, obtaining a passport, business, resettlement, return to Lithuania. Documentary testimonies are available about free Lithuanians in Siberia: workers and farmers, students and teachers, businesspeople and craftsmen, doctors and priests, officials and various specialists, war refugees and repatriates. The addressees of the letters were the governors’ offices, directorates, courts, various institutions, officials, private people.The study showed that, between 1773 and 1923, Siberian documents about Lithuanians most frequently concern the deported persons (political, criminal), their data and applications. Yet, there are also archival cases significant for the history of Lithuania about the Lithuanian colonies, various specialists, famous personalities, businesspeople, about events in Lithuania itself.
Straipsnyje apžvelgiami Lietuvos, Lenkijos ir Rusijos istorikų, dalyvavusių diskusijoje apie Liet... more Straipsnyje apžvelgiami Lietuvos, Lenkijos ir Rusijos istorikų, dalyvavusių diskusijoje apie Lietuvos katalikus, savanoriškai ar prievarta atsidūrusius Sibire, pranešimai. Virtualaus apskritojo stalo dalyviai nustatė temos šaltinių bazę, apibūdino jos tyrimo laipsnį, apibrėžė tolesnių tyrimų perspektyvas. Kalbant apie šaltinius, pažymėta, kad nemaža dalis jų saugoma Sibiro archyvuose. Tai – atskiri dokumentai ar bylos bažnyčių, perkėlimo komisijų, policijos, žemės matininkų, valsčių administracijų, kaimo draugijų, politinių partijų, švietimo įstaigų, tautinių draugijų, gyventojų surašymo komisijų, religijos reikalų komisarų, tremtinių, repatriantų fonduose. Vertingos medžiagos yra ir centriniuose Lietuvos, Rusijos, Baltarusijos istoriniuose archyvuose, Vatikano ir vienuolijų ordinų archyvuose. Vilniaus mokslinėse bibliotekose galima rasti kelių Sibire tarnavusių lietuvių kunigų rankraščius. Iš publikuotų šaltinių diskusijos dalyviai ypatingą dėmesį skyrė atsiminimų, dokumentų, laikr...
The article reviews the statements of Lithuanian, Polish and Russian historians who took part in ... more The article reviews the statements of Lithuanian, Polish and Russian historians who took part in the discussion on Lithuanian Catholics who voluntarily or forcibly ended up in Siberia. The participants of the virtual round table identified the source base of the topic, described the degree of its research, and outlined the prospects for further research. As far as the sources are concerned, it was noted that a considerable part of them is stored in the Siberian archives. These include individual documents or files in the fonds of churches, resettlement commissions, police, land surveyors, district administrations, village societies, political parties, educational establishments, national societies, census commissions, religious commissars, exiles and repatriates. Valuable material is also available in the central historical archives of Lithuania, Russia, Belarus, the Vatican and the archives of the monastic orders. The manuscripts of several Lithuanian priests who served in Siberia can be found in Vilnius research libraries. Among the published sources, the participants of the discussion paid special attention to the publication of memoirs, documents and newspaper articles. Personal letters, photographs and epitaphs were also mentioned as additional sources. The historiography on the Siberian Catholic Church is dominated by studies of a general or pro-polish nature, where Catholics from Lithuania are usually not singled out as a separate category or not mentioned at all. Special studies on Lithuanian Catholics are rare. Such a small number of studies and a large number of sources open up great perspectives for research, including collective, international and interdisciplinary. The objects of the research could be the everyday life of Lithuanian Catholics, biographies of prominent personalities, cultural and religious life. It is also noted as a very important and scholarly publication of selected sources. The article includes a critical apparatus and a list of studies on the subject of the remote conference.
Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas / Vytautas Magnus University, 2022
Catholic priests born in Lithuania, determine the time and place when and where they were in the ... more Catholic priests born in Lithuania, determine the time and place when and where they were in the region, and reconstruct the types and ways of their pastoral activity. To get the answers to the questions posed, was chosen the historical-anthropological approach, which presupposes considering events from the point of view of actors, and for this reason prefers the authorship sources of the latter. Thanks to the introduction of new archive documents to the scientific world and studying of the already familiar sources from the point of view of pastoral activity and everyday life, were obtained some new knowledge on this subject and checked the facts known previously. The assumption about a significant contribution of Catholic priests, who were natives of Lithuania, to the Siberian pastoral activity, has been confirmed. In the period under discussion they accounted for about a half of parish clergy in the Asian part of the Russian Empire and served all over the region. About a quarter of the deported Lithuanian pastors remained to serve in Siberian parishes. In general, the results of this research demonstrate a significant quantitative and qualitative contribution of priests, who were natives of Lithuania, to pastoral activity of Siberian Catholics in the second half of the 19 and at the beginning of the 20 century. Some part of these pastors adapted successfully to the local conditions and served in the region for years and decades. Some of them became role models of priests, loving spiritual fathers and mentors.
