George Matulaitis
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Blessed Jurgis Matulaitis-Matulevičius M.I.C. |
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| Bishop Emeritus of Vilnius | |
Photograph.
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| Church | Roman Catholic Church |
| Diocese | Vilnius |
| See | Vilnius |
| Appointed | 23 October 1918 |
| Installed | 8 December 1918 |
| Term ended | 1 September 1925 |
| Predecessor | Eduard Baron von der Ropp |
| Successor | Jan Feliks Cieplak |
| Other posts |
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| Orders | |
| Ordination | 20 November 1898 |
| Consecration | 1 December 1918 by Pranciškus Karevičius |
| Rank | Bishop |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Jurgis Matulaitis-Matulevičius |
| Born | 13 April 1871 Lūginė, Marijampolė, Lithuania |
| Died | 27 January 1927 (aged 55) Kaunas, Lithuania |
| Motto | Overcome evil with good |
| Sainthood | |
| Feast day | 27 January |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 28 June 1987 Saint Peter's Basilica, Vatican City by Pope John Paul II |
| Attributes | Episcopal attire |
| Patronage |
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Blessed Jurgis Matulaitis-Matulevičius (13 April 1871 - 27 January 1927) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Vilnius from late 1918 until his resignation in 1925. Matulaitis was also the founder of the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception and the Handmaids of Jesus in the Eucharist; he served as the Superior-General of the Marian Fathers from 1911 until his death. He worked in secret to revive the Marian Fathers after the Russian authorities suppressed all religious orders and he even relinquished his teaching position to better dedicate himself to that secret revival. He was a noted teacher and spiritual director who set up other branches of the order in places such as Switzerland and the United States far from Russian authorities.
Matulaitis' cause for sainthood opened in the 1950s before he was titled as Venerable in 1982. Pope John Paul II beatified the late bishop on 28 June 1987 in Saint Peter's Basilica and referred to the bishop as a "man of God's heart".
Jurgis Matulaitis-Matulevičius was born on 13 April 1871 to the poor farmers Andrea and Orsola as the last of eight children; he was baptized at the parish church (that the Marian Order managed) in Marijampolė. He learnt about the faith in catechism classes at that church from Father Jurgis Cešnas. He was orphaned later with the death of his father in 1874 and his mother in 1881. His mother taught him their native tongue though he learnt Russian in school as he was taught in that language. His elder brother was John and his elder sister was Emilia who looked after him when their parents died.
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