Udział życia konsekrowanego w dziedzictwie duchowym diecezji bydgoskiej

Abstract

The spiritual heritage of consecrated life can be interpreted as the influence of monastic people on the religiosity and culture of those they live among. The impact of consecrated people on the community which for centuries has inhabited the present-day diocese of Bydgoszcz is difficult to describe since there are very few books on the subject and a presentation of the history of spiritual life poses methodological problems. In the early days of the growth of Christianity in Poland, the area of today’s diocese of Bydgoszcz was part of a borderland territory with a complicated geopolitical situation, as a result of which no religious order settled in here. The area first witnessed the activities of Cistercian monks and Teutonic orders in the 13th century and those of numerous mendicant orders such as the Carmelites, Augustinians and Bernardines in the late 14th and early 15th centuries. An increase in monastic life here coincided with the period of revival after the Council of Trent (the Jesuits and Reformed Franciscans). As a consequence of the collapse during the Prussian Partition of Poland, monastic life almost came to a standstill in the area and it was only the convent life of the late 19th century that brought about a period of revival. After World War I, when Poland regained independence, the trend reversed; this is demonstrated by the increasing number of male religious orders (especially the Society of Christ Fathers and the Vincent de Paul Missionary Order) and female ones (the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul, the Sisters of St Elisabeth and others), all engaged – though with some difficulties – in apostolic activities and charity works here. A historical outline of the operations of religious orders would not be complete without a synthetic analysis of primary religious, cultural and charitable activities. The religious presence was particularly manifested in pastoral care by fraternities and in the cult of the saints; that related to education – in schools and monastic formative centres (the region’s only cultural and research institutions with a special role played by the Bernardines and Jesuits); and charity works – in hospitals and parish care for children, sick and elderly people. Their direct influence contributed to the growing worship of the Eucharist and the Holy Virgin Mary, and to the cult of the saints, with Passion elements – typical of the Old Polish period – and with missionary spirituality in the 20th century. A significant part of the heritage was the martyrdom of consecrated people during World War II and patriotic attitudes in the Communist regime period. The permanent presence of consecrated life in the diocese of Bydgoszcz (14 female and 9 male orders and societies) provides a hopeful incentive for the region’s religious and cultural life.