Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. History of Catholicism in Latvia
3. Diocese of Liepaja
4. Vidzeme
5. Estonia
6. The Attack on Religion in the First Soviet Occupation
7. Map of Catholic Churches in Latgale

Introduction

Latvia is located on the east coast of the Baltic Sea bordered by Estonia, Russia, Belarus and Lithuania on the South. Its three historic provinces are Latgale, Kurzeme (Courland) and Vidzeme (Livonia). Latvia became an independent nation on November 18, 1918. In June 1940 the Soviet Communist forces occupied the country and forcibly incorporated it into the Soviet Union in August 1940. In June 1941 Nazi Germany invaded, controlling Latvia until July 1944 when the Soviets began their reconquest which they completed in May 1945. Latvia was under Soviet Communist rule until it regained its freedom on August 21,1991 as the U.S.S.R. was disintegrating.

Its present population of 2.4 million people is 56% Latvian, and 32% Russian, along with some Belorussians (4%) Ukrainians (3%) Poles (3%) and Lithuanians (2%). The three main religious groups in Latvia are Catholics, Lutherans and Russian Orthodox. Latvia has a long historic Catholic tradition although after the Reformation Lutherans became established in the western provinces. Catholics were the second largest group, concentrated primarily in Latgale, the eastern region. In the first half of the twentieth century the Catholic church grew considerably throughout Latvia. Also it survived the 50-year Communist repression much better than any other religion so that by the end of the century it had become the largest faith in the country.

History of Catholicism in Latvia

Christianity came to the area from both East and West around the 11th century. The peoples inhabiting the area of present day Latvia were the Kurs, Livs, Latgalians, Semgallians and Selonians. Some of the eastern native tribes (such as the Selonians and Latgalianas) were already acquainted with the Christian faith from Byzantium via contact with neighboring Slavs. Around the same time Danes had also brought it to the region. The traditional date of the Christianizing of Latvia is 1186 when the German missionary Meinrad established the first diocese at Ikskile. The German traders arriving in the region were accompanied by missionaries. Bishop Albert (1199-1229), establishing the Teutonic Knights of the Sword, completed the Christianization of the region then known as Livonia. In 1215 Pope Innocent III proclaimed the land Terra Mariana and Marian devotion became prominent in early Latvia. The Christian faith was stronger in the towns while in the countryside local pre-Christian traditions endured.

Control of Livonia was contested by the bishops and the Knights of the Sword who developed into the Livonian Order. At the start of the Reformation Lutheranism spread quickly to Livonia from Germany. It started in Riga between 1521 and 1524 when the Catholic churches were attacked and turned into Lutheran parishes. It then spread to other areas of Livonia. Contributing factors in the Reformation in Livonia were corruption of the Livonian Order’s rule and political and socio-economic problems which all converged. In 1561 the Livonian Order collapsed. The Duchy of Kurzeme was created and governed as a Lutheran realm but some Catholics remained. At the same time Vidzeme and Latgale were acquired by Poland under Stefan Batory who defended Catholicism during the Counter-Reformation. He restored the Diocese of Livonia with its seat at Cesis and encouraged Catholic priests, especially the Jesuits, in the restoring the Catholic faith. In 1629 the Swedes conquered part of Livonia, expelling all Catholics priests and institutions from Riga and Vidzeme. Vidzeme became thoroughly Protestant. Latgale, remaining under Polish rule, became the traditional stronghold of Catholicism. There the Jesuits played a major role in preserving the faith although Dominicans, Lazarists and Bernardins also were active. While medieval Livonia had been notable for its Marian devotions and shrines they also now developed in Latgale, most notably at Aglona. Other Marian shrines in Latvia appeared at Skaistkalne, Sarkani, Izvolta, and Posine. Another prominent shrine was that of St. Donat at Kroslova.

