On 22 February 1997, at 5:00 p.m., Rev. Prelate Władysław Rączka ceremonially welcomed Bishop Tadeusz Rybak, the Ordinary of the Legnica Diocese, at the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He had come to administer the sacrament of confirmation to young people and personally announce to the residents of Bolesławiec that the Holy Father John Paul II had awarded Father Rączka an honorary prelate title. (The awarding of this high papal distinction to Rev. Władysław Rączka had already been reported in "Głos Bolesławca", issue 10 (51) of November 1996, on page 3.)
Among the many participants gathered for the ceremony were, among others: the infułate and provost of the Legnica Chapter, Rev. Dr Władysław Bochnak; the chancellor of the Legnica curia, Rev. Dr Józef Lisowski; and canon priests of the Legnica Chapter who simultaneously served as deans: from Bolesławiec – Rev. Prelate Edward Bober; from Węgliniec – Rev. Canon Tadeusz Pieczko; from Zgorzelec – Rev. Prelate Jan Mycek; from Gryfów – Rev. Prelate Rudolf Ujda; from Jawor – Rev. Prelate Jan Sowa; and from Jelenia Góra – Rev. Canon Józef Stec and Rev. Prelate Franciszek Krosman. Approximately 40 priests attended the ceremony in total; Sisters Adorers and Elizabethan Sisters were also present. The ceremony was further honored by the presence of the president of the city of Bolesławiec, Józef Król, MSc Eng.; the chairman of the Bolesławiec city council, Hubert Prabucki, MSc; representatives of the Polish Army; and representatives of the Association of Catholic Families, Catholic Action and the Holy Rosary.
At the beginning of the ceremony, Rev. Rączka asked Bishop Rybak to administer the sacrament of confirmation to approximately 170 girls and boys. He said that the candidates had been prepared by Rev. Zbigniew Radziwołek, Grażyna Gzubicka, MA, Andrzej Sadczuk, MA, and catechists from other schools. The prelate also asked the diocesan bishop to celebrate the Eucharist for the intention of everyone gathered in the church and for the Holy Father’s safe arrival in his homeland.
In his next address—already wearing the violet cassock of an honorary prelate of the Holy Father—Rev. Rączka, in connection with receiving the nomination, conveyed to the diocesan bishop filial devotion, gratitude and heartfelt thanks for His Holiness Pope John Paul II. The prelate then said the following:
"I express my grateful thanks to Your Excellency for your kindness and friendship, if I may put it that way, extending from 1948—from my entering the Major Seminary in Wrocław, through Your Excellency’s priestly and episcopal years, up to the present day. The prelate title I have received concerns not only my person; it ennobles the parish of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s Assumption, where I have had the good fortune to work for almost 30 years. It ennobles the seven Bolesławiec parishes, all of which arose from the mother parish of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This title is recognition for the priests with whom I have worked in this parish, as well as for the priests of both deaneries: Bolesławiec East and Bolesławiec West. The distinction bestowed by the Holy Father obliges me especially to continue responsible work in the Lord’s vineyard. Calling upon the protection of the Blessed Mother for this effort, I humbly ask for an archpastoral blessing for myself and everyone gathered here.
Rev. Prelate Rączka spoke once more at the end of the ceremony. First, he thanked God for the gifts of the Holy Spirit that the young people had received through the sacrament of confirmation. The prelate also thanked his fellow priests, especially Rev. Zbigniew Radziwołek, for his diligent work throughout the year in preparing the young people to receive the sacrament of confirmation. On this occasion, he congratulated Rev. Doctoral Student Radziwołek on receiving his appointment as director of the Youth House in Lwówek Śląski. Father Rączka also thanked the Sisters Adorers of the Blood of Christ for their work in the church and at the presbytery. He added that Sister Kazimiera Skromblewicz had received a diocesan distinction from Bishop Tadeusz Rybak the previous year. Rev. Rączka further thanked the organizing committee that had helped arrange the ceremony. He also added that the parents of the confirmed young people had funded an electrical distribution board for the occasion of the confirmation, which was installed by Mr Stadnik. The prelate thanked the president and the city council for lighting the church square. He emphasized that all parishioners, especially the elderly, were grateful for this gesture, as it helped them enter the church. Finally, the prelate thanked the altar servers, the organist and the military orchestra. He also expressed special thanks to the diocesan bishop, Tadeusz Rybak.