Happy Birthday, Blessed George!

Blessed George was sharply criticized for his refusal to side with political factions, but he said simply, “My party is Christ and the Church.” 

By Br. Stephen J., MIC

The Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception honor Blessed George Matulaitis (1871-1927) with the title “Father Renovator,” with a devotion second only to our Father Founder, St. Stanislaus Papczyński (1631-1701). As we celebrate his 155th birthday on April 13, it’s a good time to recount a life of extraordinary achievement and holiness.

Secret vows
On Aug. 29, 2009, the Marian Fathers marked the 100th anniversary of an exceptional event in Warsaw, Poland, one that saved our Order from extinction. That event was the 1909 profession of vows of Bl. George in the hands of the last surviving Marian, Fr. Vincent Sękowski (1840-1911).

Blessed George’s vows were extraordinary in several ways. First, they were made in secret, so that the oppressive Czarist government did not discover them. Second, since the Czar of Russia did not permit non-Orthodox religious orders to accept novices, Bl. George had to petition Rome for special permission to enter the Marians without making his novitiate. Third, Bl. George, with Fr. Vincent’s permission, would completely re-write the Marian rule of life, adapting it not only to their circumstances of persecution, but also to the modern world. Hence Bl. George’s title, “Father Renovator.” 

Life-long devotion
Blessed George had known the Marian Fathers all his life. He was baptized in 1851 by our then-superior general, Fr. George Čėsnas, and grew up in a parish run by the Marian Fathers. Inspired by their religious devotion and his family’s, Bl. George wanted to be a priest from a very young age. However, he was orphaned at age 10, and developed tuberculosis of the bone at 15. He never complained, but worked at the family farm as best he could, although he much preferred to read and displayed considerable talent in his studies. In 1871, his cousin (a teacher) saw this talent, and offered to pay for his seminary courses, which young George gladly accepted.

As a priest, Bl. George was greatly interested in the social doctrine of the Catholic Church. He became both a professor of sociology and a social activist on behalf of workers and the poor. However, he also felt called to re-found the Marian Order. After making his secret vows, Bl. George requested a transfer to Fribourg, Switzerland, in 1911, both to continue his studies and to erect a novitiate house outside Russian control. There, he attracted capable priests for the Order. 

"My party is Christ and the Church"
Blessed George traveled to the United States to establish religious houses near Chicago in 1913. However, while preaching a mission in Lithuania in 1914, he was stopped from returning to Fribourg by World War I. He remained near Warsaw (then occupied by the Germans), founding a second novitiate and personally directing an orphanage for more than 200 boys. Blessed George often begged German soldiers in person for alms for the orphans, disregarding their curses and threats. He also founded two orders of sisters and helped 10 other orders renovate their constitutions to follow the 1917 Code of Canon Law.

On Oct. 23, 1918, Pope Pius XI appointed Bl. George the Bishop of Vilnius. There he maintained the Church’s stability for seven years despite multiple governmental shifts between Poles, Lithuanians, Russians, and Germans. He was sharply criticized for his refusal to side with political factions, but he said simply, “My party is Christ and the Church.” Blessed George’s clear sense of the Church’s mission, and his great love for the poor and oppressed of every nationality, firmly grounded both himself and his diocese even amid the political upheaval.

"Close ranks; sacrifice yourselves!"
Blessed George resigned as Bishop in July of 1925, seeking to care more for the growing Congregation of Marian Fathers, but in December, he was appointed apostolic visitor to Lithuania and titular archbishop of Adulis, Ethiopia. In his four months there, he helped to restore order in the Church and to create an “ecclesiastical province” divided into five dioceses. After visiting the United States for a three-month speaking tour in mid-1926, he returned to visit the newly formed dioceses in Lithuania, meanwhile preparing a concordat between Rome and the Lithuanian government. 

As 1926 drew to a close, Bl. George fell ill with acute appendicitis, and, after surgery proved unsuccessful, he passed away on Jan. 27, 1927. His last words to his confrères were an exhortation, earnestly repeated: “Close ranks; sacrifice yourselves! Close ranks; sacrifice yourselves!”

On May 11, 1982, the Vatican Congregation for the Saints issued a decree stating that during his lifetime Archbishop Matulewicz practiced virtues to a heroic degree. On June 28, 1987, Pope St. John Paul II solemnly beatified him at St. Peter’s Basilica. Since then, the Marian Fathers have solicited information on graces received through Bl. George's intercession (e-mail: graces@marian.org).

Humility and integrity
The example of Bl. George’s life encourages us to look beyond politics and political parties, focusing rather on Christ and His Church. Here was a man of great courage who was also a peacemaker, a friend of workers who strove against their enslavement to ideologies, a vowed religious who was also an excellent bishop. He suffered greatly from illness and the early loss of his parents, but this made him more sensitive to the sick and to orphans. He was very intellectual, but at the same time intensely practical. He was often criticized and attacked — even physically — but his humility and integrity were untouchable, grounded in true love of God. 

May we follow his example and grow in humility, integrity, and love of God, as we pray the litany from the Marians’ novena to Blessed George:

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Blessed Archbishop George, pray for us.
Devoted servant of Mary immaculate, ...           
Ever obedient to the Holy Spirit, ... 
Faithful son of the Church, ... 
Good and wise shepherd, ... 
Promoter of spiritual renewal, ... 
Renovator and founder of religious communities, ... 
Nurturer of religious vocations, ... 
Example for priests and bishops, ... 
Friend and inspiration of workers, ... 
Man of firm faith, ... 
Model of diligent work and piety, ... 
Lover of humility and meekness, ... 
Flower of patience and self control, ... 
Vowed religious according to the heart of God, ... 
Peacemaker among people and nations, ... 
Cultivator of the public conscience, ... 
Model of love toward enemies, ... 
Father and protector of orphans, ... 
Example of holiness in modern times, ... 

Pray for us, Blessed George,
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray: O God, you inflamed the heart of Blessed George with an ardent love for Christ and the Church, grant, we pray, that, by his example, and through his intercession, we may remain untiring in following Christ and in building up His Mystical Body. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

To learn more about Bl. George, visit www.matulaitis-matulewicz.org.
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