Powstanie Akcji Katolickiej w Polsce w okresie międzywojennym

Abstract

The mission of the Church that has been created by Christ not only needs the leadership of a hierarchical structure but also the group of lay believers who act as active supporters and helpers in the proper and effective functioning of the institution. Prudent and thoughtful engagement of the laity in the apostolic endeavours and responsibilities have been appreciated by the pope Pius XI, who established a society called Catholic Action. This organization has undertaken various apostolic and priestly activities in many countries throughout Europe, including Poland, as it was building a unified nation after gaining national independence in the beginning of the twentieth century. This time in history has created extraordinary opportunities for the laity as Catholic Action was opening its structures and setting goals. In retrospective, such activity can be perceived the providential tool that has played an important role in the development of the Catholic Church in Poland. Examining the level of participation and engagement of the Catholic Action in the matters of the Church before the Second World War, one may boldly say that it was a very well developed association gathering an enormous number a of lay believers. It had a pivotal role in assessing the social, cultural political and economical needs in practically every community and responding to those needs in an active way. The development of the Catholic Action was phenomenal between the years of 1918-1939. In the first ten years of its existence, it was predominantly popular among the elites of the Catholic intelligentsia, burgesses, but also peasantry. In 1939, there were 750,000 members in this organization, which ranks it among the most influential in the social arena of Poland at that time.