The article presents a panorama of the religious life of Catholics in the republics of the Soviet... more The article presents a panorama of the religious life of Catholics in the republics of the Soviet Union at the time of the election of Pope John Paul II. The authors describe concepts that dominated the thinking of the Soviet leadership in its relations with the Vatican, and note the absence of a clear strategy at the international level. They pay close attention to the consolidated protest movement of Catholics in the Soviet Union of the 1970s, especially in Lithuania, and how the Lithuanian Catholic samizdat reflected the reaction to the election of a new Pope. The authors emphasize that by the time of John Paul II’s election, among the Catholics of the Soviet Union there was a growing protest movement, there was regular criticism of the Vatican's ‘Eastern Policy’, and there were public organizations that put the issue of discrimination against believers and churches on the public agenda. The article also describes the efforts of the Sovietleadership to consolidate the countri...
1. Archival files of famous personalities (J. Yčas, M. Yčas, J. Aukštuolis).
2. Documents of 19th... more 1. Archival files of famous personalities (J. Yčas, M. Yčas, J. Aukštuolis). 2. Documents of 19th century exiles. 3. Archival files of colonists from Lithuania. 4. Documents of clergy and officials from Lithuania. 5. Archival files of Siberian Catholic parishes. 6. Financial and construction documentation mentioning the Lithuanian diaspora.
The presented article introduces Father Leon Czudowski, the first parish
priest of the Omsk pari... more The presented article introduces Father Leon Czudowski, the first parish priest of the Omsk parish in Western Siberia, along with the article he wrote for the Catholic press, in which he describes the territories and peoples of Central Asia. His text is a unique ethnographic source, which helps us to learn about hitherto unknown aspects of the history of the Catholic Church in Siberia and the traditions and culture of the peoples living there.
The article presents a panorama of the religious life of Catholics in the republics of the Soviet... more The article presents a panorama of the religious life of Catholics in the republics of the Soviet Union at the time of the election of Pope John Paul II. The authors describe concepts that dominated the thinking of the Soviet leadership in its relations with the Vatican, and note the absence of a clear strategy at the international level. They pay close attention to the consolidated protest movement of Catholics in the Soviet Union of the 1970s, especially in Lithuania, and how the Lithuanian Catholic samizdat reflected the reaction to the election of a new Pope. The authors emphasize that by the time of John Paul II’s election, among the Catholics of the Soviet Union there was a growing protest movement, there was regular criticism of the Vatican's ‘Eastern Policy’, and there were public organizations that put the issue of discrimination against believers and churches on the public agenda. The article also describes the efforts of the Soviet leadership to consolidate the countries of Eastern Europe in the context of its relations with the Vatican, its attempts to use to its advantage the differences between political trends within the clergy of the Catholic Church.
In the 19th century, many Lithuanian clergymen, while serving in Siberia, made efforts in order t... more In the 19th century, many Lithuanian clergymen, while serving in Siberia, made efforts in order to ensure the opportunity for the believers living there, especially the deportees who had been deprived of their homeland, to practice their faith and maintain their nationality by gathering in communities. However, seeking to gather a community, a space where they could meet without restriction is required. By building churches and chapels the priests demonstrated their dedication and determination to unconditional service. Many of the churches built on their initiative are still active today. One of them is Marion priest Kristupas Švirmickas, whose ministry in Irkutsk Parish spread through his efforts to form a community and build a prayer house for that community.
The article analyses the legal acts of the Russian Empire throughout the period of its existence ... more The article analyses the legal acts of the Russian Empire throughout the period of its existence (1721-1917), published in the Complete Collection of Laws and in the Code of Laws on state regulation of pastoral activities of Roman Catholic priests. Retrospective evaluation of legal documents allows to determine some general tendencies of Russian laws on Catholic pastoral care: to allow, but only to selected priests; freely, but in certain places; not to allow to act among other Christians; to support partially, but strictly controlled.
