.
Jonas Basanavičius, leader of the
Lithuanian National Revival, sits in the middle in the first row. Petras Kraujelis studied at
Mitau Gymnasium, but was expelled for not attending the Eastern Orthodox religious service. In 1908, he graduated from the
Saint Petersburg Roman Catholic Theological Academy. He was ordained as a priest in 1907. After the graduation, he became a vicar of the
Church of All Saints, Vilnius. In 1911, he was briefly reassigned as a vicar of the
Church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Trakai. In 1912, he returned to Vilnius and became pastor of the parish of the
Church of Saint Nicholas, Vilnius as well as a professor at
Vilnius Priest Seminary. In 1911–1914, he edited Lithuanian newspaper
Aušra (
The Dawn). After 1920, he edited
Lietuvos kelias (
The Road of Lithuania), ''
(The Sound of Vilnius
), (The Sound
), (The Bell of Vilnius''). He also published articles in other Lithuanian newspapers and magazines. By his initiative on 28–30 December 1922, a congress of the teachers of the primary schools of Lithuania was convened. In 1922–1933, he was the chairman of the
Lithuanian Education Society Rytas. He was an active member of the
Lithuanian Scientific Society,
Society of Saint Casimir for the Education and Care of Young People, and
Lithuanian Society for the Relief of War Sufferers. In 1932–1933, was vice-chairman of the . In 1930–1931, he taught Lithuanian language at
Vilnius University. Kraujalis actively resisted
Polonization of the Vilnius region and closure of Lithuanian-language schools. He was several times detained by the Polish administration and imprisoned in the Vilnius' jail. ==Bibliography==