Lithuania

During the month of August 2008, the Institute opened a new foundation in Lithuania through the invitation of Most Reverend Jonas Kauneckas, Bishop of Panavezys. Our small community of three sisters now offers missionary assistance in the town of Pumpenai, a rural farming village to the north of Lithuania, in the Diocese of Panavezys, about 40 km from the frontier with Latvia. The town has a total population of about 1,000 inhabitants with a clear need for the re-evangelization for a community that has Christian roots, but struggles with the effects of both the past Communist regime and the recent avalanche of Western civilization.

Among the people in middle age and youth there is a nearly total lack of religious practice. This absence of spiritual formation together with the moral wounds of alcoholism, idleness and the consequent family instability are even further compounded by the low level of primary education. Such conditions demand an urgent and properly adapted evangelization. The town of Pumpenai and the Diocese of Panevezys are very poor and much in need of missionaries that will help them to uplift the spiritual and cultural level of the society.

We work in the pastoral activities of the Parish “Our Lady of the Scapular” of Pumpenai, the only Catholic parish, which is run by the Religious of the Incarnate Word Institute, the male branch of our same Religious Family. This parish has a jurisdiction of about 250 square kilometers. Our various apostolates include the following:

• Sponsoring out-reach programs for children and teenagers (called “Oratories”);
• Teaching religious education at the elementary school;
• Bringing Holy Communion to sick and elderly people;
• Working with the parish liturgy and sacristy; leading the parish youth group;
• Visiting the residents of the women’s prison (the only prison in the Diocese of Panevezys of which the Pastor of Pumpenai is also its Chaplain);
• Making home-visits to families in order to invite them to church and in order to become acquainted with their many material and spiritual needs;
• Providing catechism and liturgical assistance to the Sunday Mass in a satellite chapel situated 50 km from Pumpenai;
• Participating in different Diocesan events at Panevezys; etc.

In order fulfilling our goals in an effective manner, we need to have our own means of transportation. It is important to consider the following conditions in assessing this urgent need:

• the long distances to travel within the parish jurisdiction to carry out the enumerate pastoral duties;
• the low temperatures of Lithuania, especially during the pastoral year (the long autumn and winter seasons- from September to May- where temperatures may reach at twenty five Celsius degrees below zero);
• the special concern of providing our young sisters with an independent and secure means of transportation—public transportation is not always recommended because of the perils that threaten a young religious woman as a consequence of the high rates of alcoholism and aggression among the men that often frequent the streets and buses in Lithuania.

Our Need for the Mission in Lithuania

Since we are without a house of our own and without an independent means of transportation, we are in need of financial assistance that will support our community.

Any donation you would be able to make will help cover first the cost of rent and utilities (electricity, water, garbage, heat, and telephone bills); secondly, your donation will move forward our effort to obtain and maintain a community vehicle; and thirdly—after these priorities—we use financial assistance for food, health coverage, books and supplies for the study of the language, and travel expenses.

For more information you can contact us at m.czestocowa@servidoras.org

How You Can Help

Use PayPal to make a tax-deductible donation to the Lithuania Mission.
Your mailing address only will be used to send you a thank-you letter with our tax ID number for your records.

Or send your charitable donations payable to:
Servants of the Lord
Our Lady Queen of Angels Rectory
Attn: Lithuania Mission
226 East 113th Street
New York, NY 10029

Thank you for your generosity and prayers for this new mission!