Biskup Stefan Bareła – Pasterz oddany bez reszty Kościołowi

Abstract

Bishop Stefan Bareła was born on June 24 1916 in Zapolice near Radomsko. He took holy orders on March 24 1944. Bareła was appointed by John XXIII as an auxiliary bishop in Diocese of Częstochowa. He took the holy orders of bishop on January 8, 1961. Three years later, on January 10, 1964 he became a bishop of Częstochowa. He has to fulfil the bishop’s mission in interesting, decisive in the history of Church, but difficult times. Undoubtedly, the Second Vatican Council was very important and giving the direction for the activity of Church up to these days. Bishop s. Bareła took part in three its sections. He lived its problems. He did everything to change the teaching of the Second Vatican Council into pastoral actions, to make the part of Church, which he was responsible for to realize Vaticanum II. He organized courses, pastoral days, meetings, debates approaching to learning the spirit and law of Vatican Council. As his great responsibility he treated the fulfilling in Polish Church the leadership of Marian Board of Polish Bishops’ Conference. This board worked out programs of pastoral work, especially marian one in Poland. The participation in its meetings as the chairperson in 1966-1984 was unquestioned. And at the end we should say about the responsibility for Church of Czestochowa. The political context cannot be omitted. Bareła started his service in Diocese of Częstochowa in the end of government of Władysław Gomułka, when Regigious Education lessons were removed from schools, when the permissions for building of churches were withdrawn, when new pastoral places were forbidden. Despite of it, Church lived, developed, there were new pastoral places, and new churches were built, the teaching Religious Education in parishes developed, because of Bishop’s determination and the involvement of lay people. The zeal of priests became very often their heroism. The words of Holy Father directed to Church in Częstochowa in three days after the death of Bishop Bareła were true when he said that Bareła was a man with great mind and heart, totally devoted to Church.