DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION ABOUT THE ŠILUVA CHAPEL IN WASHINGTON JUBILEE

DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION ABOUT THE ŠILUVA CHAPEL IN WASHINGTON JUBILEE

As previously reported, on October 9th of this year a solemn Mass will be celebrated to commemorate the golden anniversary of the dedication of the Šiluva chapel at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. Monsignor Edmundas Putrimas, the Lithuanian Bishops’ Conference Delegate for the Lithuanian Catholic Apostolate Abroad, initiated the establishment of a Jubilee committee, which has been working for more than a year to prepare for the anniversary. The committee has been gathering historical material about the chapel and is disseminating information about upcoming Jubilee events. To follow are some examples of the committee’s activities.

Monsignor Rolandas Makrickas, counselor at the Apostolic Nunciature (i.e., Vatican Embassy) in Washington and one of the initiators of the Jubilee committee, visited Lithuania last summer and publicized the work being done in preparation for the Jubilee. Giving an interview to the online (Catholic) newspaper Bernardinai.lt, Msgr. Makrickas familiarized readers with the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception as well as with the history of the Šiluva chapel and some of the events planned for the upcoming anniversary.

In the above interview with Saulėna Žiugždaitė, Msgr. Makrickas pointed to the special connection that the Jubilee has to Lithuanian history: “The main event of the Jubilee -- the solemn Mass of Thanksgiving on October 9, 2016 – calls to mind the significance of the times we live in. The Chapel was built 50 years ago, a timespan encompassing 25 years of Soviet occupation followed by 25 years of independence for Lithuania. We are at a beautiful crossroads, and the chapel in its own way reflects Lithuania’s spiritual and historical journey.” The interview is dated September 8, 2015, and can be found on the Šiluva Chapel Jubilee website siluva50usa.org. During his visit to Lithuania, Msgr. Makrickas also met with representatives of the online Christian cultural journal XXI Amžius (XXI Century) and Marijos Radijas (Mary Radio).

Interesting historical material connected with the Šiluva chapel, mostly related to its establishment, can be found on the Jubilee website. Among other things, there is a recording of the chapel’s founding organizer, Bishop Vincentas Brizgys, and his repeated pleas to Lithuanian-Americans 50 years ago, asking them for financial support of the chapel. (It was necessary to raise 325,000 dollars over several years for the building of the chapel.)

In addition to the bishop’s recordings, which the Jubilee committee acquired from the Lithuanian Research and Studies Center in Chicago, the website has a copy of a letter signed by Pope Paul VI on Sept. 4, 1966, in which he congratulated Bishop Brizgys and all Lithuanians, conferring on them an apostolic blessing. Since the blessing of the chapel occurred on that day, it is likely that the letter, or a part of it, was read to the large congregation of Lithuanians who attended the dedication ceremonies.

The website also contains the August 1966 newsletter of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The newly built Šiluva chapel is depicted on the front cover and is the focus of one of the articles. Those who are interested in the history of the chapel can also find the October 13, 1991, Silver Jubilee program on the website.

The Jubilee committee is not limiting itself to the website to generate interest in the upcoming festivities. In June 2015, the committee ordered 10,000 copies of a 3.5x5 inch prayer card depicting the Šiluva chapel. The reverse side of the card has information in Lithuanian and English regarding the date of the Jubilee Mass and also about an exhibit organized by the Basilica, which will be open to the public from June 30 to October 17. A third of the prayer cards has already been distributed by Committee members at various events, including the Lithuanian Song Festival in Chicago, the Pennsylvania Lithuanian Days, the Putman Sisters Picnic, the Lithuanian-American Community Council session and the Lithuanian Knights convention. Free prayer cards can be ordered via the Jubilee website siluva50usa.org.

The work of the Jubilee Committee is supported by the Lithuanian Foundation, Lithuanian Catholic Religious Aid, and the Lithuanian Catholic Mission in Washington, D.C. The committee is very much in need of additional financing and is accepting contributions from individuals. Tax-free donations can be sent to Lithuanian Catholic Religious Aid, 64-25 Perry Ave., Maspeth, NY 11378-2441. Please make the check out to Lithuanian Catholic Religious Aid and on the check memo line write “Siluva Chapel Jubilee.”