Born in a small town in the Suvalkija region, the young Antanas, eager to become a priest, but of modest economic conditions, came to know the Salesians and Don Bosco. He then wrote to the superiors in Turin and received the telegraphic reply: “Come! We are waiting for you". He was the first of a real wave of young Lithuanians who later reached Piedmont.
He studied, became a Salesian in 1906, and was ordained a priest in August 1914, a week after the outbreak of the Great War. Unable to return home, he worked in Italy, in the houses of Verona and Este, where he took steps to found the Lithuanian edition of the Salesian Bulletin.
Already in 1921, he worked zealously to bring young Lithuanians to Italy so that, fascinated by the Salesian charism, they would become future sons of Don Bosco. As soon as conditions permitted, he returned to his homeland. In a large estate received as a gift, he established a community of Salesians who worked full time with the over 100 students of the vocational training school. The work remained open from 1934 to 1940, interrupted by the Soviet occupation.
In the following years, Fr Skeltys (who among other things deserving of the title of Righteous among the Nations for the many Jews saved during the Nazi occupation) lived in wise clandestinity in small village parishes, hiding from KGB agents, until his death occurred on July 28, 1960.
Thus, on Saturday 25 July, the figure of this intrepid Salesian was commemorated in his hometown of Griskabudis.
The solemn celebration was presided over by Archbishop Emeritus of Kaunas, card. Sigitas Tamkevicius - who as a child was an altar boy to Fr Skeltys and who owes his priestly vocation to him - and was concelebrated by the auxiliary bishop of Vilnius, Msgr. Arunas Poniskaitis, great-grandson of Fr Skeltys himself.
The Mass gathered all the representatives of the Salesian Family present in Lithuania, and was broadcast on Radio Maria frequencies.
In his homily, the cardinal outlined the profile of the radiant spirituality of Fr Skeltys, to whom, as for St James, of which the liturgical memory it was that day, he did not fail to drink from the chalice of suffering of his Savior. The jubilee ended with speeches, songs and wreaths at his tomb, located near the church, on whose headstone is engraved the phrase: "The soul of every man is worthy of the sacrifice of our whole life: find it, help it, and give it to God."
"Thanks, Father Antanas, the Don Bosco of Lithuania!" was the unanimous cry of gratitude for this day of celebration.
