The conveying of religious truth to the faithful from the pulpit has always held a prominent place in the Catholic Church. Bolesławiec was no exception. The most common form of preaching here was the homily. Starting from the Gospel pericope, which formed the main theme of the sermon, the preacher referred to the life situation of those gathered and drew certain moral conclusions. The Word of God understood in this way was generally proclaimed every Sunday and feast day during all Holy Masses.
Apart from homilies, teaching took the form of thematic sermons delivered during retreats, missions, indulgence celebrations, tridua, the Lenten lamentations, the Forty Hours' Devotion, at May, June and October devotions, and every Wednesday during the novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Occasional sermons were also practiced, delivered during celebrations of the feasts of the Lord and on the occasion of parish celebrations such as first Masses, jubilees, baptisms, funerals, weddings and confirmations.
Preaching was primarily carried out by the local clergy. However, in order to diversify the form of teaching, preachers from various backgrounds were invited. Not infrequently, the voices of the Wrocław bishops resounded from the parish pulpit in special sermons or pastoral letters. The figure of Bishop Wincenty Urban (who died in December 1983) deserves attention here: in 1974–1975, he delivered 12 homilies in the church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help and addressed the faithful with the same number of pastoral letters.
The number of sermons and homilies delivered in 1970–1983 was truly impressive, as approximately six hundred were given each year on average. The subject matter of the teaching was also interesting. The book of delivered sermons contains a wide range of topics, which nevertheless did not essentially depart from the recommendations of the Polish Episcopate. It is impossible to list all the sermons here, so we will limit ourselves to presenting their thematic groups. They included sermons on the Holy Trinity, Christological, Mariological and ecclesiological sermons, sermons concerning family life and religious education, and finally sermons on the sacraments.
A special form of preaching was provided by retreats and holy missions, which attracted large groups of listeners. Retreats prepared people for confession, revitalized religious life and introduced moral order, thereby becoming a cause of renewal for the entire community. For this reason, retreats were preached in the parish every year during Advent and Lent, as well as before the solemn installation of the novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help in May 1971.
The first Holy Missions were supposed to be held as early as 1970; however, because the church renovation was still underway, they were postponed until 1974. This extremely important undertaking was led by the Redemptorists from 14 to 22 September, who preached teachings for individual states of life. During all the conferences, the church was filled with children, young people and elderly people. The numerous receptions of the Sacrament of Penance, conversions and more than 14,000 Holy Communions distributed point to the significant fruits of the mission, further enhanced by the fact that eight couples who had lived for many years without the Sacrament of Matrimony entered into church marriages. At the conclusion of the exercises, Bishop Wincenty Urban came to the parish, proclaimed the Word of God and blessed a large oak mission cross, which was then erected outside the church.
In conclusion, it should be emphasized that ordinary preaching activity, retreats and missions proclaimed in the church dedicated to Our Lady of Perpetual Help became an opportunity for the parish residents to reflect and had a considerable influence on the development of their religious and moral lives.