- Alfonsas Petrulis
Alfonsas Petrulis audio|Alfonsas Petrulis.ogg|pronunciation(1873-1928) was a
Lithuania nRoman Catholic priest and journalist, and one of the twenty signatories to theAct of Independence of Lithuania .Born near Biržai, he attended seminaries at
Kaunas ,Vilnius andSt. Petersburg , and was ordained in 1899. He then served in a number of parishes in the VilniusDiocese . Petrulis was active in the Lithuanian independence movement from 1899 to 1918; he worked in schools and newspapers, and pressed for the freedom to use theLithuanian language in the church.In 1917 he was a member of the
Vilnius Conference , and was elected to theCouncil of Lithuania , signing the Act of Independence in 1918. He then travelled toSwitzerland , along with four other council members, to encourage formal recognition of the state. After returning, he served as the Council's secretary and worked on those laws concerning religion in the new republic. He continued serving his pastoral duties until his death in 1928.References
*"Petrulis, Alfonsas". Encyclopedia Lituanica IV: 243. (1970-1978). Ed. Simas Sužiedėlis. Boston, Massachusetts: Juozas Kapočius. LCC 74-114275.
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