Te article researches the existence and ministry of Franciscan friars in the territory of the Sov... more Te article researches the existence and ministry of Franciscan friars in the territory of the Soviet Union during1941–1991. In the light of printed sources, the historical – geographical view of ministry and its type is portrayed.Te findings are reflected in the conclusion and portrayed in tables and map.
In 1903, during the treatment course in Tashkent, Rev. Juozas Sabas (1868–1926) from Seinai Dioce... more In 1903, during the treatment course in Tashkent, Rev. Juozas Sabas (1868–1926) from Seinai Diocese wrote review about the catholic life in Middle Asia “Turkiestan – Polacy i Litwini w Taszkiencie“ (“Turkestan – Poles and Lithuanians in Tashkent”). It is a rare narrative source about Catholic Church in this region. This review by Rev. J. Sabas was published in Polish press in 1903. Here it is being published with added critical scientific notation and a wide article based on the latest historical research of Tashkent parish. This valuable source is an aid to learn more about the work and life of Catholics and their pastors in this region.
The article analyzes the letters and reports of priests J. Vilkas, T. Pashkevichius, J. Senvaitis... more The article analyzes the letters and reports of priests J. Vilkas, T. Pashkevichius, J. Senvaitis, written in the 1920s and stored in the archives of Vilnius and St. Petersburg. This correspondence reflects significant changes in the economic, social and religious life of Russia at that time: the deepest economic crisis, famine, epidemics; searches, arrests, excessive taxes in relation to priests and parishes; religious persecutions, a sharp decrease in the number of religious clergy, the reduction of liturgical services and their simplification, an increase in the development of church fraternities of the laity. The frank language used in the letters testifies to the long-term and many-sided pressure on the clergy by the new regime. Selected letters are translated by the author and are attached to the article.
The article presents the experience of adapting the concept of a chronotope in a specific sociocu... more The article presents the experience of adapting the concept of a chronotope in a specific sociocultural context. The relevance of the study is due to the need to develop methods for analyzing utilitarian and quasi-utilitarian verbal practices, taking into account the specific spatio-temporal circumstances of their implementation. The study material is letters from Juozapas Silvestras Dovydaitis, a Lithuanian priest who spent several years in Siberian exile. The explicit model of the chronotope determines the choice of the material—the chronotope of exile, as defined by the authors of the article, which also determines the acceptable level of the results obtained. The subject-matter of the study is the chronotope as a sociocultural phenomenon. The chronotope in the article is presented as an event of the interaction of valuebased, spatial and temporal attitudes of the author’s consciousness in the process of creating an epistolary text. The features of the subject-matter determined the correlative method of the research. The authors proceed from the fact that the external change in the spatial configuration— the exile—leads to the transformation of the value-based experience of space. The value- based experience of distinguishing space between the author’s space and the alien’s one is overcome by the imaginary achievement of a point of view equally equidistant with respect to the distinguished spaces. In Dovydaitis’s letters, this overcoming is carried out in lyrical digressions devoted to understanding his own changed position and perspectives. The imagined overcoming of the psychological inertia of distinguishing space between the author’s own and that of an alien correlates with overcoming the psychological inertia of time delay, which leads to the formation of an eschatological perception of time.
An overview of the history and position of the Catholic Church in Siberia, entitled "Siberia from... more An overview of the history and position of the Catholic Church in Siberia, entitled "Siberia from an Ecclesiastical Perspective," compiled by priest professor J. B. Pranaitis (1861–1917), is published for the first time. The document, preserved in the Russian State Historical Archives, dates from around 1903, discussing the issue of a separate diocese of Siberia establishment. The document is rich in details of Catholic parishes in Siberia and their history, and is crucial to Church history studies
The handwritten original of the published letter from priest I. B. Pranaitis to Bishop Jan Tseply... more The handwritten original of the published letter from priest I. B. Pranaitis to Bishop Jan Tseplyak is kept in the personal file of the former, in fund No. 826 of the Russian State Historical Archive (RGIA). This message stands out among other documents of the case in that it contains information not about a private single issue (moving, appointment, complaint, construction, etc.), but is an overview of the situation in the entire vast Turkestan parish as of November 1915. The letter informs about the arrival in Turkestan in 1915 of a significant number of immigrants due to military operations in the west of the empire, about the high mortality rate among them and the lack of chaplains, about priests-prisoners of war in the parish, about the activities of the Committees for Relief of War Victims, about the construction of a temple and about plans for the establishment of a Siberian diocese.
