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His Excellency

Antonijs Springovičs
His Excellency; Antonijs Springovičs
Archbishop of Riga
Church	Roman Catholic
Archdiocese	Riga
Appointed	25 October 1923
In office	1923-1958
Successor	Pēteris Strods
Previous post(s)	Bishop of Riga (1920-1923)
Orders
Ordination	24 June 1901; by Bolesław Hieronim Kłopotowski
Consecration	22 August 1920; by Juozapas Skvireckas
Rank	Metropolitan Archbishop
Personal details
Born	November 1, 1876; Rēzekne, Russian Empire Present-day Latvia
Died	October 1, 1958 (aged 81); Riga, Latvian SSR, Soviet Union
Buried	St Michael's Cemetery, Riga
Nationality	Latvian

Antonijs Springovičs (1 November 1876 – 1 October 1958) was a Roman Catholic Latvian prelate who became the first Archbishop of Riga in 1923.

Early years

Antonijs Springovičs was born on 31 October 1876 in Rēzekne, Latvia. In 1897 he joined the seminary in Saint Petersburg. He received a Master's degree in Theology. He was ordained priest by Bolesław Hieronim Kłopotowski, the Archbishop of Mohilev on 24 June 1901.

Bishop of Riga

On 29 September 1918, the Diocese of Riga was restored and Eduard O'Rourke was appointed as the first bishop. O'Rourke's position in Riga was problematic as German forces occupied the city in early 1919. By the end of World War I, the ecclesiastical organisation was largely destroyed, and only a few priests were active. O'Rourke did not speak Latvian but tried to encourage Latvian priests. He resigned after a new government in Latvia was appointed and there was a popular movement calling for an ethnic Latvian bishop. Thus on 14 April 1920 Pope Benedict XV appointed Springovičs as O'Rourke's successor with the bull Hodies nos.^[1] He was consecrated bishop on 22 August 1920 by Juozapas Skvireckas.

Metropolitan Archbishop

On 25 November 1923 Springovičs was appointed as the first archbishop of Riga after the diocese was elevated on 25 October 1923. In November 1926 he was awarded the Latvian Order of the Three Stars.^[2] On 8 May 1937 Springovičs became metropolitan archbishop after the suffragan Diocese of Liepāja was created.^[3] In 1939 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Latvia.^[4]

Soviet occupation

Archbishop Springovičs faced numerous challenges during the Soviet occupation. The Faculty of Theology in the University of Latvia was closed and its library books were confiscated. Springovičs remained in Latvia under the pretext of poor health after he was ordered to leave. On 7 March 1946 the Major Seminary of Riga was reopened after it was closed by the Soviets. Archbishop Springovičs died on October 1, 1958. His funeral took place on October 6 in St. James's Cathedral, Riga. The requiem mass was celebrated by Bishop Pēteris Strods. Springovičs was buried in St Michael's cemetery in Riga.^[5]

Ecclesiastical appointments

1901 - 1905: School chaplain
1905 - 1917: Dean of Līksna^[6]
1917 - 1918: General Vicar of Mohilev
1918 - 1920: General Vicar of Riga
1920 - 1923: Bishop of Riga
1923 - 1937: Archbishop of Riga
1937 - 1958: Metropolitan Archbishop of Riga

References

^ www.katolis.lv Archived December 16, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
^ "Reliģiju Enciklopēdija: Kristietība: Romas katoļi: Latvija". bibelesbiedriba.lv.
^ Rigensis: Archiepiscopalis ecclesia Rigensis ad metropolitanae ecclesiae gradum et dignitatem evehitur novaque provincia ecclesiastica sub nomine <<Rigensis>> in Lettonia constituitur, Acta Apostolicae Sedis, Volume 29 Archived April 2, 2015, at the Wayback Machine (1937), p. 387
^ "Latgales dati". du.lv.
^ Cakuls, J. Latvijas Romas katoļu priesteri. Rīga:Rīgas Metropolijas kūrija, 1996. 315., 316.lpp.
^ "vesture". catholic.lv. Archived from the original on 2012-07-21. Retrieved 2015-02-28.