Wojenne losy zakonów i zgromadzeń zakonnych w powiecie wieluńskim w okresie okupacji niemieckiej 1939-1945
The orders and congregationsʼs destiny in the Welun district in the time of german occupation 1939-1945

Summary/Abstract: Eight orders and congregations owned their monastic houses in territory of Wieluń district dur- ing the Second World War. As a result of bombarding Wieluń on September 1st, 1939 two Sisters of Charity died – J. Pikulska and J. Zakościelna and W. Drzewiecki and M. Łochocki ( Mission- aries of Holy Family) and S. Świerczyńska (Sister of Charity) were seriously injured. Monks and nuns fell victim to repression. As part of the action against the Polish intelligentsia on November 8th – 9th, 1939, the following people were arrested and put in camp in Radogoszcz: fr. Romuald Szczeciński (Missionary of Holy Family), fr. Tomasz Wolny and fr. Józef Zając (Franciscans). Monks Tomasz (Missionary of Holy Family), Andrzej and Bazyli (Franciscans) were exiled to forced labour. On October 6th, 1941, Missionaries of Holy Family Jan Wujek and Marian Łosoś were arrested and sent to KL Dachau. But as a part of “Aktion Nonnen” six Observants were put in camp in Bojanowo. Almost all orders and congregations knew the bitter taste of displacing. In the respect of material wastes as the result of bombarding on September 1st, 1939, the westernpart of monastic complex of Missionaries of Holy Family with outbuildings were destroyed.There was a transition camp for Jews in the Holy Family church. The church of Franciscanswas allotted for German Catholics but monastic buildings were taken by Wehrmacht soldiers,SS units and German gendarmerie. In the Observants church there were Evangelical services,but convent was: hospital, orphanage, restaurant and house for German clerks. The rest of con-vent buildings were destroyed. It is worth underlining that diocesan priests were substituted bymonks, because priests in fear of their lives moved to General-Gouvernement and Upper- SilesiaProvince. The Sisters of St. Anthony of Padua and the Ursulines taught children secretly as thepreparation to the First Communion. The conduct of fr. Kapistran Holt aroused controversybecause he was the priest of German people. He was accused of submissiveness to the Germansand persecuting Poles taking part in services in the Franciscans church.

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