Religious literature became difficult to access during the occupation of Lithuania, es... more Religious literature became difficult to access during the occupation of Lithuania, especially when the Soviet army occupied the country for the second time in the autumn of 1944. Throughout the Soviet era there was, so to speak, a ‘famine’ of this literature. In this context, the so-called ‘self-Publishing’ emerged. One of the persons involved in this illegal distribution of books was the priest Juozas Konstantinas Ma-tulaitis. During the Soviet occupation, this priest translated and typed and distributed several hundred different books. The books translated during the underground period ended up in typescript form in various libraries and archives: in the parish rectory in Šunskai, where J. K. Matulaitis lived and worked for a long time, in the Centre for the History of the Catholic Church in Lithuania at the Faculty of Catholic Theology of the Vytautas Magnus University, and in a few publications in private libraries. The above-mentioned collection of the Vytautas Magnus University was the object of this research. Using analytical-descriptive and classification methods, it was found that J. K. Matulaitis translated books in all his places of ministry, especially intensively in Liudvinavas and Šunskai. The books and manuscripts he published were mostly catechetical, pastoral, sermons, i.e., in the field of practical theology. Another priority was spiritual literature: thoughts, teachings, lives of saints.
he published letter of Academician Lev Igorev (1822–1894) about the events of 1860 in China and a... more he published letter of Academician Lev Igorev (1822–1894) about the events of 1860 in China and about the situation of Catholics in the country is of interest not only to Sinologists and Church historians, but also to researchers of international and interreligious relations, to historians of painting and photography. The value of this source is given by the mention in it of a significant number of important historical figures, facts, details, primarily about Catholicism in China: parishioners, clergy, missions, temples, rites. In the context of Academician Igorev‘s memoirs published in 1896, his Beijing letter expands and clarifies knowledge about China in the 1860s, about the life of the country‘s Catholics. The original letter is stored in the State Archives of the Irkutsk Region, in the fund of the Irkutsk Roman Catholic Church, and it is most likely addressed to the rector Christopher Shvermitsky (1812–1894), a native of Suvalkia, who led one of the largest parishes in the world from 1856 to 1894.
Extensive archival documentation related to Lithuania and Lithuanians is kept in Russia, and not ... more Extensive archival documentation related to Lithuania and Lithuanians is kept in Russia, and not only in St. Petersburg or Moscow. Archival cases of Lithuanians containing high numbers of ego-documents, are dispersed throughout the vast territory, and are especially numerous in the Siberian memory institutions. Thanks to the project Lithuanian Sibiriada, copies of documents brought from Tobolsk, Tomsk, Krasnoyarsk and Irkutsk can be found in the Lithuanian State Historical Archives. By using the analysis of documents and the method of classification, this article tries to systematize the information about the relevant materials found in the state archives of Siberia and to determine their typology. The studied documentation covering the period between 1773 and 1923 was found to belong to such areas of public life as politics, economics, scien-ce, education, culture, religion, administration, law, statistics, labor, and migration. These are documents (ranging from drafts and copies to official originals) produced by Lithuanians themselves, scribes, state officials not only in Siberia, but also in Lithuania, St. Petersburg or other parts of the Russian Empire. By type, among the discovered documents, there are decrees and manifests, deportation sentences, appointment letters, certificates, sheets, decisions, court records, lists, metrics, reports, reviews, statistics, financial documents. In terms of ego-documents, letters, requests, complaints, explanations, and wills can be found. With such texts, people sought to report, ask, defend themselves or those close to them, or bequeath property. The government created documents with the purpose of informing, registering, taxing, deporting, liberating, accommodating, employing, accumulating data; (not) issuing permits, allowances, salaries. Photos were taken for the mass media, identification, or inspection. Siberian documents touch on such topics as the uprisings, the annexation of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, attempts of Russification, exiles and prisoners, police surveillance, deaths, liberation, return to the social group, employment, marriage, obtaining a passport, business, resettlement, return to Lithuania. Documentary testimonies are available about free Lithuanians in Siberia: workers and farmers, students and teachers, businesspeople and craftsmen, doctors and priests, officials and various specialists, war refugees and repatriates. The addressees of the letters were the governors’ offices, directorates, courts, various institutions, officials, private people.The study showed that, between 1773 and 1923, Siberian documents about Lithuanians most frequently concern the deported persons (political, criminal), their data and applications. Yet, there are also archival cases significant for the history of Lithuania about the Lithuanian colonies, various specialists, famous personalities, businesspeople, about events in Lithuania itself.