In 1772 Latgale came under Russian control through the Partitions of Poland. Latgale’s Catholics now became part of the new Archdiocese of Mohilev which Catherine II created while Catholics of Kurzeme were included in the Vilna diocese. Latgale remained Catholic in face of strong 19th century efforts to russify the population and promote the Orthodox faith. Meanwhile. by the late 18th century Catholics had gradually reestablished a modest presence in Riga. By 1900 its Catholic population had grown considerably and several new churches were built.

A turning point for the church in early 1900’s was the emergence of Latvian priests in significant numbers for the first time. Many of them became leading figures among the Latgalian intelligentsia. They promoted the cultural, social and economic development of Latgale. By 1917 there were 30 Latvian priests among 17 Poles and 76 Lithuanians. The Latvian Catholic clergy strongly supported Latvian independence and played a major role in the unification of Latgale with Livonia (Vidzeme) and Courland (Kurzeme) in an independent Latvia in 1918.

The Diocese of Riga was proclaimed on August 18, 19l8 by Benedict XV. This united the Latgalian parishes (located in the Vitebsk guberniya of Russia) with the rest of Latvia. The Pope named the Irish priest Edmund O'Rourke as bishop.¹ In April 1920 O’Rourke resigned and Antonijs Springovics became the first Latvian bishop of Riga. On June 9, 1920 Benedict XV specified that Kurzeme’s Catholic parishes be separated from the Archdiocese of Kaunas and joined to the Riga diocese.

A brief period of Communist rule of Latvia in 1919 brought the first Communist terror and repression of the church.

The status of the church in the newly independent Latvia was officially determined by a Concordat between Latvia and the Vatican in 1923. This agreement gave the Church full autonomous rights and control of its affairs. Also the Catholics obtained St. Jacob’s Cathedral but only after a controversy in the Parliament (the Saeima) and opposition by Lutheran leaders.

The first seat of the diocese was Aglona, the historic shrine and pilgrimage site, but in 1924 it was moved to Riga. Aglona remained as the spiritual center of Latvian Catholicism and became the principal pilgrimage site of Catholics from the entire region, not just Latvia. The theological seminary which was opened in Aglona in 1920, also moved to Riga in 1924. In 1926 it became a Theological Academy and in 1938 it became a part of the Theological Faculty of the State University of Latvia.

In 1920 Catholicism was the second largest religion in Latvia with 390,106 members, and 117 parishes served by 132 priests. While traditionally strong in Latgale it began to assume a national character with the training of more Latvian priests, the building of new churches and growth in Kurzeme and Vidzeme. But the church remained strongest in Latgale. By 1928 the total Latvian Catholic population had increased to 441,601 while the number of parishes had grown to 146.

Catholic cloisters and monasteries, prohibited under the tsarist regime, resumed their activity in the early 1920's. Some of the early orders were foreign monks and nuns invited to Latvia but Latvians quickly entered the religious orders. Capuchins, Dominicans, Marians and Jesuits as well as Sisters of the Poor Child Jesus and Holy Cross nuns were all active.

The Latvian government and the Vatican maintained good relations. Achilles Ratti was named as Apostolic Visitator for Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. His visit to Latvia in spring 1920 was the first time in 400 years that a papal delegate had been in the country. The Latvian envoy to the Holy See was the Latvian University professor Hermans Albats. In 1921 Pius XI named Antonio Zecchini as Apostolic Delegate to the Baltic States. In 1925 he moved to Riga, eventually becoming the senior diplomat in the Latvian capital. He was named nuncio in 1928. Upon his death in 1935 Antonio Arata succeeded him.

Some of the Catholic clergy were active in national politics with Francis Trasuns and Bishop Jazeps Rancans elected as members of the Saeima. Trasuns had created the Christian Peasant Party which started as strictly a confessional party but later became a secular Christian party, Kristeigo Zemniku Partija, with Rancans as its leader. In the First Saeima it had four deputies. In the Fourth Saeima,1931-1934, it won the most votes in Latgale and had eight deputies and was the third largest votegetter nationally with 8.1%.

