Towards Catholic Action in pre-war Poland. Creating new one on traditional bases
Towards Catholic Action in pre-war Poland. Creating new one on traditional bases

Summary/Abstract: The reactivation of the Catholic Action (CA) in Poland, which ended its activity in 1939, would have not been possible without the pre-war structures of this secular Catholic organization. Although the break in the existence of this organization in Poland lasted nearly 60 years, but the old form of activity, program and many of its works encouraged the Polish Church, by the initiative of John Paul II, to revive this entity. This article outlines the ideological basis for the creation of the first Catholic Action in the world. Its main organizational forms are also presented in the article, and at the same time, the similarity between the pre-war structures of CA in Poland and their Italian prototype. The last part of the paper outlines the process of creating pre-war structures of the Catholic Action in Poland, its legal basis and areas of activity. Althaough after the Second Vatican Council, there was another perception of the laity in the world, and its role in the Church increased, but the pre-war Catholic Action became a basis for creating a new organization in Poland. The reactivated Polish CA took on a rather traditional model, preserving the institution of the Church assistant as a secular liaison with the hierarchy of the Church.

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