Straipsnyje apžvelgiami Lietuvos, Lenkijos ir Rusijos istorikų, dalyvavusių diskusijoje apie Liet... more Straipsnyje apžvelgiami Lietuvos, Lenkijos ir Rusijos istorikų, dalyvavusių diskusijoje apie Lietuvos katalikus, savanoriškai ar prievarta atsidūrusius Sibire, pranešimai. Virtualaus apskritojo stalo dalyviai nustatė temos šaltinių bazę, apibūdino jos tyrimo laipsnį, apibrėžė tolesnių tyrimų perspektyvas. Kalbant apie šaltinius, pažymėta, kad nemaža dalis jų saugoma Sibiro archyvuose. Tai – atskiri dokumentai ar bylos bažnyčių, perkėlimo komisijų, policijos, žemės matininkų, valsčių administracijų, kaimo draugijų, politinių partijų, švietimo įstaigų, tautinių draugijų, gyventojų surašymo komisijų, religijos reikalų komisarų, tremtinių, repatriantų fonduose. Vertingos medžiagos yra ir centriniuose Lietuvos, Rusijos, Baltarusijos istoriniuose archyvuose, Vatikano ir vienuolijų ordinų archyvuose. Vilniaus mokslinėse bibliotekose galima rasti kelių Sibire tarnavusių lietuvių kunigų rankraščius. Iš publikuotų šaltinių diskusijos dalyviai ypatingą dėmesį skyrė atsiminimų, dokumentų, laikr...
The article reviews the statements of Lithuanian, Polish and Russian historians who took part in ... more The article reviews the statements of Lithuanian, Polish and Russian historians who took part in the discussion on Lithuanian Catholics who voluntarily or forcibly ended up in Siberia. The participants of the virtual round table identified the source base of the topic, described the degree of its research, and outlined the prospects for further research. As far as the sources are concerned, it was noted that a considerable part of them is stored in the Siberian archives. These include individual documents or files in the fonds of churches, resettlement commissions, police, land surveyors, district administrations, village societies, political parties, educational establishments, national societies, census commissions, religious commissars, exiles and repatriates. Valuable material is also available in the central historical archives of Lithuania, Russia, Belarus, the Vatican and the archives of the monastic orders. The manuscripts of several Lithuanian priests who served in Siberia can be found in Vilnius research libraries. Among the published sources, the participants of the discussion paid special attention to the publication of memoirs, documents and newspaper articles. Personal letters, photographs and epitaphs were also mentioned as additional sources. The historiography on the Siberian Catholic Church is dominated by studies of a general or pro-polish nature, where Catholics from Lithuania are usually not singled out as a separate category or not mentioned at all. Special studies on Lithuanian Catholics are rare. Such a small number of studies and a large number of sources open up great perspectives for research, including collective, international and interdisciplinary. The objects of the research could be the everyday life of Lithuanian Catholics, biographies of prominent personalities, cultural and religious life. It is also noted as a very important and scholarly publication of selected sources. The article includes a critical apparatus and a list of studies on the subject of the remote conference.
Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas / Vytautas Magnus University, 2022
Catholic priests born in Lithuania, determine the time and place when and where they were in the ... more Catholic priests born in Lithuania, determine the time and place when and where they were in the region, and reconstruct the types and ways of their pastoral activity. To get the answers to the questions posed, was chosen the historical-anthropological approach, which presupposes considering events from the point of view of actors, and for this reason prefers the authorship sources of the latter. Thanks to the introduction of new archive documents to the scientific world and studying of the already familiar sources from the point of view of pastoral activity and everyday life, were obtained some new knowledge on this subject and checked the facts known previously. The assumption about a significant contribution of Catholic priests, who were natives of Lithuania, to the Siberian pastoral activity, has been confirmed. In the period under discussion they accounted for about a half of parish clergy in the Asian part of the Russian Empire and served all over the region. About a quarter of the deported Lithuanian pastors remained to serve in Siberian parishes. In general, the results of this research demonstrate a significant quantitative and qualitative contribution of priests, who were natives of Lithuania, to pastoral activity of Siberian Catholics in the second half of the 19 and at the beginning of the 20 century. Some part of these pastors adapted successfully to the local conditions and served in the region for years and decades. Some of them became role models of priests, loving spiritual fathers and mentors.