There were a number of Catholic educational institutions. The most important of these was the Boys Gimnasium of 400 students at Aglona which was founded in 1921. It was the only classical secondary school in Latvia. A girls secondary school of 200 students nearby at Jaunaglyuna opened in 1927. Also there was a boys school in Riga as well as a girls school operated by the Sisters of the Poor Child Jesus. In Daugavpils there was a Catholic training college for women for elementary school teaching.

The chief Catholic publications were the monthly periodicals Katolu Dzeive, edited by Prof. D. Jaudzems, Zidunis, edited by Aloizs Broks as well as Sauleite and Gaisma and the weeklies Latgolas Vords and Maras Vestnesis. There was an extensive network of lay social organizations such as the St.Francis III order for lay people.

Diocese of Liepaja

In May 1937 Pius XI elevated the diocese of Riga to an archdiocese and created a new diocese at Liepaja with Antonijs Urbss named as bishop. A year later on May, 1938 Latvian church territory became an independent metropolitanate. A supplement to the Concordat between the Latvia and the Vatican was needed to achieve this change. The Ulmanis regime pursued the Concordat because it desired the international stature which an agreement with the Vatican would bring and because it wanted to keep the support of the Catholic Church in Latvia. The Liepaja diocese included Kurzeme and Zemgale and had 39 churches, and 29 mission points. It had 90,000 Catholics which grew to 120,000-130,000 in the summer due to seasonal worker influx from Latgale and from abroad.²

Vidzeme

In 1930’s churches established in Vidzeme where there were Catholics in each pagast in greater or lesser numbers. New parish churches in Cesis, Madona, Gulbene, Irsi, Koknese, Lielvarde, Rujiene, Valmiera and other locations. In Riga new churches built in 1920’s and 1930’s: Kristus Karala, Sv. Antona un Sv. Jazepa.

Estonia

The jurisdiction of the diocese of Riga extended to parishes in neighboring Estonia following historic precedent. Included in the Riga deaconate were the Estonian parishes of Tallin, Tartu and others. In Tallin St.Peter and Paul parish was built in 1842 with the support of the Mogilev Catholics. The Tartu church, erected in 1899, also was built with Mogilev archdiocesan support. Church construction was directed by pastor Zishkars. Consecrated in 1904 by archbishop Shembeck it was dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin before World War I most of the Catholics in Estonia were foreigners - Poles, Lithuanians, Latvians, and Germans- most of whom left after Estonian independence.

In the 1920’s there were several thousand Catholics and two priests. The Papal envoy Zecchini assumed the responsibility for Estonia as Academic Administrator in 1924. In 1930 Edmund Proffitlich, a Jesuit, came to Estonia and eventually became the Apostolic Administrator, becoming bishop in 1936. Proffitlich was arrested and deported by the Communists in 1940, disappearing in the Soviet Gulag. He perished in 1942.

The Attack on Religion in the First Soviet Occupation

The first Soviet occupation, from June 1940 to June 1941, brought an organized attack on religion. The Communist regime nationalized all church property, closed the seminary and the Catholic press and libraries, and harassed priests, nuns and churchgoers. Ten priests were killed while two disappeared, fate unknown. In June 1941 the Communists deported 15,000 Latvians including many members of the Catholic lay intelligentsia. Also the regime severed relations with the Vatican, and expelled foreign nuns, and priests, even those with Latvian citizenship, although a few managed to remain. Latvian nuns who were studying or living abroad were not allowed to return.

German rule, from June 1941 until May 1945, was also severe. Latvians had anticipated an improvement of conditions but this did not materialize. The Nazi regime treated the Church merely to further German interests. The Nazis did not trust Catholics and relations with Church were tense. They took control of Church property nationalized by the Communists but charged higher rents. The seminary reopened but little improvement in other areas. The Nazis instituted rules to control and manipulate the church as seen in the June 1942 decree on religious policy by which the regime asserted the power to approve church officials, levy fines, dismiss clergy and dissolve any religious organization. Priests were prevented from ministering to Catholics in nearby Soviet regions and from working among Soviet prisoners of war. A large part of the Catholic population was deported for labor in Germany while others were pressed into military service. The Nazi arrest, deportation and death of Rev. Aloizs Broks was a major tragedy. The Church could do little to stop the Holocaust and other Nazi atrocities but individual priests attempted to rescue Jews. In October 1944 the German security police deported bishops Urbss, Rancans and Boleslas Sloskans to Germany. In the latter stages of the war many priests emigrated to West, chiefly to escape the Communist threat. In all 41 fled Latvia. War operations of both Nazis and Soviets caused great damage to churches and church property.

