In Lithuania – on a mission
Father A. Lavin, originally from the Chilean capital Santiago, has been living in Lithuania for 27 years. Initially, after completing th studies of economics, he worked as an economist for 6 years, but later, he felt the calling to become a priest, which one day led him to Lithuania.
"With the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Soviet Union, the Lithuanian Catholic Church began inviting institutions from other countries. The then Archbishop of Vilnius, Cardinal Juozas Audrys Backis, invited the Opus Dei prelature, to which I belonged, to come to Lithuania. I had previously told my then boss, the bishop, that I would gladly go somewhere to do missionary work, to help people, so I was offered this opportunity," the priest explains.
Upon arriving in Lithuania, one of the biggest challenges for A. Lavin was the Lithuanian language. Adjusting to the climate was not difficult, but to be able to speak the language took him several years after which he could gradually work as a priest.
The priest saw Lithuanians as a very devout nation with many heroes of faith. He attributes this to the long period of Soviet occupation when the churches were closed and people, especially city dwellers, could not publicly confess their faith, receive sacraments, or celebrate religious holidays, so they had to seek different spiritual support.
Healing soul illnesses
The new VILNIUS TECH chaplain, A. Lavin, will soon start receiving community members who want to talk to him. According to the priest, this can help people deal with soul illnesses.
"A person's soul can get sick just like the body. These illnesses include a tendency toward selfishness, laziness, and we all (including me) have them. Since everything in a person is connected, we cannot say that only the body is sick, only the head, psyche, or only the soul. Sometimes physical pain can turn into a soul illness, and vice versa. So I am ready to accept anyone who wants to talk about anything – studies, family, dreams, future, difficulties," the priest invites.
A. Lavin also sincerely hopes to help young future creators, who nowadays increasingly face psychological challenges. The priest observes that contemporary youth around the world more and more often experience various fears, anxiety, depression, and this suffering is compounded by a sense of loneliness and a changed perception of God.
"Today, a computer is a young person's best friend. As time goes on, when a teenager encounters life's problems, they feel lonely, especially when they want to communicate but don't know how or with whom; they communicate in the virtual space, on social networks," the priest says.
The priest is convinced that without knowing how to communicate with each other, especially with loved ones, young people no longer know how to communicate with God. A. Lavin gives an example that as a child grows up, they observe their parents and compare them to a higher power.
"The child sees that the father is good and thinks that God is even better. If they see that the father is merciful, they automatically understand that God is even more merciful and so on. However, when children, for various reasons, do not see such examples in their families, they begin to perceive God as some kind of controller who demands something," the priest reflects.
To talk to the new chaplain, you can do so by email (alavini@gmail.com), call +370 694 276 85, or visit the Church of the Holy Cross (S. Daukanto St. 1, Vilnius) on Mondays and Fridays from 14:00 to 16:00.
The article was prepared by Milda Mockunaite-Vitkiene, the internal communication projects manager of the Public communication directorate at VILNIUS TECH.
Photos by Aleksas Jaunius
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