Działalność duszpasterska i oświatowa biskupa Teodora Kubiny w ziemi wieluńskiej

Abstract

The first bishop of Czestochowa Teodor Kubina was known as a devout priest and patriotic and social activist. He participated in an active way in the process of reincorporation of Upper Silesia to Poland. He was the protector of Silesian people, Catholic faith and Polish language from Germanization. What is more, he protected seasonal workers, working in German farms, different from Polish society in speech, customs and faith. Poles were Catholics and German people professed protestant beliefs of Martin Luther. On the occasion of 100th anniversary of Poland regaining independence, it should be remained that Kubina was working with people of agriculture. In Czestochowa diocese, agricultural people lived mainly in north-eastern part, so in Wieluń county, later called the land of Wieluń. In another parts of diocese people were working in their farms as well, but at the same time they were working in manufacturing plants. After damages caused by Germany during The World War I, local Polish people lived in very diffcult material conditions. A lot of young people in this situation went to Germany as seasonal workers. Bishop Kubina knew these diffcult conditions of everyday life, because he had been working as a priest in Germany before. He encouraged people to respect Catholic faith and Polish national traditions, to help each other, and to live in economical way in order to improve everyday life after coming back to the homeland. In order to regenerate and intensify religious life of people in the land of Wieluń, the bishop organized in Wieluń in 1929 The Third Diocesan Eucharistic Congress with participation of many Polish bishops including Primate of Poland August Hlond. Thousands of people from the land of Wieluń took part in this event, but also some representatives of another parts of the diocese. Taking care of development of this part of diocese, the bishop took over The Tadeusz Kościuszko Gymnasium and created The Tadeusz Kościuszko Male Gymnasium of Częstochowa diocese in Wieluń, called Bishops Gymnasium. The main goal of this Gymnasium was preparing young catholic intelligence (teachers and clerks) in this area. Some of its graduates became priests. In diffcult time of German occupation, he approved two priests who were constituted by occupational authorities. These priests serviced 250 thousand Catholics of Polish nationality. The secular people in the land of Wieluń showed cult to Holy Mary, honored in many churches and chapels. Marian cult was the sign of patriotic beliefs, because in Protestant Germany this cult was not respected. The religious, educational and social activity of bishop Kubina in the land of Wieluń, mentioned above, was the evidence of bishop’s deep concern about village people, as well as in the rest parts of Częstochowa diocese.