SDS History Poland
The beginning of the Salvatorians in Poland
From the very beginning of their existence Salvatorians have been very much an international religious order. Among the members there was a significant number of Polish men. Out of about a thousand candidates who joined the order in the years 1881-1900, about one hundred were Polish. They did whatever their superiors sent them to do. Some of them joined a group of priests and brothers from other countries to help form an American Province of the Salvatorians, at the same time providing pastoral care to Polish people who emigrated to the USA. Others were sent to India to work at the newly established mission at Assam. A large number of them pioneered Salvatorian pastoral ministry in a number of countries in Europe. Only a small number returned to their motherland to lay the foundations of the future Polish Province of the Salvatorians.
A Bit of History
The first Salvatorians of Polish origin arrived in Krakow (Cracow) in 1900. They were: Alfred Zacharzowski, Honoriusz Bugiel and Cezary Wojciechowski. The first Salvatorian Community House was opened in 1903 at Trzebinia near Krakow.
In 1918, after the First World War, Poland regained national independence. This situation created new opportunities for further development and growth of the Society. To achieve this task a formation house was needed. In 1923 a formation house was officially opened in Zakrzowek (outskirts of Krakow).
In 1927 the Polish Province of the Salvatorians was finally established. The Province had twenty seven members: eight priests, seven brothers, four seminarians and eight novices.
At the end of the Second World War the Salvatorians in Poland lived in five Community Houses. The new reality of life after the War created new challenges. There was a shortage of priests in the western part of Poland, so the Salvatorians tried to respond to the needs of the people. Within two years they had undertaken pastoral ministry at sixteen different places in the western part of Poland.
Continuing growth in numbers allowed the Salvatorians to take new postings and face new challenges in an attempt to meet the needs of the people. In 1975 there were thirty one Polish Salvatorian Community Houses, out of which twenty seven were in Poland, two in USA and two in Canada.
At present Polish Salvatorians work and live in thirty five houses in Poland and in a number of countries all over the world. These are: USA, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Russia, Byelorussia, Ukraine, Italy, Albania, Hungry, Switzerland, Germany, Czech Republic and Slovakia. Mission countries: Tanzania, Congo, Philippines and India.
In the Mission of Christ
Prompted and encouraged by the words of their Founder, Fr Francis Mary of the Cross Jordan: “As long as there is even one person in the world who does not know and does not love Jesus Christ the Saviour of the world, you are not to take rest”, Salvatorians continue the mission of Christ on all continents of the world.