Testimony of Fr. Stanislavs Cuzans (Staņislavs Čužāns) (1922-2010)
TMany priests arrived for an important festival in the nearby Boroka Parish. They also included Vladislavs Litaunieks, then priest in Sprukti. At that time, I served in Boroka as an altar boy. I clearly remember his warm-heartedness. Now, when I recall him entering the sacristy, he appeared to be somehow childlike, gentle and quiet...
Sprukti is 8 km away from Boroka. Fr. Litaunieks arrived by horse. He had his own horse; he drove the carriage alone and he did not have a coachman. I heard from other people that he was used to take passengers on his journeys. Fr. Litaunieks once invited a beggar who walked with a bag in hand to join him in his carriage. People remember that well, because the story of a priest who would welcome even a beggar in his carriage spread in Boroka quickly.
I studied in Kraslava Gymnasium then. All students had to take part in a organized confession during Lent. We, the Catholics, went to the church in an organized manner to confess our sins. Father Izidors Ancans (Izidors Ancāns), the principal of the Gymnasium, invited Vladislavs Litaunieks to instruct us before going to the church.
Before Fr.Litaunieks started his speech, the bells in the church tower started ringing, and jackdaws living in the tower flew out of it. The bell rang, silence set in and after a while the birds started to return to the tower one by one. The priest compared these birds with sins. The retreat would take a similar course — a bell would ring and we would make a confession to drive the sins away like those jackdaws. It was the beginning of the address of Fr. Litaunieks. I do not remember the rest of the speech. He talked peacefully and without pathos and he did not even raise his voice. He talked calmly and from his heart.
I thought of him as a counterweight to the negative. If I heard something negative, I instantly thought of him. I did not lose my calling, I kept it! I thank the Lord for being able to serve my entire life, and now my service as a priest has lasted for 60 full years. Now I often recall Fr. Litaunieks and the positive example he set for me then.
Source: Katolis.lv
Testimony of Zaiga Melkerte
“I have often felt him by my side and especially during hardships or doubts or when making serious decisions. When I prayed for his protection, I received help inexplicably soon and sometimes even within ten minutes, of course, if it matched God’s will. All the smaller instances of help are too many to count. I will tell you about the most recent instances. In January 2001, I started working at a hospital as an assistant in religious and ethical matters. When I went to visit seriously sick people and people who had attempted suicide (non-believers or people with little faith who could not handle the problems in their lives and simply decided to leave this earth), I always prayed for the protection of martyr Fr. Litaunieks for the patient and myself before seeing them. I also prayed for his presence. I could feel that I was not alone even when I walked in the room. I could feel the presence of the priest also in the room where the medical staff left me alone with a priest. At such times, unbelievable turns of events have happened. There have been instances when patients suddenly reject the fallacy of unbelieving. Several patients have even accepted the sacrament of Baptism and found parishes for themselves after being discharged from the hospital.”
The second testament of Zaiga Melkerte.
In May, we were notified about a sixteen-year-old girl, whose name was Kristine (Kristīne), admitted to Gailezers (Gaiļezers) Hospital, who had attempted suicide by drug overdose. The physicians did not give any hope. Her life could be over within the next few hours, because her body was poisoned and her liver was seriously damaged. We prayed for the protection of the priest-martyr for Kristine during the night, and also members of other parishes prayed for his protection for the poor girl and prayed for her. Father Andrejs Trapucka (Andrejs Trapučka) visited the girl in the hospital. The next day, we were happily surprised that the girl was going to live. We continued praying for the protection of the martyr Fr. Vladislavs. Kristine’s health rapidly improved, to the surprise of the physicians. The attending physician affirmed that the dose of drugs that Kristine had taken exceeded the deadly dose by six times. Later Kristine was moved to Linezers Hospital. It was established there that her liver was completely healthy, which Kristine’s mother also confirmed (she is a physician too). “The liver is completely healthy and there are no complications. Such a case cannot be explained in medical terms. The body is absolutely clean of drugs as well.” Kristine grew to love martyr Fr. Vladislavs Litaunieks so much that she even accepted him as her holy guardian.
Zaiga Melkerte, author of the book “Priest and Martyr Vladislavs Litaunieks”
Testimony of Anna Pudane (Anna Pudāne)
PAnna Pudane, a resident of Peleci (Pelēči) Municipality, can not stop thanking God and praising martyr Fr. Vladislavs Litaunieks for being healed. For many years, Anna had a mole on her face, which almost covered one of her cheeks. It hurt so much that she could not sleep at night. The mole grew bigger and bigger. Anna started thinking the worst. She prayed to God a lot about her health, prayed for help from many saints and, according to her, she received no answers. Then she came across the first edition of the book about Vladislavs Litaunieks. As she saw the image on the cover, she exclaimed, “Vladislavs, save me, if you are a saint! Why do I have to be this way and how will it end? I have never turned to you for help, but now I am. Save me!” In the evening that very day, the mole was completely gone from her face leaving no scars.
Anna Pudāne
Testimony of Sister Clara (Klāra)
We, the Sisters of the Poor Child Jesus in Latvia, often mention Fr. Vladislavs Litaunieks in our prayers. The older sisters especially ask for his help during times of sickness. The help comes quickly. Sister Klara adds, “The people have recognised Fr. Litaunieks as a saint.”