Chrześcijańskie Towarzystwo Dobroczynności w Białymstoku i jego działalność podczas pierwszej wojny światowej

Abstract

The Charitable Society in Bialystok was established in 1855. Its purpose was to take care about the poor inhabitants of the town, which grew in its dynamic industrial development. In the second half of the 19th century it comprised philanthropists from various nations, denominations, or even religions. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries the national composition of the Society changed, only Poles remained. In the August of 1915, during World War One, Białystok was occupied by the German army. The occupation lasted until February 1919. An enormous role in providing a proper care for the poor people and children, war victims, was played by the Charitable Society. It embraced Poles, the Society members, engaged in social and also patriotic activity led by Rev. Antoni Songajłło, the dean and parish priest of Białystok parish church. The Society was financed from the membership fees, lease of the fixed properties owned by the Society, from collections and charitable actions, e.g. theatrical performances, dance parties in gardens and parks, and a lottery. The Society conducted an orphanage in the town. It took care about several dozen children, mostly orphans, but also from pathological families. The Society focused on providing these children with a proper care, living means, creating respective conditions for education. Children were received in the orphanage irrespective of their religion or nationality, although they were brought up in the spirit of Catholic ethics. The centre sheltered also elderly single women who needed care and support. The activity of the Charitable Society during the German occupation in Bialystok (August 1915 – February 1919) brought about notable effects. Owing to its commitment, many children were saved from the perilous effects of the war. Any publications that dealt with the charitable activity in the Białystok region practically ignored this period because there were no sources. The paper is mainly based on the materials from the Archdiocesan Archives in Białystok. They provide a better insight in this period in the history of Białystok and the history of welfare in the Białystok region.