LETTER OF THE SUPERIOR GENERAL
ON 60th ANNIVERSARY OF PRIESTHOOD OF FR. VIKTORS PENTJUŠS
CELEBRATED IN RIGA (LATVIA) ON MARCH 8, 2008

Laudetur Iesus Christus!

Dear Father Pentjušs!

In the name of your Marian confreres throughout the world, I extend to you our warmest regards and congratulations as you celebrate the 60th Anniversary of your Priestly Ordination.

Sixty years ago, on March 9, 1942, you offered your life in service to Christ and the Church as a Marian priest. In the intervening years – in times of sadness when your homeland was plunged into war and occupation, and our Faith was persecuted, as well as in times of hope marked by the rebirth of your nation and the renewal of the Church – you have faithfully fulfilled the vocation given you by the Lord.

Father, how many lives you have touched by your kindness, goodness, wisdom and humble faith! In your various duties as a parish priest, a retreat director, a spiritual director, Vice-Rector and professor of the Riga Archdiocesan Seminary, and as an instructor in the Catechetical Institute (to name but a few) you were a point of reference for believers young and old, encouraging them and guiding them to a deeper love for their Faith. I am particularly grateful to God and to you for the wise counsel and steady presence that you contributed to your Marian confreres during the times of persecution and in our Congregation’s renewal in recent years. I also do not want to forget the numerous young men whom you guided to the religious life and priesthood, in our Congregation and beyond, who now serve the Church in Latvia and throughout the former Soviet Union. Without the discrete witness and example of your life, it would be hard to imagine the Church and our Marian community in Eastern Europe today. Many times during my visits to our Communities in Eastern Europe, numerous confreres told me that they owed their vocations to Father Pentjušs! Father Viktors, may God bless you abundantly for your fidelity!

In the name of the Congregation of Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception, I also extend my greetings to all those present at this celebration. From the bottom of my heart, I thank all those past and present who have helped our confrere, Father Viktors. May God reward you for your goodness!

Due to matters beyond my control, I regret that I cannot be present with you in person. Please know that we at the Generalate will be with you in spirit and will remember you during our celebration of the Holy Eucharist.

Zobacz więcej wydarzeń >