VICTORIOUS OCTOBER

JAN ŻARYN

October is a month full of fateful events in the history of the Catholic Church. They can be easily divided into tragic and happy, generally moving our hearts, and, finally victorious. This year, in a particular way we will reminiscence life, activity and circumstances of death of blessed Fr. Jerzy Popiełuszko, murdered on 19 October 1984, by Security Officers. One of them – Waldemar Chmielewski defended a specific diploma work, whose main character was the Primate of the Millennium, invigilated from 1946 till his death 1981. There was a lot to write about – 35 years of permanent vigilance, loads of rapports, reports, copied talks from wiretapping in rooms and on the phone. For cardinal Stefan Wyszyński, October was also an important month in his life. Arrested on 25 September 1953 after a temporary stay in Rywałd Królewski, he got to Stoczek Warmiński in October for a year. When in September 1954 a refugee from the People’s Polish Republic, the colonel of the Security Office Józef Światło started broadcasting his reports in Free Europe Radio, the authorities decided that the place of the Primate’s stay would be compromised. In October 1954 the authorities moved the prisoner to Prudnik Śląski, to another end of Poland. In 1955 in the Political Office of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers’ Party the first fights started and searching for culprits of the approaching imminent crisis of the system based on ruthless atheism and the cult of the individual. Next processes of bishops prepared by the apparatus of security (including bishop Zygmunt Choromański) and liquidations of female convents (within the second phase of the X-2 action), remained in the phase of projects. The effect of the approaching ‘thaw’ was – in October 1955 – moving the Primate Wyszyński to Komańcza. And, finally – October 1956 – the Group of Gomułka, raised to the power by the society wanting a real leader, got scared of the wave quickly, thanks to which it got to the ‘white house’ at the intersection of Jerozolimskie Alleys and Nowy Świat. It wanted to pacify the atmosphere, nearly begging the Primate to return to Warsaw and take over his all functions. Gomułka accepted conditions of the Cardinal; the February decree of 1953 was withdrawn, sisters returned to their house, and bishops to their residences, taking over the posts of ordinaries. ‘Patriot Priests’ were performing their penance. The victorious primate started preparations for the Great Novena which was to renew the face of the land, the Polish land. Not only for the year 1966, the millennium one, but for other decades. The culmination of the program of the Great Novena, although not predictable earlier, was the day of 16 October 1978. Cardinal Karol Wojtyła became pope John Paul II; from that day we were counting days to the collapse of communism in Poland, in Russia and in Central-Eastern Europe. The Providence chose October as His favourite month! In the years of the People’s Polish Republic – the month of the Great Revolution.

AA

„Niedziela” 40/2014

Editor: Tygodnik Katolicki "Niedziela", ul. 3 Maja 12, 42-200 Czestochowa, Polska
Editor-in-chief: Fr Jaroslaw Grabowski • E-mail: redakcja@niedziela.pl