When the Soviets reimposed their rule over Latvia the Church was in a weakened position due to the loss of priests, damage to churches, and the loss of many church members, some as refugees others as Soviet deportees. Springovics, the only remaining bishop, faced great pressure and threats from the regime. The Communists returned to Stalinist tactics of fierce religious persecution despite public promises to the contrary. The state had complete control of all church activities. The persecution began with the arrest of priests in late 1945. Two new bishops, Kazimirs Dulbinskis and Piters Strods, were consecrated in 1947 but Dulbinskis was arrested in 1949 and deported. From 1945 to 1988 the Communist regime imprisoned 70 Latvian priests, of whom nine died or were killed while imprisoned. The Church also had to endure a systematic, vicious anti-religious campaign which consisted of extensive anti-religious propaganda in the schools, in thousands of clubs, at places of work as well as in all types of social organizations. The entire media was utilized by the state in this effort: the press, radio and television, as well as cinema, theater and other methods of mass communication. Religious affairs, controlled by Communist Party officials and the KGB in Moscow were enforced through the Latvian Party and KGB network and the local Council of Religious Affairs office.

The anti-religious campaign intensified during the rule of Nikita Khrushchev, 1957-1964. Many priests were arrested, often for minor infractions. The regime attempted to close the seminary but it remained open although under severe limitations. A number of priests were induced to become apostates and denounce the Church. Upon the death of Bishop Strods in 1960 the regime tried to undermine the diocese by preventing the naming of a new bishop. In 1964 Vaivods was consecrated as the new bishop. He followed a delicate policy of protecting church interests while not antagonizing the state. Virtually no prayerbooks or other church publications were allowed in the entire Soviet period. Strong sanctions were applied to the population to not observe religious rituals but atheist efforts failed their goals. Most parishes remained open in spite of the pressure, and the shortage of priests. Priests served as pastors of multiple parishes.

In spite of constant efforts to undermine it the shrine and pilgrimage site of Aglona achieved unique status in USSR. Yearly it attracted tens of thousands of pilgrims from various parts of the U.S.S.R. for the traditional August 15 feast of the Assumption.

In 1950’s the Riga archdiocese became the overseer of Catholic parishes in all of USSR because Moscow did not trust the Lithuanian clergy. This ministry to the Catholics in the vast Soviet Union was one of the greatest accomplishments of the Latvian church in this period. Since the Soviets at first refused to allow the Riga Seminary to train candidates from other Soviet republics priests from the Riga Archdiocese were sent to parishes in the far reaches of Soviet territory. But in 1967 the restriction was lifted and by 1991 the Riga seminary had prepared 82 priests for parish posts in other Soviet republics. Four of the new bishops in Russia were seminary graduates.

The militant atheistic measures moderated by 1980 but control, manipulation and repression continued until Gorbachev’s reforms. Shortly before this, in 1983 Julijans Vaivods was named as Cardinal, the first ever in the Soviet Union.

In spite of the regime’s efforts the number of Catholic believers remained fairly constant. Catholicism actually emerged as the strongest and largest faith in Latvia. In the 1970’s according to published Vatican figures church membership declined to around 270,000 but the actual numbers were higher. This was supported by the Communist regime’s revelation in 1985 that half of all believers in Latvia were Catholics In the Glasnost period, starting in1988 there was moderation of the regime’s atheistic certitude and noticeable improvements for churches in the U.S.S.R.. In 1989, toward the end of Communist rule, Latvia had 179 parishes served by 101 priests. There were 504,000 baptized Catholics in Latvia.³