Życie i działalność misyjna ks. Leona Piaseckiego SDB w Indii Północno-Wschodniej (ASSAM)

Abstract

Rev. Leon Piasecki was born on March 26th, 1889 in Pysząca near Srem. He was one of twelve children of Wojciech and Marianna (maiden name Osińska). Leon became a Salesian and his two sisters, Anna and Maria, joined, convents. Leon entered the noviciate in Radna in 1912 after attending schools in Daszawa and Oświęcim. In 1917 he was called to the Prussian army. After the war he studied theology in Oświęcim and Foglizzo (Italy). He took the holy orders from bishop A. Nowak in Kraków on June 21st, 1921. A year later he left for India to work as a missionary. Between the years 1923‒1940 he worked in the Brahmaputra Valley in Assam. Up until 1930 he lived in Gauhati; and after the dvision of them issionary parish (over 100.000 km 2) into 4 independent centres he settles in Dibrugarh. In addition to his daily visits to 150 m ission stations be built a considerable number of little churches, a splendid Church of the Heart of God in Dibrugarh, orphanages in Gauhati and Dibrugarh: he organized Eucharistic Congresses in the bigger centres of the parish and, above all, he was busy preparing catechists. He organized trainings and conferences for them, he published a magazine called the „Salesian Khabaren’’, wrote a history of the Church, published other books. Both schools, in Gauhati and i Dibrugarh, were built especially for them. Between 1940 and 1950 he was vice-provincial and moved to Calcuta, where, besides his duties as a parish-priest of the Cathedral, he was the d irecto r and administrator of the house, the printing school, and the publishing house; he was also a steward and provincial councillor. Then he worked in Bändel (1950‒53), where he built a house for the candidates; in Sonada (1953‒55), where he built the seminary building, and in Dum Duma, where, in addition to his pastoral activities, he built a school for Indian boys. He died in Digboi on September 10th, 1957, run over by a truck while relieving his fellow brother who was ill at the time. He lived for 68 years. During this time he was a priest, a missionary, a director, a steward, and a councillor. These were done with in the 44 years of his life which he spent in the Order.