Father Spurgis

Budriene and Father Spurgis

The second Catholic priest to minister to the Adelaide Lithuanians was Father Albinas Spurgis.  He was born September 6^th in 1907 in Panevežys.  He attended the Ukmergė school and later the Seminary in Kaunas.  He was ordained a priest on June 23^rd 1932.  From 1932 he spent two years at St Peters and Paul’s church in Panevežys and three years in Panevežys cathedral. From July 1938 he was at the Gelažių parish and Simonys. From December 12^th 1943 he held the office of the Dean of Kupiškas.

He left Lithuania in 1944 and made his way to Germany, Oberfalce in Bavaria in the town of Weiden, where he assisted the church.  He established a Lithuania camp where he was the chaplain and Weiden Lithuanian school director.

He emigrated to the USA in 1949 and lived in Cleveland in the St Joseph’s church.  He was here for four years.  In 1953 he left for Rome and entered the Marian congregation, where he remained for  two years.  He returned to Chicago and entered pastoral work and travelled to Lithuanian congregations.  In 1958 he was appointed to the Marian newspaper “Friends’.

In 1969 he arrived in Adelaide and became the second Catholic priest for St Casmir’s.  He arrived on 27 November to a community meal with 60 parish members present.   During the evening Father Spurgis told those present that he had heard alot about the Adelaide community in Chicago, mainly from J. Bačunas and Bishop V. Brizgys

Father Spurgis died on 7^th October 1985 10 07 in Adelaide.