The Franciscan Curacy of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in Gliwice in the years 1925–1945

Piotr Górecki

Faculty of Theology of the University of Opole

Abstract

The article is a continuation of interwar history of Franciscans in Gliwice and the origin of an independent church unit in the so called Smelting Quarter, published in the volume 35 of "Theological-Historical Studies of Opole Silesia". This time the author outlines the history of the curacy of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in Gliwice in the years 1925–1945. Since the time of its foundation the Franciscans of Gliwice had been conducting intense pastoral work in the local smelting quarter. The main aims of the pastoral work was not only administering sacraments, but also social activities among workers’ families. After the status of curacy as a church unit had been outlined, profiles of priests were discussed as well as main accents of charity and pastoral work. Setting up so called parish association for parishes in Gliwice and constructing churches in neighbouring quarters stopped the construction of the new church, which was not finished until the turn of the 21st century. Many losses were suffered by the Franciscans of Gliwice during the Nazi rule and the Second World War. The monks were evicted from most of their rooms limiting their pastoral work to the minimum. Despite this fact the monks remained among the congregation. They accompanied them also in the difficult months of 1945 and in the period of postwar transformation and the re-founding of the parish community. The history of the curacy is a good example of how pastoral work was organized in the industrial towns of Upper Silesia during The Weimar Republic and the Nazi regime.

Keywords:

pastoral work in Upper Silesia, Upper Silesian Franciscans, the parishes of Gliwice, the Church in the Upper Silesia during the Nazi regime, Second World War in Upper Silesia