St Casimir festival 1961

The Adelaide Catholic community celebrated the holy day of St Casimir over three days, 2-4 March 1961. Over those days Father J. Kungys said prayers each day. In the evenings at the St Casimir chapel mass and special prayers were offered for the persecuted church in Lithuania. A formal offering was taken up on the Sunday. On the Sunday Adelaide Auxiliary Bishop James Gleeson (Later to become Adelaide’s first priest to become Archbishop) near the altar met some Lithuanian scouts, members of the community in national costume and members of the Lithuanian Catholic Committee.

The offering was given in English by Father Kungys using passages from Ecclesiastes and referring to the persecuted Catholics in Lithuania at that time, those martyred and tortured. Bishop Gleeson then took the opportunity to refer to the Lithuanian continued devotion to St Casimir and that God hears the hopes and prayers of his faithful. He declared that Lithuania will one day be free again. Bishop Gleeson encouraged Lithuanian parents to pray that their children may be called to enter the priesthood or sisterhood.