The week from 21 to 30 June the Christian Life Community (CLC) members from Germany and Austria visited the Baltic countries. The aim was to strengthen friendship between the local communities and to explore the Central European Province, which also includes jesuits in Lithuania and Latvia. The first 3 days were dedicated to Lithuania.
Accompanied by historian Liudas Jovaiša, the CLC members explored the traces of the early jesuits in Vilnius, including the St. Casimir Church, where St. Andrew Bobola has served as a priest, St. John's Church, Vilnius University, and St. Ignatius Church. They were impressed by the rich heritage of the jesuits in the Lithuanian capital.
The Holy Mass was celebrated by Vytautas Sadauskas SJ, who addressed the gathering in St. Casimir Church: "You as CLC try to combine faith and action, striving to be contemplative in your action and to recognize God's will in your daily life." He cited St. Aloysius Gonzaga, who renounced noble privileges, emphasizing the value of heavenly treasures over earthly ones. He urged the CLC members to reflect on their use of resources to serve those in need.
At the end of the Holy Mass, organist Renata Marcinkutė Lesieur, one of the old Lithuanian CLC members, welcomed the participants with musical compositions by M. K. Čiurlionis and Ch.-M. Widor.
In the meeting with the CLC Lithuania there was time for sharing about their local communities. Despite initial hesitations due to language barriers, a sense of community and humor helped everybody engage in getting to know each other. Germany and Austria, founders of the CLC community, played a significant role in founding the Christian Life Community in 1967. Lithuania officially joined the World CLC in 2013, although the first small groups started forming after the restoration of independence of the country. Austria has about 200 members, Germany around 1,000, and Lithuania 250. Germany also maintains ties with non-European communities, such as those in the Philippines. Despite all the differences the CLC members felt united by the Ignatian spirituality.
In the following days, the guests visited the Places of Mercy in Vilnius, explored the St. John's tradition in Kernave, and the surroundings of Trakai, concluding their Lithuanian journey with a prayer at the Hill of Crosses.
Grateful for the hospitality, they continued their pilgrimage in Latvia and Estonia.
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