Święci wspomożyciele chorych według potrydenckich rytuałów polskich

Abstract

The liturgical care about the sick belonged to the basic duties of a parish priest. It embraces the dispensation of the holy sacraments (viaticum, Extreme Unction and confession) as well as pastoral visit to the sick. There are many forms of the benediction of sacramentals in the post-Tridentine liturgical books published in Poland. Those benedictions were related to the cult of particular saints who were regarded as efficient intercessors in particular ailments. One can mention here wine (St John the Evangelist) which was benedicted according to the four various rituals: Piotrków (1631), Lwów (1771), Katowice (1963) and religious – capucin (1772) ritual, as well as bread and wine related to the cult of St Blase (1688) and candles used in sore throats, and linked with his intercession. Another benediction of candles was related to difficult labour (St Rajmund Nonnat), water was used in many ailiments and it was linked with the cult of many saints (Ignacius Loyola, Torelli, Wincenty a Paulo, Wincenty Ferreriusz, Rajmund Nonnat). The saints were summoned also as particular patrons in various ailments and especially in renal calculus (St Liborius), toothaches (St Apolonia), and eye diseses (St Lutia). Many of the rituals in question were found in the middle ages liturgical books but during the Tridentine reform they were removed from them. They were placed there again after the religious debates ceased. Others were connected with the cults of new saints. In the rituals under analysis one can notice an integral care about one's fitness and eternal salvation. The rituals in question can hardly be included within the domestic creativity and belong to the commonly known. Some of them can be found in single Polish sources.