§ 3. The Beginnings of the Work of Parish Priest Władysław Rączka
Following the period of Fr. Ludwik Gilewski’s activity (1960–67), which was rich in momentous events, Fr. Władysław Rączka was appointed administrator of the parish in Bolesławiec on 6 June 1967.
On 22 October 1967, the new parish priest was able to state that 8,514 people had attended Sunday Masses that day. However, this was not the only reason for the pastors’ concern. In 1968, the town of Bolesławiec had 30,000 inhabitants and was among the most dynamically developing towns in Poland. Therefore, the parish priest ordered a spiritual renewal of the parish. He also undertook to repaint the church interior. He asked Archbishop Bolesław Kominek to administer the sacrament of Confirmation to 2,477 people in 1968. In the same year, approximately 8,300 Holy Communions were distributed, and during the pastoral visitation approximately 4,500 families welcomed their pastors. On 16 February 1969, Bishop Paweł Latusek consecrated the repainted church.
The year 1970 was exceptionally rich and fruitful in events, commemorating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Polish church administration in the Recovered Territories. On 1 January 1970, a new vicariate was established in Bolesławiec—the future parish under the invocation of Our Lady of Perpetual Help—from which part of the town and the villages of Bożejowice, Łąka, Otok and Rakowice were administered. On 22 April of the same year, the newly created parish became the seat of a deanery. Thus, from then on Bolesławiec had two deans: Fr. Władysław Rączka and Fr. Edward Bober. For its twenty-fifth anniversary, Bolesławiec also received its first native-born priest. He was Fr. Mirosław Wójtewicz. Specifically, Mirosław Wójtewicz, son of Stanisław and Zofia née Kazimierska, born on 26 July 1945, studied at the Seminary in Wrocław from 1963 to 1970 after completing secondary school. He received priestly ordination in Wrocław Cathedral on 31 May 1970 from the hands of Archbishop Kominek. Fr. Wójtewicz’s first Mass was celebrated with great solemnity in Bolesławiec on 8 June 1970.
The 25th anniversary of pastoral ministry in Bolesławiec (1945–70) was celebrated on 8 December 1970. Archbishop of Wrocław Bolesław Kominek was present. Approximately forty priests—parish priests and vicars who had worked in Bolesławiec in previous years—also came.
Between 1945 and 1970, 14,088 children were baptized in Bolesławiec. Whereas at the end of 1945, 70 children at a six-grade school attended religious instruction, in the 1969/70 school year twelve catechists already taught more than 200 hours of catechesis per week, attended by over 4,500 children. During this period, approximately 3,450 Catholic marriages were contracted. Numerous religious associations were active, including the parish branch of Caritas, the Sodality of Our Lady, the Living Rosary association, altar servers and Oaza, providing evidence of well-established religious devotion.
The pastoral work in Bolesławiec in 1945–1970 outlined above was, in principle, no different from that of other areas within the same administrative district or even from that throughout Poland. However, it had its own distinctive features. This work was marked by the character of the post-war period. The pastors sought to unite various population groups into a single community. The religious spirit among the parish’s inhabitants was deepened by shaping their awareness, while faith was strengthened through the constant celebration of liturgical rites.
As religious observance grew, the moral standards of the faithful rose at the same time. It must be stated, however, that the results achieved had not yet reached their maximum. Ultimately, it must nevertheless be said that the activity discussed contributed to the improvement of individuals and the entire community in religious and moral terms.