While he was free, Bishop Teofilius traveled to the United States of America, Rome, the Holy Land, and the Sinai Peninsula.
Afterwards he returned to Kaunas, Lithuania, where, despite Soviet and Nazi threats, the bishop spoke out boldly against the regimes, their destruction of churches, and religious persecution. This led, again, to his arrest in 1946.
Ten years later, the depleted but not defeated bishop came to Birštonas, where he secretly ordained another bishop, and was subsequently punished for his actions by being sent to Šeduva, where his communications were tapped and his room regularly searched by Soviet authorities.
In 1962, he received notice from Rome that he had been made an archbishop and that he was invited to participate in the Second Vatican Council, but he would ultimately be unable to attend. During a "search", the archbishop was given a lethal injection under the pretense of sedatives, and died three days later, Aug. 20, 1962.
He is remembered for his courage and faith despite the hardships that he endured. During one of his many times in prison, the priest wrote: "Just think how good and merciful the Lord is: He finds His flock in the woods, in the tundra, at midnight… I am thankful to Him with all my heart! Providence made sure that we, priest brethren, be sent where the believers are. Pastors follow their flock."
In 1957, rumors were spreading that the 84 year-old bishop would be imprisoned again, to which Bishop Matulionis responded: "If I were passing by some bushes and someone suddenly jumped in front of me and said 'Boo', I might be frightened… But I'm not at all scared at the idea that they can arrest and imprison me."
Archbishop Teofilius Matulionis will be beatified in the Cathedral Square in Vilnius June 25 by Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.