Wychowanie patriotyczne w nauczaniu Prymasa Polski Kardynała Stefana Wyszyńskiego jako jedno z zadań katechezy wspólnotowej

Abstract

The first part of the article above focuses on the history of Poland from the beginning of the People’s Republic of Poland until the end of communism in 1989, with particular emphasis on the life and work of Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński. This short historical outline intends to show how huge an impact the election of Bishop Stefan Wyszyński as the Primate of Poland had on the history of the Catholic Church in Poland and on the fate of the whole Polish nation. Thanks to such a great personality that characterized the Primate of Poland, the Polish Church survived the difficult years of communist terror, and the people who lived at that time did not lose their faith in God nor their national identity. In the next part of the work, the author tries to present the patriotic thought of Cardinal Wyszyński, which is contained, first of all, in a series of his letters and homilies. Wyszyński very often stressed two main expressions of patriotism: the relationship with the land (taken as a whole heritage), and honest and competent work for the good of the state. According to Cardinal Wyszyński, love for the homeland imposes on each citizen a number of obligations, such as promoting the common good, respect for the law, paying taxes and, if necessary, active opposition to evil state power. The Primate of the Millennium, as Cardinal Wyszyński is now called, emphasized many times that the homeland was in crisis. According to him, apart from many political factors, this crisis is also caused by the personal sins of the members of the national community, because every sin always has its social dimension and impact. Therefore, an effective way to lead the homeland out of the crisis is, in his view, the moral renewal of the nation. This includes the five most important spheres of national life: family life, social life, and professional activity, as well as civil and political involvement.