The article presents a panorama of the religious life of Catholics in the republics of the Soviet... more The article presents a panorama of the religious life of Catholics in the republics of the Soviet Union at the time of the election of Pope John Paul II. The authors describe concepts that dominated the thinking of the Soviet leadership in its relations with the Vatican, and note the absence of a clear strategy at the international level. They pay close attention to the consolidated protest movement of Catholics in the Soviet Union of the 1970s, especially in Lithuania, and how the Lithuanian Catholic samizdat reflected the reaction to the election of a new Pope. The authors emphasize that by the time of John Paul II’s election, among the Catholics of the Soviet Union there was a growing protest movement, there was regular criticism of the Vatican's ‘Eastern Policy’, and there were public organizations that put the issue of discrimination against believers and churches on the public agenda. The article also describes the efforts of the Sovietleadership to consolidate the countri...
1. Archival files of famous personalities (J. Yčas, M. Yčas, J. Aukštuolis).
2. Documents of 19th... more 1. Archival files of famous personalities (J. Yčas, M. Yčas, J. Aukštuolis). 2. Documents of 19th century exiles. 3. Archival files of colonists from Lithuania. 4. Documents of clergy and officials from Lithuania. 5. Archival files of Siberian Catholic parishes. 6. Financial and construction documentation mentioning the Lithuanian diaspora.
The presented article introduces Father Leon Czudowski, the first parish
priest of the Omsk pari... more The presented article introduces Father Leon Czudowski, the first parish priest of the Omsk parish in Western Siberia, along with the article he wrote for the Catholic press, in which he describes the territories and peoples of Central Asia. His text is a unique ethnographic source, which helps us to learn about hitherto unknown aspects of the history of the Catholic Church in Siberia and the traditions and culture of the peoples living there.
The article presents a panorama of the religious life of Catholics in the republics of the Soviet... more The article presents a panorama of the religious life of Catholics in the republics of the Soviet Union at the time of the election of Pope John Paul II. The authors describe concepts that dominated the thinking of the Soviet leadership in its relations with the Vatican, and note the absence of a clear strategy at the international level. They pay close attention to the consolidated protest movement of Catholics in the Soviet Union of the 1970s, especially in Lithuania, and how the Lithuanian Catholic samizdat reflected the reaction to the election of a new Pope. The authors emphasize that by the time of John Paul II’s election, among the Catholics of the Soviet Union there was a growing protest movement, there was regular criticism of the Vatican's ‘Eastern Policy’, and there were public organizations that put the issue of discrimination against believers and churches on the public agenda. The article also describes the efforts of the Soviet leadership to consolidate the countries of Eastern Europe in the context of its relations with the Vatican, its attempts to use to its advantage the differences between political trends within the clergy of the Catholic Church.
In the 19th century, many Lithuanian clergymen, while serving in Siberia, made efforts in order t... more In the 19th century, many Lithuanian clergymen, while serving in Siberia, made efforts in order to ensure the opportunity for the believers living there, especially the deportees who had been deprived of their homeland, to practice their faith and maintain their nationality by gathering in communities. However, seeking to gather a community, a space where they could meet without restriction is required. By building churches and chapels the priests demonstrated their dedication and determination to unconditional service. Many of the churches built on their initiative are still active today. One of them is Marion priest Kristupas Švirmickas, whose ministry in Irkutsk Parish spread through his efforts to form a community and build a prayer house for that community.
The article analyses the legal acts of the Russian Empire throughout the period of its existence ... more The article analyses the legal acts of the Russian Empire throughout the period of its existence (1721-1917), published in the Complete Collection of Laws and in the Code of Laws on state regulation of pastoral activities of Roman Catholic priests. Retrospective evaluation of legal documents allows to determine some general tendencies of Russian laws on Catholic pastoral care: to allow, but only to selected priests; freely, but in certain places; not to allow to act among other Christians; to support partially, but strictly controlled.
Te article researches the existence and ministry of Franciscan friars in the territory of the Sov... more Te article researches the existence and ministry of Franciscan friars in the territory of the Soviet Union during1941–1991. In the light of printed sources, the historical – geographical view of ministry and its type is portrayed.Te findings are reflected in the conclusion and portrayed in tables and map.
