In the Bolesławiec parish, the fulfillment of this task can be divided into four periods:
religious instruction in schools in 1945–1954;
instruction in the church in 1951–1956 (this was a period when instruction took place in some schools and in the church);
the resumption of instruction in schools in 1956–1960;
parish-based instruction in 1960–1970.
During the first period, work in the parish began after Polish priests and nuns arrived in Bolesławiec. In a report to the Wrocław Curia, drafted on 19 October 1945 by Rev. Jan Motyka, the first Polish pastor in Bolesławiec after the Second World War, we read: “In the six-grade school, 70 children receive religious instruction and preparation for First Holy Communion.” Later questionnaires report how religious instruction was conducted in schools in Bolesławiec and in the localities belonging to the Bolesławiec parish. In 1947, the Sisters Adorers organized a preschool for children and a boarding house for girls. The preschool existed until 1950.
Since September 1951, some children no longer received religious instruction at school, so catechesis was organized for them in the church. The parish ministry then faced a difficult task. On the one hand, the parish church had no central heating, nor did the parish have suitable rooms prepared as catechetical classrooms; on the other hand, children, young people and parents found it difficult to get used to the new situation and adapt to religious instruction in the church.
Instruction for children was organized in rooms at the St. Hedwig Parish House at 2 Dąbrowszczaków Street; classes were also held in one room at the presbytery, in the church, in the choir loft and in the sacristy. After some time, for catechetical purposes, the parish office was moved from St. Hedwig House to the presbytery, while the groups from the presbytery were moved to St. Hedwig House, which thus served as a Catechetical Instruction Center.
Efforts were also made to organize places for religious instruction in the villages belonging to the Bolesławiec parish. In Łaziska, Bolesławice and Bożejowice, classes were held in rooms adjoining the chapels; in Łąka—in the chapel; in Nowa—in a private house; in Brzeźnica—in a former morgue; in Mierzwin—in the chapel; and in Kruszyn—in a private house.
At the end of October 1956, major political changes took place in Poland, opening a new period in the field of catechesis as well. On 8 December 1956, the Minister of Education issued an order introducing religious instruction into primary and secondary schools as an optional subject for pupils whose parents expressed an individual wish to that effect in writing. Primate Stefan Wyszyński and Bishop Bolesław Kominek appealed to the clergy, parents and children to make greater efforts in religious instruction and education.
The return of religious instruction to schools took place amid widespread enthusiasm and joy; it was spontaneous in character. School heads asked the parish to send priests and lay catechists as soon as possible to take up the religious-instruction hours. With few exceptions, parents submitted written declarations stating that they wanted their children to receive religious instruction at school. Catechists, both clergy and laypeople, were welcomed by school administrations and teaching staffs with great sympathy and kindness, while children and young people greeted them with flowers.
Despite staffing difficulties, all schools were provided with priests and lay catechists. The curriculum approved by the Ministry of Education and published in Wiadomości Kościelne was in force. Although religious-instruction lessons took place during the first and last periods, attendance was very good. As in the past, the school year began and ended with a solemn Holy Mass in the church, accompanied by a commemorative sermon, confession and Holy Communion for children and young people.
The emergence of new circumstances meant that, in 1960–1970, regular and systematic religious instruction began to be provided in parish churches, auxiliary chapels and suitably prepared catechetical classrooms. In Bolesławiec, four rooms in St. Hedwig Parish House, as well as the church, were adapted for this purpose. Organizing parish instruction during this period was easier because it could draw on a certain tradition from before 1957. From September 1963, older working youth in Bolesławiec were also included in catechesis.
One of the guiding ideas of pastoral work in 1945–1970 was the conviction that parents should understand that religious instruction and education are not limited to religious lessons, but must primarily encompass the family home. Therefore, efforts were made to involve parents in systematic parish catechesis from the preschool age of their children. This work took various forms. Every Sunday, parents brought their preschool children to the church at 3:00 p.m. for religious talks; they listened to them as well and later continued the instruction at home based on the guidance they had received. The same applied to the parents of first-grade primary-school children. They brought their children to catechesis and often took part themselves.
Almost one hundred percent of parents were involved in the catechesis of third-grade children as they prepared for their first confession and Holy Communion. Parents took part in special educational conferences and meetings with teachers, where they learned individually about their children’s behavior and progress in learning. Similar conferences were held at least once a year with the parents of children from all grades of primary, vocational and technical schools, as well as general secondary schools.