Rotušės a. 14a
LT-44279 Kaunas
Tel. (370-37) 40 90 26
Fax: (370-37) 32 00 90
E-mail: ordinaras@kn.lcn.lt
Born 7 Nov., 1938
Ordained priest 18 Apr., 1962
Consecrated bishop 19 May, 1991
Archbishop of Kaunas since 4 May, 1996
Sigitas Tamkevičius was born on November 7, 1938, in the village Gudonys, district of Lazdijai, in the South of Lithuania. After having graduated the secondary school in Seirijai in 1955 he entered the Interdiocesan Seminary in Kaunas. In 1957 S. Tamkevičius had to interrupt the studies in the seminary because of the obligatory military service. He continued his theology studies after the military service and graduated the seminary in 1962. On April 18, 1962, S. Tamkevičius was ordained priest by the bishop P. Maželis. In the following years Rev. S. Tamkevičius ministered as vicar in the parishes of Alytus, Lazdijai, Kudirkos Naumiestis, Prienai, Simnas. In 1968 he entered the Society of Jesus. (Catholic religious congregations were illegal according to Soviet law). Rev. S. Tamkevičius was among the initiators of the petition action protesting against the Soviet discriminating restrictions considering the conditions of the Interdiocesan theological seminary in Kaunas. Because of that Soviet authorities forbade Fr. Tamkevičius to exercise his priestly ministry. He worked in the factory and in the land-reclamation area for one year.
In 1972 while being vicar in Simnas parish Fr. Tamkevičius initiated the underground publication, The Chronicle of the Catholic Church of Lithuania. The Chronicle registered and made public in the West the facts of religious discrimination in Soviet Lithuania. The underground publication was severely persecuted by Soviet repressive authorities, mainly KGB. Fr. Tamkevičius was the editor of The Chronicle for 11 years until his arrest in 1983. He was the pastor of Kybartai parish from 1975 until 1983. In 1978 together with four other Lithuanian priests Fr. Tamkevičius founded The Catholic Committee for Defense of the Believers Rights. In 1983 Fr. Tamkevičius was arrested and put under trial, being accused for alleged anti-Soviet propaganda and agitation. He was sentenced with ten years term of the prison and exile. Fr. Tamkevičius spent his prison term in the labor camps of Perm and Mordovia. In 1988 he was exiled to Siberia. Thanks to liberalization of Soviet politics caused by perestrojka, Fr. Sigitas Tamkevičius was set free.
In 1989 the Lithuanian Bishops' Conference appointed Fr. Tamkevičius to the position of spiritual director in the Interdiocesan Seminary of Kaunas. In 1990 he was appointed rector of the seminary.
On May 19, 1991, Fr. Sigitas Tamkevičius, SJ was consecrated bishop and appointed auxiliary of the archbishop of Kaunas. On May 4, 1996, Msgr. S. Tamkevičius was appointed archbishop of Kaunas. 19992002 archbishop Sigitas Tamkevičius, SJ was president of the Lithuanian Bishops' Conference, and 20022005 he was vicepresident of LBC.
Since 2005 Archbishop Sigitas Tamkevičius has been repeatedly reelected president of Lthuanian Bishops' Conference. On October 26, 2011 he was also reelected president of the Commission for Social Communication of LBC, and president of the Council of Social Affairs of LBC.
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