Servants (Služobníci)

Three, do you copy? Three, come in!

This is Three.

Why don’t you turn on your radio? I’ve been trying to get hold of you.

We were dropping off some cargo.

Tell the Doctor to report to the Chief.

Today. The old man’s getting worked up.

Roger.

- Over and out. - Over and out.

- One… - One…

- Two… - Two…

- Three. - Three.

You’ll rise at six. Then showers, morning prayer, mass, breakfast.

Class starts at eight. You’ll get your schedules soon.

Lunchtime begins at one. After that, outings.

Then scripture, self-study,

supper, evening prayer, and lights-out at 10.

If you don’t observe the regimen, you’ll get cautioned.

Three cautions and you’re barred from outings.

Praise!

The Spiritual’s office is in the other wing.

Be careful. The school is undergoing reconstruction.

Come in!

- Praise to Jesus Christ! - Praise!

Unto the end of time!

Father Franek sends you this.

Franek...

My friend and former classmate. He gave you great references.

Could you hand me those glasses? You are...

- Juraj. - Juraj.

The bigger ones, please.

If you’re Juraj...

- … you must be Michal. - Yes.

Cheers, boys.

Thank you.

We went through some crazy things, Franek and I.

He was a very good friend of mine.

- There. - Aren’t you going to have one?

I don’t drink. I have a bad stomach.

- Cheers. - Cheers.

I’ll be your confessor.

I’m responsible for your spiritual formation.

Last year

some of our brothers

strayed from the righteous path.

But I believe that from this moment onwards,

we will all be working the Lord’s pastures.

Let us hope that through our diligence

we will succeed in enhancing the yields.

Perhaps threefold,

perhaps a hundred-fold.

Let us pray that it be so.

One, two, three. One, two, three...

Top bunk’s mine.

You are listening to Radio Free Europe.

On 5 October, the collaborationist clerical movement Pacem in Terris

held its federal assembly in Bratislava.

The event was organised by Tibor Kovac, Dean of the Theological Seminary.

The assembly confirmed the progovernment leanings of the movement,

which has been aligned with the regime

since the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Warsaw Pact troops.

Representatives of the underground church have sent a letter to the Holy Father,

condemning the activities of the Pacem in Terris movement.

TO WORK FOR PEACE IS TO SERVE THE LORD, PACEM IN TERRIS 1971-1980

It’s getting worse.

I can’t prescribe you any more corticoids.

You should go to Smrdaky. To the spa.

I don’t have time for that.

Ask to be reassigned to the traffic police.

You should get out more.

I want to be alone and get some sleep.

Try using a biolamp. Every morning and evening, but not more.

I hear you’re a direct man.

Nobody likes problems. Neither we, nor you.

I work for the church department.

I’m in charge of you.

Mind if I have a look around?

Rychly, Potocny, Holly.

Sit down.

Marcin, Kovac, Bednar.

Sit down.

These are your outing groups.

The recommended routes are on the bulletin.

Quiet!

Yes?

Why can’t we form the groups ourselves?

We formed the groups so you can get to know each other.

You could never do that otherwise. You’re each from a different diocese.

We should get some practice today.

Again?

- It’s been ages since we last played. - Praise!

Let’s at least do half an hour.

Three, two, one...

You messed up again.

- All right, one more time? - Yeah, and try a little harder.

Watch out!

Praise!

Who put this up?

Who put this up?!

I don’t know.

Those who have read the gospels

and looked closely upon Jesus Christ will understand

that a priest can never lend himself to any ideology or interest group.

That is why the Vatican has advised its clergy

not to collaborate with organisations which, directly or indirectly,

explicitly or implicitly, pursue political aims.

I received an order

to confiscate all your typewriters.

We’ll have them analysed to find our little pamphleteer.

- How many? - Sixty-four.

I...

I sincerely hope that none of you

has done anything that would harm our school

and get us in trouble.

Before we silently disperse, I’ll read out a list of names.

If your name is on the list, you will stay here

and be questioned by State Security.

Jan Marcin,

Martin Bajza,

Tomas Chudy.

Didn’t I have matches here?

Who was the guy they took away?

Every now and again they bring people in.

They say there’s an issue with your ID, or they summon you to the draft office.

If you want,

I can lend you some books.

Every community is fallible

and its fortitude is tested from within and from without.

Just like we are tested in our own lives.

This struggle has gone on forever.

But the Church lends its ear even to the weak and the destitute.

It has survived thanks to sacrifices that were often deemed senseless.

But those sacrifices always pointed the way to something sacred.

The life of the Church is measured in centuries and millennia.

What is that compared to the fate of a single man?

You’ve reached the Czechoslovak office of Radio Free Europe.

Say the code word and leave a message at the beep.

I saw Satan fall like lightning from the heavens.

A few days into the semester,

police raided the Bratislava Theological Faculty.

They seized the students’ coursebooks and typewriters

on suspicion that prohibited literature was being circulated at the school.

Such literature includes papal letters and biographies of saints.

Therefore, to prohibit it is to silence the word of God.

The boys trust you.

The Dean has lost control.

You need to steady the ship, otherwise heads will roll.

Mine,

and maybe yours, too.

Are you...

are you threatening me?

Find out who’s responsible,

otherwise they’ll close down the seminary.

Isn’t it enough that you made me break the seal of confession?

If not for us, you’d be sitting in jail.

You killed a man in that hit-and-run.

But let’s stop arguing.

We need to help each other.

What’s going on at the seminary isn’t good for either one of us.

I’m part of a small group. We meet in flats,

smuggle forbidden books from the West, mostly religious ones.

We send messages to the Vatican via couriers.

We call Radio Free Europe,

inform about the crimes perpetrated against people of faith.

Father Coufar is our leader. He’s ordaining a secret priest tomorrow.

That’s a crime, so I’ll understand if you’re not up to it.

His flat is most likely bugged.

We’ll have to make sure we’re not being tailed.

All groups will be meeting during the next Marian pilgrimage.

It’s possible there will be some preemptive arrests.

We must warn everyone to get ready.

‘Our Lady opened her arms,

and we saw an underground sea of fire.

Plunged in this fire were demons and souls in human form,

like transparent burning embers, all blackened or burnished bronze.

Floating about in the conflagration,

raised by flames that issued from within them,

together with great clouds of smoke

now falling back like sparks in a fire,

without weight or equilibrium, amongst groans of pain and despair,

which horrified us and made us tremble with fear.

The demons had a terrifying likeness to frightful and unknown animals,

like black and transparent coals.

When you see a night illuminated by an unknown light,

know that this is the sign given to you by God