Founding of the Community

A SHORT HISTORY OF THE FOUNDING OF THE MARY GATE OF DAWN AND LITTLE THERESA COMMUNITY

“As my Father sent me, so am I sending you.” (John 20:21)

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These words, also confirmed by the Church itself, led Sister Rosana to Lithuania on December 21, 1991. Her heart burned with a great desire to serve the Lithuanian Church and to be a witness of prayer and service for this country. Very soon, at the request of several young women, the idea of founding a religious community was born. On March 17, 1992, there was a meeting with A.Bačkis, the new archbishop of Vilnius. He agreed not only to the founding of a non – cloistered Carmelite convent, for the public prayer groups and retreats, but also gave encouragement, saying: “Precisely such a convent is needed now in Lithuania. I would like you to establish yourselves in Vilnius”.

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Since the founder is on her own and needs to fulfill the duties of a prioress, business manager, and a novitiate mistress, she places her trust in the following: The Virgin Mary, our most high Mother and Prioress; St. Joseph, our business manager; St. Theresa of the Child Jesus, our novitiate mistress.

After many hardships the community left the Vilnius convent to the parish and, on the invitation of the Bishop J.Matulaitis, moved to Krikštėnai, a town in the bishopric of Kaišiadorys. March 25, 1994 – the first sisters begin to live together as a community.

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On September 8, 1996 the first step of official juridical recognition of the Church “ad experimentum” was made.

On May 3, 2000 the community was recognized as “public Christian association”, the temporal status waiting until the sufficient number of sisters would legitimate the official status of the convent.

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