Stefan Cardinal Wyszynski
Encyclopedia
Stefan Wyszyński was a Polish
prelate
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He served as the bishop of Lublin
from 1946 to 1948, archbishop of Warsaw and archbishop of Gniezno from 1948 to 1981. Appointed cardinal
on 12 January 1953 by Pope Pius XII
, he assumed the title of Primate of Poland. Stefan Wyszyński was often called the Primate of the Millennium.
The cause for his beatification and canonization has many proponents in the Vatican and in his native Poland, where he is well known for his heroic and principled stand against Nazism and Communism and because of his connections to Pope John Paul II
(he had told him of his first episcopal appointment and, much later in 1978, ultimately urged him to accept his nomination as Supreme Pontiff), though their relationship was not as close as some others in the Polish hierarchy.
, on the Bug River
. In outcome of the Partitions
in the late 18th century, these territories were part of the Russian Empire until the end of the First World War. In those areas directly incorporated in the Russian Empire there was an intensive campaign to make the Polish population abandon their traditions and lose their national awareness.
In 1912 Wyszyński's father (his mother had died when he was nine) sent him to Warsaw
. He completed his grammar school education there in 1915. He then enrolled in the seminary
in Włocławek, and on his 24th birthday (3 August 1924), after being hospitalised with a serious illness, he received his priestly ordination
from Bishop Adalberto Owczarek.
in Częstochowa
, a place of special spiritual significance for many Catholic Poles. The Pauline monastery
there holds the picture of the Black Madonna
, or Our Lady of Częstochowa, the patron saint
and guardian of Poland. Father Wyszyński spent the next four years in Lublin, where in 1929 he received the doctor's degree in the Faculty of Canon Law
and the Social Sciences of the Catholic University of Lublin. His dissertation in Canon Law, was entitled The Rights of the Family, Church and State to Schools. For several years after graduation he travelled throughout Europe, where he furthered his education.
After returning to Poland, Father Wyszyński began teaching at the seminary in Włocławek. When the Second World War broke out in 1939, he left Włocławek because he was wanted by the Germans
for the pastoral duties he had performed for working-class people.At the request of Bishop Kozal, he went to Laski near Warsaw. When the Warsaw Uprising
broke out on 1 August 1944, he adopted nom de guerre "Radwan II" and became chaplain
of the insurgents' hospital in Laski, and of the Żoliborz
military district of the Armia Krajowa
Polish underground resistance organisation.
In 1945, a year after end of war in the area, Wyszyński returned to Włocławek, where he started a restoration project for the devastated seminary, becoming its rector and the chief editor of a Catholic weekly.
government, which lasted for several years. The Catholic Church was hoping for return of the Polish government-in-exile from London and the removal of Stalin's puppet regime. The Church actively supported the anti-Communists. One of the prime issues was the confiscation of properties for public use, including secular schools and for distribution among farmers. In 1950 Archbishop Wyszyński decided to enter into a secret agreement with the Communist authorities
, which was signed on 14 February 1950 by the Polish episcopate
and the government. The agreement settled political dispute of the Church in Poland. It allowed the Church to hold reasonable property, separated church from politics, prohibited religious indoctrination in public schools, and even allowed authorities to select a bishop from 3 candidates presented. Karol Wojtyla was selected in such a manner.
Beginning in 1953, another wave of persecution swept Poland. When the bishops continued support for resistance, mass trials and the internment of priests began - the cardinal being among the victims. On 25 September 1953 he was imprisoned at Rywałd, and later placed under house arrest
in Stoczek near Lidzbark Warmiński
, in Prudnik near Opole
and in the monastery in Komańcza in the Bieszczady Mountains. While imprisoned, he observed the brutal torture and mistreatment of the detainees, some highly perverse in nature. He was released on 26 October 1956.
