Soter Nr. 26 - Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas

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Kęstutis ŽEMAITIS
people hostile to each other, some of them went into the forest for partisan fight, others joined the so called
„stribai“ – armed collaborators.
This fight in some years time turned into the fight for survival and sometimes irrational revenge on both
sides. In post-war years the Soviet powers closed 12 parish and filial churches, 28 chapels; 65 Catholic priests
were exiled to Siberia or persecuted in some other ways; 11 of them became martyrs or never returned from
Siberia. In Šunskai the church was not ruined or closed but it became the property of Soviet powers as it was
through all Lithuania. The parish priest Rev. V. Ambraziejus, though not imprisoned or exiled, but was persecuted
and intimidated. In post-war time, in spite of spreading atheism in society and persecutions of the
Church, the parish lived a lively and pious life. But the war and occupations destroyed the community life of
a small parish, good relationship among the neighbours, neglected universal and national values, and without
religious consciousness and Christian morality, the community became indifferent to religion.
PAGRINDINIAI ŽODŽIAI: maža bendruomenė, karas, okupacija, kentėjimai.
KEY WORDS: small community, war, occupation, suffering.
Translated by Marija Krunkaitytė
Kęstutis ŽEMAITIS – kanauninkas, teologijos daktaras, Katalikų teologijos fakulteto Vytauto Didžiojo universiteto
profesorius. Tyrimų sritis: Lietuvos Katalikų Bažnyčios socialinė veikla 1918–1940 metais. El. paštas: kestutis.
zemaitis@gmail.com.
Kęstutis ŽEMAITIS – canon, doctor of theology, professor at the Faculty of Catholic Theology at VMU. Research:
social activity of Lituanian Catholic Church in 1918–1940. E-mail: kestutis.zemaitis@gmail.com.