Theophilus Matulionis, bishop and martyr (1873–1962)

Biography

Lithuanian bishop, Teófilo Matulionis endured prisons, forced labor and exile for remaining faithful to the Church under the Soviet and Nazi regimes. Ordained a priest in 1900, he served for years in Russia and built a church for workers in St. Petersburg. He was repeatedly arrested, convicted, and sent to prisons and camps, where he spiritually sustained other captives. Secretly consecrated bishop, he returned to Lithuania and continued to govern his diocese despite communist surveillance. In 1962 he died shortly after a violent search and an injection administered by state agents.