In 1903, during the treatment course in Tashkent, Rev. Juozas Sabas (1868–1926) from Seinai Dioce... more In 1903, during the treatment course in Tashkent, Rev. Juozas Sabas (1868–1926) from Seinai Diocese wrote review about the catholic life in Middle Asia “Turkiestan – Polacy i Litwini w Taszkiencie“ (“Turkestan – Poles and Lithuanians in Tashkent”). It is a rare narrative source about Catholic Church in this region. This review by Rev. J. Sabas was published in Polish press in 1903. Here it is being published with added critical scientific notation and a wide article based on the latest historical research of Tashkent parish. This valuable source is an aid to learn more about the work and life of Catholics and their pastors in this region.
The article analyzes the letters and reports of priests J. Vilkas, T. Pashkevichius, J. Senvaitis... more The article analyzes the letters and reports of priests J. Vilkas, T. Pashkevichius, J. Senvaitis, written in the 1920s and stored in the archives of Vilnius and St. Petersburg. This correspondence reflects significant changes in the economic, social and religious life of Russia at that time: the deepest economic crisis, famine, epidemics; searches, arrests, excessive taxes in relation to priests and parishes; religious persecutions, a sharp decrease in the number of religious clergy, the reduction of liturgical services and their simplification, an increase in the development of church fraternities of the laity. The frank language used in the letters testifies to the long-term and many-sided pressure on the clergy by the new regime. Selected letters are translated by the author and are attached to the article.
The article presents the experience of adapting the concept of a chronotope in a specific sociocu... more The article presents the experience of adapting the concept of a chronotope in a specific sociocultural context. The relevance of the study is due to the need to develop methods for analyzing utilitarian and quasi-utilitarian verbal practices, taking into account the specific spatio-temporal circumstances of their implementation. The study material is letters from Juozapas Silvestras Dovydaitis, a Lithuanian priest who spent several years in Siberian exile. The explicit model of the chronotope determines the choice of the material—the chronotope of exile, as defined by the authors of the article, which also determines the acceptable level of the results obtained. The subject-matter of the study is the chronotope as a sociocultural phenomenon. The chronotope in the article is presented as an event of the interaction of valuebased, spatial and temporal attitudes of the author’s consciousness in the process of creating an epistolary text. The features of the subject-matter determined the correlative method of the research. The authors proceed from the fact that the external change in the spatial configuration— the exile—leads to the transformation of the value-based experience of space. The value- based experience of distinguishing space between the author’s space and the alien’s one is overcome by the imaginary achievement of a point of view equally equidistant with respect to the distinguished spaces. In Dovydaitis’s letters, this overcoming is carried out in lyrical digressions devoted to understanding his own changed position and perspectives. The imagined overcoming of the psychological inertia of distinguishing space between the author’s own and that of an alien correlates with overcoming the psychological inertia of time delay, which leads to the formation of an eschatological perception of time.
An overview of the history and position of the Catholic Church in Siberia, entitled "Siberia from... more An overview of the history and position of the Catholic Church in Siberia, entitled "Siberia from an Ecclesiastical Perspective," compiled by priest professor J. B. Pranaitis (1861–1917), is published for the first time. The document, preserved in the Russian State Historical Archives, dates from around 1903, discussing the issue of a separate diocese of Siberia establishment. The document is rich in details of Catholic parishes in Siberia and their history, and is crucial to Church history studies
Этнорелигиозные процессы в трансграничном пространстве Западной Сибири, Казахстана и Монголии в контексте государственной политики в XX–начале XXI в.: коллективная монография/под ред. ПК Дашковского. , 2019
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Papers by Viktor Bilotas
in the personal file of the former, in fund No. 826 of the Russian State Historical Archive (RGIA). This
message stands out among other documents of the case in that it contains information not about a private
single issue (moving, appointment, complaint, construction, etc.), but is an overview of the situation in
the entire vast Turkestan parish as of November 1915.
The letter informs about the arrival in Turkestan in 1915 of a significant number of immigrants due
to military operations in the west of the empire, about the high mortality rate among them and the lack
of chaplains, about priests-prisoners of war in the parish, about the activities of the Committees for Relief
of War Victims, about the construction of a temple and about plans for the establishment of a Siberian
diocese.
the situation of Catholics in the country is of interest not only to Sinologists and Church historians, but
also to researchers of international and interreligious relations, to historians of painting and photography. The value of this source is given by the mention in it of a significant number of important historical
figures, facts, details, primarily about Catholicism in China: parishioners, clergy, missions, temples, rites.