He never stopped his religious and social work. Its crowning achievement was the celebration of Poland's Millennium of Christianity in 1966 - the thousandth anniversary of the baptism of Poland's first prince, Mieszko I
. During the celebration, the Communist authorities refused to allow Pope Paul VI
to visit Poland; they also prevented Cardinal Wyszyński from attending overseas celebrations. Wyszyński triumphed in 1978, when Karol Wojtyła of Kraków was elected Pope John Paul II
, followed by a spectacular papal visit to Poland in 1979. Wyszyński did not turn a blind eye towards the civil unrest in 1980. When the Solidarity trade union was created in Poland, he appealed to both sides, the government as well as the striking workers, to be responsible for their actions.
Cardinal Wyszyński, often called the Primate of the Millennium, died on 28 May 1981 at the age of 79. To commemorate the twentieth anniversary of his death, the year 2001 was announced by the Sejm
as the Year of Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński. The Sejm also honoured the Cardinal as a "great Pole, chaplain and statesman".
composed the Agnus Dei of his Polish Requiem
in his memory.
In 2000 a motion picture was made about the life and imprisonment of Wyszyński, The Primate - Three Years Out of a Thousand, directed by Teresa Kotlarczyk. The title role was played by Andrzej Seweryn
.
In the CBS
miniseries
Pope John Paul II
(based upon the life of the Polish pope
), Cardinal Wyszyński was portrayed by English actor Christopher Lee
.
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Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
prelate
Prelate
A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...
of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. He served as the bishop of Lublin
Lublin
Lublin is the ninth largest city in Poland. It is the capital of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 350,392 . Lublin is also the largest Polish city east of the Vistula river...
from 1946 to 1948, archbishop of Warsaw and archbishop of Gniezno from 1948 to 1981. Appointed cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
on 12 January 1953 by Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
, he assumed the title of Primate of Poland. Stefan Wyszyński was often called the Primate of the Millennium.
The cause for his beatification and canonization has many proponents in the Vatican and in his native Poland, where he is well known for his heroic and principled stand against Nazism and Communism and because of his connections to Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
(he had told him of his first episcopal appointment and, much later in 1978, ultimately urged him to accept his nomination as Supreme Pontiff), though their relationship was not as close as some others in the Polish hierarchy.
Early life and ordination
Wyszyński was born in a village ZuzelaZuzela
Zuzela is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Nur, within Ostrów Mazowiecka County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. It lies approximately west of Nur, south-east of Ostrów Mazowiecka, and north-east of Warsaw....
, on the Bug River
Bug River
The Bug River is a left tributary of the Narew river flows from central Ukraine to the west, passing along the Ukraine-Polish and Polish-Belarusian border and into Poland, where it empties into the Narew river near Serock. The part between the lake and the Vistula River is sometimes referred to as...
. In outcome of the Partitions
Partitions of Poland
The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland for 123 years...
in the late 18th century, these territories were part of the Russian Empire until the end of the First World War. In those areas directly incorporated in the Russian Empire there was an intensive campaign to make the Polish population abandon their traditions and lose their national awareness.
In 1912 Wyszyński's father (his mother had died when he was nine) sent him to Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
. He completed his grammar school education there in 1915. He then enrolled in the seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
in Włocławek, and on his 24th birthday (3 August 1924), after being hospitalised with a serious illness, he received his priestly ordination
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
from Bishop Adalberto Owczarek.
Priest and professor
Wyszyński celebrated his first Solemn High Mass of Thanksgiving, at Jasna GóraJasna Góra Monastery
The Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa, Poland is the most famous shrine to the Virgin Mary in Poland and the country's greatest place of pilgrimage - for many its spiritual capital. The image of Black Madonna of Częstochowa, to which miraculous powers are attributed, is Jasna Góra's most...
in Częstochowa
Czestochowa
Częstochowa is a city in south Poland on the Warta River with 240,027 inhabitants . It has been situated in the Silesian Voivodeship since 1999, and was previously the capital of Częstochowa Voivodeship...
, a place of special spiritual significance for many Catholic Poles. The Pauline monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
there holds the picture of the Black Madonna
Black Madonna of Czestochowa
The Black Madonna of Częstochowa is a revered icon of the Virgin Mary housed at the Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa, Poland.-The icon:The origins of the icon and the date of its composition are still hotly contested among scholars...
