Seminarian from the US: Vilnius has played the unique role in the story of the Divine Mercy

Justin Gough, a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Baltimore who is in formation for the priesthood at the Pontifical North American College in Rome had pastoral placement in the Shrine of the Divine Mercy and Vilnius pilgrim center from the 23 rd of June till the 26 th of July. We offer you to look at Lithuania and Vilnius, as a city of Mercy, from Justin’s point of view.
How did you decide to do an internship in Lithuania and why did you chose Vilnius?
It would be more correct to say that Vilnius chose me. Because of my family’s Lithuanian heritage (my great-grandparents were from Klaipeda), I wanted to spend at least part of my summer abroad in Lithuania. When I contacted the Archdiocese of Vilnius, I had no idea about the city’s connection with St. Faustina or the first image of the Divine Mercy; I really did not know what I would be getting myself into. It came as a great surprise when Archbishop Grušas told me of these things and graciously invited me to work here; I am incredibly grateful to have had this opportunity.
Vilnius is often called a City of Mercy, though that kind of name can sound strange to us, since we usually do not think of places or things as being merciful. Having met and talked to people from Vilnius, did you get the impression that Vilnius is in fact a City of Mercy? How would you describe Vilnius by the people that you have met here?
What comes to mind when I think of Vilnius as a City of Mercy are the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy. On a personal level, the very invitation to live in Vilnius for these months, along with a place to stay and meals provided, are the concrete ways that I have been affected by the great mercy of this city and its people. Thanks be to God!
I would say that for a person to be an effective instrument of God’s mercy, two things are necessary: contemplation and action. I have seen first-hand how the people of Vilnius live these out. Since we cannot give that which we have not received, before we are able to give mercy to others by the Spiritual or Corporal Works, we must first experience that mercy for ourselves, and that is accomplished only through prayer and the sacraments. In my experience, the vibrant faith community of the Shrine of Divine Mercy is a testament to the rich life of contemplative prayer that this city boasts. From several standing-room-only daily Masses, to the Sacrament of Reconciliation available all day, to the many Rosaries and Divine Mercy Chaplets prayed seemingly at all hours, to the incredible fact that at any hour of the day or night, one can spend time with our Lord in Eucharistic Adoration, the people of Vilnius take seriously and strive to choose, like Mary, “the better part”, sitting at the feet of Jesus (cf. Lk. 10:38-42).
Just as contemplation should lead us to action, the people of Vilnius are ready and eager to heed the call of the Lord to be merciful like the Father (cf. Lk. 6:36) in their daily lives. Consistently in my five weeks here, I have seen many go out of their way to help someone in need–a homeless person asking for something to eat, a tourist looking for his way, or me knowing only a handful of words in Lithuanian.
Vilnius, indeed, is a city where the mercy of God is abundantly evident, not only in the city’s long and difficult history where, despite the best efforts of several regimes, the Christian faith is alive and well, but also in the hearts of its people, who give witness to it by their lives.
Which places in Vilnius or in Lithuania have left the strongest impression on you?
A complete answer to this question would require me to mention two places. The first is Klaipeda, my great-grandparents’ hometown, specifically in regards to my great-grandmother, Alberta, who bravely left her family and circa 1935, when she left Klaipeda to seek refuge in the United States—in Baltimore—prior to the beginnings of the Second World War. (She was born in America while her parents lived there, so she had dual citizenship). She was not able to see any of her family again, until her brother was able to visit in 1992, after the fall of the Soviet Union. Standing on perhaps the very same dock on which she left some 81 years later, and being the first of her linage to return to Lithuania, was an incredibly moving experience and one that I will remember for the rest of my life.
The second would be the Shrine of Divine Mercy and, more generally, all the places associated with the painting and veneration of the first image of the Divine Mercy. Painted perhaps in the same year that my great-grandmother left for America, I cannot help but feel the intimate connection between this image and my ancestry; both, I believe, are expressions of God’s providence and his mercy. Just as the Lord provided for my family, and so many other families, throughout the many hardships of the mid-20^th century, so too did he keep under his loving gaze this picture of His Son to be for us today a much-needed reminder that his mercy endures for ever (cf. Ps. 136).
The word ‘Catholicism’ refers to something universal. Nevertheless, the everyday life of the Catholic Church has unique characteristics in every country, especially in the traditional forms of people’s devotion. Have you noticed any specific traits of Lithuanian piety? Could you compare the differences in the way of practicing the faith in Lithuania and in the United States? How could visiting pilgrims enrich the practice of the one, holy, catholic faith here in Lithuania? What could Lithuanians learn from pilgrims who visit Lithuania?
To the visitor’s eye, the most significant aspect of Lithuanian piety that stands out, I would say, is the presence of so many votive offerings at the various holy sites. Most often in the shape of a heart, or a leg, or an arm, or even lungs, these silver plaques adorn in great numbers nearly all the churches in Lithuania and especially the most significant images and icons. They represent acts of thanksgiving to God for graces and favors received through prayer. I cannot help but think of all the incredible stories of conversions and healings, some even miraculous, that must be associated with each one of them.
This pious practice, I think, can teach us foreigners two things: the immense value of intercessory prayer and that we ought to be thankful for all that God does for us, in both what we ask for and in what we do not. “More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of,” Alfred Lord Tennyson once wrote. These votive offerings remind us to pray and also, in gratitude for all that we have received, to give thanks to God. We give thanks for everything, for everything is grace.
This is not to say that, for example, Americans do not pray and are do not give thanks to God, but I do think both can be a temptation for us who have never had to fight for our faith or practice it underground in our lifetimes, as the Lithuanians and others have. Perhaps we can learn much from the not-so-distant history of Lithuania.
One thing that has always struck me when travelling to different countries is that no matter where you are or what language is being spoken, you are guaranteed to know at least one word during Holy Mass: “Amen”. This word signifies our unity as a Church, bound together by our common faith, most especially as it is the final word that passes our lips before receiving Holy Communion. What I think can be learned by both pilgrims that visit Lithuania and Lithuanians themselves,  is the vast richness both in unity and in diversity that our Church has been blessed with, and that we should always be conscious, in our prayers and our actions, of not only the immediate Church, but the whole of the Church on Earth.
What message about Lithuania will you bring back home?
As the Year of Mercy continues, I hope to take the message of the Divine Mercy and the unique role that Vilnius has played in the story of St. Faustina and Bl. Michał Sopočko those that I will meet in Rome, where I also guide pilgrims through the Holy Door of Mercy at St. Peter’s Basilica. Above all, I hope that what I have learned and experienced this summer will help me, please God, in my future ministry as a priest, to help others come to know and feel for themselves, by the rich religious history of Lithuania and these holy people, the never-ending and always super-abundant mercy of God, which is always available to us in the sacraments.