he was Theology Professor in Saint Petersburg Roman Catholic Theological Academy and was made the academic inspector in 1900. For a few years, he was also the prefect and spiritual father. In 1903, he received the degree of Doctor of Theology. In the Academy, the Department of Sociology was established at the insistence of Maironis. Around 1900, Maironis was one of the founders of the Lithuanian Language Rights Restoration Union (). Maironis' presence in academia had indirect influence on Lithuanian culture in Saint Petersburg, as the presence of a Lithuanian poet in the functions of an inspector raised patriotic pride amongst the Lithuanian students and allowed the entry of more Lithuanians into professorship. Moreover, this allowed Maironis to authoritatively support the works of Lithuanians in the Imperial Russian capital, for example, the Lithuanian newspaper Lietuvių laikraštis of . This newspaper was the first legally-printed Lithuanian newspaper in the Russian Empire following the end of Lithuanian press ban in 1904. In 1905, Maironis was a member of the Commission formed by the Minister of Education of the Russian Empire to prepare a Lithuanian language program for Lithuanian schools. Together with others, he prepared a draft program of the Christian Democratic Party for the Great Seimas of Vilnius of 1905. In Lithuania From 1908, Maironis was member of the Lithuanian Scientific Society in Vilnius. In 1909, he was invited as rector of the Kaunas Priest Seminary. In his first public speech, he spoke in Lithuanian, breaking with the tradition of speaking either in Latin or Polish. This was a breakthrough moment for Lithuanianness in the seminary. Outside of the seminary, Maironis was important to show that Lithuanians had their own intellectual high ecclesiastical figures, as Maironis was Mogilev's Honorary canon since 1902 and later also the prelate of the Samogitian Capitula from 1912. He aided Roman Catholic Lithuanian cultural organisations by allowing them to establish their headquarters in the former , which Maironis had bought. Maironis remained the seminary's rector until his death in 1932, except when the seminary was closed during World War I. Maironis left Kaunas only during short breaks during summer when he went to Palanga or when the seminary was closed during World War I. World War I During the First World War, Maironis lived in several places such as Krekenava, Upytė and others. He was persuaded to travel with the Lithuanian delegation to the Conference of Bern