Congratulations
Pope Francis announced his decision on Sunday September 1, 2019 to name Archbishop Emeritus of Kaunas Sigitas Tamkevičius a cardinal.
He will be one of 13 new cardinals who will be officially appointed on October 5, 2019.
Tamkevičius will not be able to elect a new pope due to his age as only cardinals under 80 elect a new pontific. Tamkevičius will turn 81 in November.
Tamkevičius was a dissident during the Soviet occupation and used to publish The Chronicle of the Catholic Church in Lithuania which wrote about the persecution of believers in Lithuania occupied by the Soviets.
He was arrested in 1983 for anti-Soviet propaganda and spent 10 years in the prison work camps of Perm and Mordovia.
He served as archbishop of Kaunas between 1996 and 2015.
During the pope's visit to Lithuania last year, Tamkevičius accompanied Pope Francis to a former KGB prison in Vilnius where he was a prisoner in 1983.
The pope announced that Tamkevičius was appointed a cardinal for his honorary service to the Church.
MAY 31, 2019 THE ANNUAL MEETING OF LITHUANIAN CATHOLIC RELIGIOUS AID AND MEETING OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS TOOK PLACE AT THE LCRA OFFICES IN MASPETH, NY.
Presided by the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Monsignor Edmund Putrimas, participants included Ist Vice President, Archbishop Gintaras Grušas, 2nd Vice President, Father Jonas Puodžiūnas, OFM, and LCRA Directors: Tadas Gintautas Dabšys, Vytautas Prunskis, Aldona Lingertaitiene, Dr. Algirdas Lukoševičius, Fr. Nerijus Šmerauskas and Dana Dabšienė. Bishop Paulius Baltakis (deceased) was remembered and honored. A Mass was celebrated in his intention as a thanks for his work as the former director of the LCRA and later Honorary Director. LCRA's support for Lithuanian and Diaspora Projects is an endless service for our nation. 162 projects covering a wide range of religious, educational, educational and media activities in Lithuania and its emigration received support for the first half of this year. These great initiatives not only strengthen our nation, but also educate and develop future generations as they grow with their faith. Since 1961, LCRA has been collecting and distributing funds for projects, especially for those most in need.
We invite you to support the work of the Lithuanian Catholic Religious Aid through your generous donations.
