Jan z Dukli w świetle polskich czasopism tercjarskich (1918-1939)
Saint John of Dukla as Portrayed in the Polish Tertiary Journals (1918-1939)

Summary/Abstract: The printed word, journals in particular, are an invaluable source in learning about the events of the past. Among all these journals, there were religious ones, which held their own view of the context of historical events. In the 1930s, the Catholic orders published 3,334 titles altogether. The largest number of publications was issued by the Jesuits, followed by the Salesians, Franciscans, Dominicans, Benedictines, Redemptorists as well as other congregations and orders. In 1919, the tertiary press was represented by 164 titles worldwide. In the interwar period, all the obediences of the First Franciscan Order in Poland published their tertiary press titles. Altogether, Polish Franciscans were engaged in the publication of 13 tertiary journals, though some of the titles lasted only a couple of years. The portrait of St. John of Dukla in these interwar tertiary titles is an important contribution to the study of the life of this outstanding saint. Despite vast research on the topic, the Saint’s curriculum vitae is still subject to historical investigations. John (Jan) of Dukla lived in the 15th century, when an observant group emerged wishing the Franciscans to move back to the authentic religious zeal of the original Franciscan Order. This century, full of historical turmoil, witnessed the rise of many saints that visibly testified to the power of the Franciscan ideal. On the long list of saints and blessed of the time, who were outstanding figures of the observant movement, there is also St. John. Special devotion to John of Dukla added to the spread of his reverence beyond the walls of the monastery, which positively influenced the religious life of the Polish nation, as borne out by numerous pilgrimages to his tomb. The tertiary journals of the interwar period tried to show John of Dukla as a nation-wide, and not only a domestic saint. Tertiary press also performed other important functions. For example, it informed the faithful about the situation of the Church and about the life of its saints and blessed.

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