Pierwsza wizyta prymasa Stefana Wyszyńskiego w Bydgoszczy po uwolnieniu z więzienia (19–21 grudnia 1956)

Abstract

During the period of Stefan Wyszyński’s service as Archbishop of Gniezno, the largest city of the archdiocese was Bydgoszcz. Wyszyński often visited it, for example conducting canonical visitations or administering the sacrament of confirmation. He also held numerous meetings with the faithful on the occasion of various celebrations, such as the unveiling of the renovated image of Our Lady of Beautiful Love in the parochial church and then the coronation of the image. Therefore, he could not miss Bydgoszcz upon his release after three years of imprisonment. First, he arrived in the primatial see of Gniezno (14–16 November 1956), and over a month later, in the city on the Brda River. The visit, which lasted less than three days (19–21 December 1956), brought much joy and hope to the residents of Bydgoszcz and the priests working there. Based on the preserved accounts of a witness to these ceremonies, on the sermon delivered by Wyszyński, and his personal notes in Pro memoria, this article presents the course of this unforgettable December event in the history of Bydgoszcz.