Fostering the fullness of divine life in the faithful is the aim and essence of all pastoral efforts, while the means to this end are the Holy Sacraments instituted by Jesus Christ. The guidelines of Fr. Karol Milik, Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Wrocław, followed this direction, including when, on 1 September 1945, he addressed the pastors of all the Lower Silesian parishes under his authority. In the article below, owing to limited space, I present only the activities of the Bolesławiec parish concerning the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, Penance and the Anointing of the Sick.
Baptism. The Second Vatican Council teaches that through baptism, “people are incorporated into Christ’s paschal mystery” and “introduced into the People of God.” During the 25 years after the Second World War, the number of baptisms administered in individual years in the Parish of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was as follows: in 1945 – 85 people baptized; 1946 – 179; 1947 – 308; 1948 – 386; 1949 – 450; 1950 – 479; 1951 – 614; 1952 – 598; 1953 – 767; 1954 – 717; 1955 – 777; 1956 – 792; 1957 – 772; 1958 – 774; 1959 – 746; 1960 – 681; 1961 – 650; 1962 – 569; 1963 – 552; 1964 – 575; 1965 – 505; 1966 – 443 (this clear decrease in the number of baptisms was caused, among other things, by the division of the Parish of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. That year, a second parish was established in Bolesławiec, namely Our Lady of the Rosary Parish at 5 Ptasia Street); 1967 – 444; 1968 – 457; 1969 – 462; 1970 – 306 (another parish was established in Bolesławiec in 1970, this time under the patronage of Our Lady of Perpetual Help at Zamkowy Square). Thus, the greatest number of baptisms in the parish under discussion was recorded in 1953–1959. The year 1952 is puzzling, as the number of baptisms should have been much higher than the figure presented here. In total, 14,088 people were baptized in the Parish of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary between 1945 and 1970.
The number of conversions was also interesting. From the Evangelical Church, the Roman Catholic faith was adopted by: 3 people in 1947; 1 in 1948; 1 in 1949; 1 in 1950; 2 in 1952; 1 in 1953; 2 in 1955; 1 in 1958; 1 in 1959; and 2 in 1960. Thus, a total of 15 people converted from the Evangelical Church to the Catholic Church. Meanwhile, there were 18 conversions from the Orthodox Church to the Catholic Church. They took place as follows: 1 person in 1947; 2 in 1948; 1 in 1949; 2 in 1950; 2 in 1955; 1 in 1959; 2 in 1960; 3 in 1961; 3 in 1962; and 1 person in 1967. In addition, in 1946, one person from the Mosaic faith and one atheist converted to the Catholic Church. Altogether, this gives a total of 35 people who voluntarily converted to Catholicism during the period of interest.
Confirmation. In the interwar period in Poland, outside cathedral churches, the sacrament of Confirmation was generally administered only during canonical visitations, which usually took place every ten years or even less frequently. Confirmation was not administered during the occupation. Therefore, in the first postwar years, older people predominated among the faithful receiving this sacrament. In the Parish of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, throughout the 25-year period from 1945 to 1970, Confirmation was administered during canonical visitations.
On 21 and 26 October 1946, during a canonical visitation, Apostolic Administrator Fr. Dr. Karol Milik administered Confirmation to 1,098 people. During the next visitation, from 2 to 14 May 1960, Bishop Wincenty Urban confirmed approximately 4,000 people. Then, on 18–19 May 1968, during the visitation, Archbishop Bolesław Kominek, assisted by Bishop Urban, administered the sacrament of Confirmation to 1,429 girls and 1,048 boys. Thus, approximately 7,575 people were confirmed in the Parish of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary between 1945 and 1970.
The Sacrament of Penance. The priests working in the parish devoted many hours to hearing confessions. The church, located in the center of Bolesławiec, provided an excellent opportunity for people coming to the city from surrounding villages to receive Holy Confession there, especially since, in the early postwar years, not all parishes in the deanery had their own pastors. Confessions were heard before and during services and whenever requested.
The greatest number of penitents came during parish missions and retreats. Attendance increased during Advent and Lent, as well as for the patronal feast. Priests from the deanery were then invited to assist with hearing Holy Confessions. Children and young people went to confession at the beginning and end of the school year, during Advent and during Lenten retreats. For many years, the practice of monthly confession also continued, most often taking the form of so-called First Friday confession. More faithful went to Holy Confession on Marian feast days, the Solemnity of All Saints and All Souls’ Day.
The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. The reception of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick encountered certain difficulties among the faithful, presumably because of fears and prejudices, as well as its former name: “Extreme Unction.” Later liturgical reform made certain positive achievements possible in this regard.
The following quantitative summary of people provided with the Sacrament of the Sick in homes and hospitals within the parish does not include records from 1945–1960, because the Parish Archive does not possess these data. Before the parish was divided, the Sacrament of the Sick was administered to 255 people in 1961, 225 in 1962, 367 in 1963, 102 in 1964 and 113 in 1965. After the division of the parish, the figures were as follows: in 1966, 186 people received this sacrament; 1967 – 200; 1968 – 150; 1969 – 75; and in 1970 – 93 people.