Martynas Mažvydas

Joyous homeland, famous of the great rulers, Lithuania, love this word of God with all your heart,
for when you are in the court of our Lord, you would not have the strict judgment or anger of God.

Welcome, great people. A rare Lithuanian still needs my introduction, as many know who I am and why I am here. But if someone does not know, it is about time they learn. I am a representative of the first generation of Lithuanian religious resistance, the pioneer of Lithuanian writing, called by the name Martynas Mažvydas.

I was born in the early 16th century, when the Reformation movement, inspired by my great role model, Martin Luther, prevailed in Europe. At that time, Catholicism prevailed in Grand Lithuania and was preached in Latin. I was a teacher at the Abraham Culvensis High School.

For my reformist activities, I was persecuted by a Catholic bishop. Unexpectedly, I received a letter from the Prince Albert of Prussia inviting me to study at the University of Königsberg. While I did not visit the palace of the Grand Duke of Lithuania, did not listen to the Italian choir, and I may not have had discussions with the greatest Renaissance humanists, I do have an education. I managed to finish an 8-semester university course in 3 semesters.

In 1547, I prepared and published the Lithuanian incunabula, the first Lithuanian book – The Catechism. I have walked the path to the Hans Weines printing house and felt a great responsibility. I went day by day, watching as the master, the principal, and his apprentices printed my book page by page. I dedicated it to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania because I deeply believe that the book bridges a man and the world.

A couple of years later, I became the pastor of Ragainė. I used to prepare books necessary for the Lithuanian Lutheran Church: catechism, hymns, agenda. I spent all my money on books and literary work, and I so lived in poverty. I was called the Father of the Poor. As far as I heard from the stories of Klaipėda residents, after my death, my cousin Baltramiejus Vilentas took care of the printing of my books.

In 1938, a Polish linguist Jan Safarewicz discovered a secret that I left in the Catechism: I encrypted my identity with an acrostic. “What does this mean?” you might ask. If you read the first letters of the lines of the Lithuanian preface of the catechism from the third to the nineteenth line, you get the Latin form – Martinus Masvidius.

450 years after the publication of the Catechism, with the help of the sculptor Regimantas Midvikis and the architect V. Mazurkevičius, I stand here, in the central square of the city of Klaipėda, the square of Lithuanians, formerly called by the names Liepaja, Kant, Lenin and Pergalė.

I call on everyone who can hear men. Sit on the bench, let the memories take you back to school days. Take a moment to reflect and think of your love for Lithuania. We are lucky to live in an independent, bright, and ever-improving state. Let us nurture and cherish our native language, embellish our country with sincerity, love, and good deeds…