In the context of Academician Igorev‘s memoirs published in 1896, his Beijing letter expands and
clarifies knowledge about China in the 1860s, about the life of the country‘s Catholics. The original letter
is stored in the State Archives of the Irkutsk Region, in the fund of the Irkutsk Roman Catholic Church,
and it is most likely addressed to the rector Christopher Shvermitsky (1812–1894), a native of Suvalkia,
who led one of the largest parishes in the world from 1856 to 1894.
2. Documents of 19th century exiles.
3. Archival files of colonists from Lithuania.
4. Documents of clergy and officials from Lithuania.
5. Archival files of Siberian Catholic parishes.
6. Financial and construction documentation mentioning the Lithuanian diaspora.
priest of the Omsk parish in Western Siberia, along with the article he wrote for the Catholic press, in which he describes the territories and peoples of Central Asia. His text is a unique ethnographic source, which helps us to learn about hitherto unknown aspects of the history of the Catholic Church in Siberia and the traditions and culture of the peoples living there.
election of Pope John Paul II. The authors describe concepts that dominated the thinking of the Soviet leadership in its
relations with the Vatican, and note the absence of a clear strategy at the international level. They pay close attention
to the consolidated protest movement of Catholics in the Soviet Union of the 1970s, especially in Lithuania, and how
the Lithuanian Catholic samizdat reflected the reaction to the election of a new Pope. The authors emphasize that by
the time of John Paul II’s election, among the Catholics of the Soviet Union there was a growing protest movement,
there was regular criticism of the Vatican's ‘Eastern Policy’, and there were public organizations that put the issue of
discrimination against believers and churches on the public agenda. The article also describes the efforts of the Soviet
leadership to consolidate the countries of Eastern Europe in the context of its relations with the Vatican, its attempts
to use to its advantage the differences between political trends within the clergy of the Catholic Church.
in the personal file of the former, in fund No. 826 of the Russian State Historical Archive (RGIA). This
message stands out among other documents of the case in that it contains information not about a private
single issue (moving, appointment, complaint, construction, etc.), but is an overview of the situation in
the entire vast Turkestan parish as of November 1915.
The letter informs about the arrival in Turkestan in 1915 of a significant number of immigrants due
to military operations in the west of the empire, about the high mortality rate among them and the lack
of chaplains, about priests-prisoners of war in the parish, about the activities of the Committees for Relief
of War Victims, about the construction of a temple and about plans for the establishment of a Siberian
diocese.
the situation of Catholics in the country is of interest not only to Sinologists and Church historians, but
also to researchers of international and interreligious relations, to historians of painting and photography. The value of this source is given by the mention in it of a significant number of important historical
figures, facts, details, primarily about Catholicism in China: parishioners, clergy, missions, temples, rites.
In the context of Academician Igorev‘s memoirs published in 1896, his Beijing letter expands and
clarifies knowledge about China in the 1860s, about the life of the country‘s Catholics. The original letter
is stored in the State Archives of the Irkutsk Region, in the fund of the Irkutsk Roman Catholic Church,
and it is most likely addressed to the rector Christopher Shvermitsky (1812–1894), a native of Suvalkia,
who led one of the largest parishes in the world from 1856 to 1894.
2. Documents of 19th century exiles.
3. Archival files of colonists from Lithuania.
4. Documents of clergy and officials from Lithuania.
5. Archival files of Siberian Catholic parishes.
6. Financial and construction documentation mentioning the Lithuanian diaspora.
priest of the Omsk parish in Western Siberia, along with the article he wrote for the Catholic press, in which he describes the territories and peoples of Central Asia. His text is a unique ethnographic source, which helps us to learn about hitherto unknown aspects of the history of the Catholic Church in Siberia and the traditions and culture of the peoples living there.
election of Pope John Paul II. The authors describe concepts that dominated the thinking of the Soviet leadership in its
relations with the Vatican, and note the absence of a clear strategy at the international level. They pay close attention
to the consolidated protest movement of Catholics in the Soviet Union of the 1970s, especially in Lithuania, and how
the Lithuanian Catholic samizdat reflected the reaction to the election of a new Pope. The authors emphasize that by
the time of John Paul II’s election, among the Catholics of the Soviet Union there was a growing protest movement,
there was regular criticism of the Vatican's ‘Eastern Policy’, and there were public organizations that put the issue of
discrimination against believers and churches on the public agenda. The article also describes the efforts of the Soviet
leadership to consolidate the countries of Eastern Europe in the context of its relations with the Vatican, its attempts
to use to its advantage the differences between political trends within the clergy of the Catholic Church.