Priest Juozas Juozaitis as the organizer of partizans and the advocate of independence in 1918-1919.

In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the proclamation of independence in 2018, we recall the freedom of Lithuania, the Lithuanian language and the people who advocated and defended Independence. The story of the life of Priest Juozas Juozaitis, one of thousands, reveals how difficult and complicated Lithuania‘s path to Independence was. Priest J. Juozaitis became a victim of the totalitarian regime. Born in a large family of a former peasant in the province of Suvalkai in 1884, the only one of his five brothers studied at the Seinai Priest Seminary. He was noted as a gifted cleric, one of the publishers of the manuscript publication “Jaunimo draugas” („The Friend of the Youth”) published in the seminary. He was consecrated a priest in 1908, worked as a vicar in several parishes in Lithuania and Poland. He translated two religious books from foreign languages, wrote articles in magazines published in Seinai, such as „Šaltinis“ (“The Spring”), „Vadovas“ (“The Handbook”) and „Viltis“ (“The Hope”) which was released in Vilnius. He greeted the announcement of independence in 1918 being a vicar in the Rudamina Parish (Lazdijai district). Feeling a patriotic duty to contribute to the consolidation of Independence, he became involved in the ranks of the advocates of freedom. He organized the youth of villagers and manor labourers of Rudamina and neighbouring parishes into partisan groups and took care of their arming. He himself guided them in the battle with the enemy. The enemies of the Lithuanian Independence disliked such a priest. An appeal was filed on him to the Diocese and at the end of 1919 he was suspended. By 1930 he worked in Kaunas. Later he lived with relatives and friends. He received a state pension as a worthy public figure. In 1945, in Lithuania already occupied by the Soviet Union, the Bishop cancelled the suspension and assigned him as a vicar to the parish of Gražiškiai. He was pursued and spied by the Soviet Security agents. In 1949 he was arrested for active anti-Soviet agitation and slander of the Soviet government, and was deported for 10 years to the Viatlagas concentration camp. In 1954 he returned to Lithuania, and worked as a vicar for a year in the Gražiškiai Parish. He died in 1955 and was buried in Marijampolė