PRATARMö - Lietuvių katalikų mokslo akademija

4
PREFACE
This is the second volume of „The Chronicle of Lithuanian Catholic Academy
of Sciences“ (LCAS) published in 2003. According to tradition, it also includes
materials from scholarly conferences, in this case, three conferences, organized
jointly by the LCAS and other institutions. The speakers were researchers
from Lithuania and other countries.
This volume analyzes different aspects of the activities of bishop and poet
Antanas Baranauskas, who was also interested in scientific research. It deals
with the situation of the Catholic Church in the countries ruled by Russia during
his life-time, Lithuanian-Polish relations, the bishop in the context of the
national revival, his contribution to the exact sciences, and some aspects of his
poetic works. The materials of the conference dealing with the relations of Lithuania
and the Holy See analyze various periods of the 20 th century: the beginning
of the century, the years of World War I, the interwar period, and the decades of
Soviet occupation. This volume reviews the questions discussed at an international
seminar devoted to Christianity in the Baltic countries in the 20 th century,
and also analyzes the problems of historical research about some religious confessions
in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. The programs of the conferences are given
at the beginning of the sections. There are also non-conference articles about
vitaminology and about joy as a source of spiritual improvement.
The section of newly published materials looks at the activities of Blessed
Jurgis Matulaitis, the situation of the believers during the Soviet era, the writings
of non-Christian historians testifying about Christ as a historical figure.
The anniversaries of members of the LCAS are noted as well those who have departed
to eternity.
Thus, this volume analyzes the expression of the Catholic Church of Lithuania
in the 19 th and 20 th centuries, and the contribution of its members to the religious,
social, and cultural life of our country.
EDITORIAL BOARD