, or Our Lady of Częstochowa, the patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
and guardian of Poland. Father Wyszyński spent the next four years in Lublin, where in 1929 he received the doctor's degree in the Faculty of Canon Law
Canon law
Canon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
and the Social Sciences of the Catholic University of Lublin. His dissertation in Canon Law, was entitled The Rights of the Family, Church and State to Schools. For several years after graduation he travelled throughout Europe, where he furthered his education.
After returning to Poland, Father Wyszyński began teaching at the seminary in Włocławek. When the Second World War broke out in 1939, he left Włocławek because he was wanted by the Germans
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
for the pastoral duties he had performed for working-class people.At the request of Bishop Kozal, he went to Laski near Warsaw. When the Warsaw Uprising
Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance Home Army , to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany. The rebellion was timed to coincide with the Soviet Union's Red Army approaching the eastern suburbs of the city and the retreat of German forces...
broke out on 1 August 1944, he adopted nom de guerre "Radwan II" and became chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
of the insurgents' hospital in Laski, and of the Żoliborz
Zoliborz
Żoliborz is one of the northern districts of the city of Warsaw. It is located directly to the north of the City Centre, on the left bank of the Vistula river. It has approximately 50,000 inhabitants and is one of the smallest boroughs of Warsaw....
military district of the Armia Krajowa
Armia Krajowa
The Armia Krajowa , or Home Army, was the dominant Polish resistance movement in World War II German-occupied Poland. It was formed in February 1942 from the Związek Walki Zbrojnej . Over the next two years, it absorbed most other Polish underground forces...
Polish underground resistance organisation.
In 1945, a year after end of war in the area, Wyszyński returned to Włocławek, where he started a restoration project for the devastated seminary, becoming its rector and the chief editor of a Catholic weekly.
Bishop
Just a year later, on 25 March 1946, Pope Pius XII appointed him Bishop of Lublin; he was consecrated by August Cardinal Hlond on 12 May that year. After the death of Cardinal Hlond on 22 October 1948, he was named Metropolitan Archbishop of Gniezno and Warsaw, and thus Primate of Poland, on 12 November 1948.Post-war resistance to Communism
World War II ended in 1944 however in eastern present-day Poland, and later in the west hostilities continued between a large segment of native Poles and the StalinistStalinism
Stalinism refers to the ideology that Joseph Stalin conceived and implemented in the Soviet Union, and is generally considered a branch of Marxist–Leninist ideology but considered by some historians to be a significant deviation from this philosophy...
government, which lasted for several years. The Catholic Church was hoping for return of the Polish government-in-exile from London and the removal of Stalin's puppet regime. The Church actively supported the anti-Communists. One of the prime issues was the confiscation of properties for public use, including secular schools and for distribution among farmers. In 1950 Archbishop Wyszyński decided to enter into a secret agreement with the Communist authorities
People's Republic of Poland
The People's Republic of Poland was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990. Although the Soviet Union took control of the country immediately after the liberation from Nazi Germany in 1944, the name of the state was not changed until eight years later...
, which was signed on 14 February 1950 by the Polish episcopate
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
and the government. The agreement settled political dispute of the Church in Poland. It allowed the Church to hold reasonable property, separated church from politics, prohibited religious indoctrination in public schools, and even allowed authorities to select a bishop from 3 candidates presented. Karol Wojtyla was selected in such a manner.
Beginning in 1953, another wave of persecution swept Poland. When the bishops continued support for resistance, mass trials and the internment of priests began - the cardinal being among the victims. On 25 September 1953 he was imprisoned at Rywałd, and later placed under house arrest
House arrest
In justice and law, house arrest is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to his or her residence. Travel is usually restricted, if allowed at all...
in Stoczek near Lidzbark Warmiński
Lidzbark Warminski
Lidzbark Warmiński is a town in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship in Poland. It is the capital of Lidzbark County.- History :The town was originally an Old Prussian settlement known as Lecbarg until being conquered in 1240 by the Teutonic Knights, who called it Heilsberg...
, in Prudnik near Opole
Opole
Opole is a city in southern Poland on the Oder River . It has a population of 125,992 and is the capital of the Upper Silesia, Opole Voivodeship and, also the seat of Opole County...
and in the monastery in Komańcza in the Bieszczady Mountains. While imprisoned, he observed the brutal torture and mistreatment of the detainees, some highly perverse in nature. He was released on 26 October 1956.
Relations with Jews
Wyszyński worked strenuously to improve relations with the Jews living in his territory, going so far as to shelter them from persecution and orchestrate loans for use in worship when the government denied them this privilege.Cardinal and Primate of Poland
On 12 January 1953, Wyszyński was elevated to the rank of Cardinal-Priest of Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere by Pius XII.He never stopped his religious and social work. Its crowning achievement was the celebration of Poland's Millennium of Christianity in 1966 - the thousandth anniversary of the baptism of Poland's first prince, Mieszko I
Mieszko I of Poland
Mieszko I , was a Duke of the Polans from about 960 until his death. A member of the Piast dynasty, he was son of Siemomysł; grandchild of Lestek; father of Bolesław I the Brave, the first crowned King of Poland; likely father of Świętosława , a Nordic Queen; and grandfather of her son, Cnut the...
. During the celebration, the Communist authorities refused to allow Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
to visit Poland; they also prevented Cardinal Wyszyński from attending overseas celebrations. Wyszyński triumphed in 1978, when Karol Wojtyła of Kraków was elected Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
, followed by a spectacular papal visit to Poland in 1979. Wyszyński did not turn a blind eye towards the civil unrest in 1980. When the Solidarity trade union was created in Poland, he appealed to both sides, the government as well as the striking workers, to be responsible for their actions.
Cardinal Wyszyński, often called the Primate of the Millennium, died on 28 May 1981 at the age of 79. To commemorate the twentieth anniversary of his death, the year 2001 was announced by the Sejm
Sejm
The Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the Sejm ....
as the Year of Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński. The Sejm also honoured the Cardinal as a "great Pole, chaplain and statesman".
Legacy
In 1981 Krzysztof PendereckiKrzysztof Penderecki
Krzysztof Penderecki , born November 23, 1933 in Dębica) is a Polish composer and conductor. His 1960 avant-garde Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima for string orchestra brought him to international attention, and this success was followed by acclaim for his choral St. Luke Passion. Both these...
composed the Agnus Dei of his Polish Requiem
Polish Requiem
Polish Requiem is a large scale Requiem Mass for soloists, mixed choir and orchestra by Krzysztof Penderecki, originally composed between 1980 and 1984, revised and expanded in 1993, and expanded again in 2005 with the additional movement, Ciaccona...
in his memory.
In 2000 a motion picture was made about the life and imprisonment of Wyszyński, The Primate - Three Years Out of a Thousand, directed by Teresa Kotlarczyk. The title role was played by Andrzej Seweryn
Andrzej Seweryn
Andrzej Seweryn is a Polish and French actor and director. One of the most successful Polish theatre actors, he starred in over 50 films, mostly in Poland, France and Germany. He is also one of only three non-French actors to be hired by the Paris-based Comédie-Française.- Biography :Andrzej...
.
In the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II (film)
Pope John Paul II is a 2005 television miniseries dramatizing the life of Pope John Paul II from his early adult years in Poland to his death on April 2, 2005 at age 84....
(based upon the life of the Polish pope
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
), Cardinal Wyszyński was portrayed by English actor Christopher Lee
Christopher Lee
Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, CBE, CStJ is an English actor and musician. Lee initially portrayed villains and became famous for his role as Count Dracula in a string of Hammer Horror films...
.
External links
- Religion and nationalism in Soviet and East European politics, National Review; 11/7/1986; Rooney, David M.
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