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Abstract
<jats:p>Pomerania sacra et sacra Terra Lubucensis Saints, blesseds, servants of God associated with the West Pomeranian and Lubusz lands The history of the Catholic Church is marked by the stories of saints who were able to fully realise the Gospel of Jesus Christ in their lives or suffered martyrdom for their faith. They are intercessors with God and the best reformers of the Church. They are therefore role models for the faithful. This study fits into the anniversaries celebrated in the Szczecin-Kamień Metropolis, i.e.the 900th anniversary of the first Pomeranian mission of Saint Otto of Bamberg, celebrated in a special way in the Archdiocese of Szczecin-Kamień and the Diocese of Koszalin-Kołobrzeg, and the 900th anniversary of the establishment of the Diocese of Lubusz, the heir of which is today&rsquo;s Diocese of Zielona G&oacute;ra-Gorz&oacute;w. It is these events and the holy missionaries associated with them: Saint Otto of Bamberg and the Five Polish Martyr Brothers, as well as other saints, blesseds and servants of God who passed through the Pomeranian and Lubusz lands and sanctified it, prompted the author to undertake the preparation of this monograph. In his study, the author took into account the entire area of Western Pomerania and the so-called Central Pomerania, as well as the Middle Odra River Region (Środkowe Nadodrze), i.e. the area of today&rsquo;s Szczecin-Kamień Metropolis, covering the territory of the Archdiocese of Szczecin-Kamień and the Dioceses of Koszalin-Kołobrzeg and Zielona G&oacute;ra-Gorz&oacute;w. For centuries, the faithful have been cared for by the patrons of the local Church community. Nevertheless, the personal presence of holy people was a great blessing for these lands. Some of them were born in the Pomeranian and Lubusz lands, others came here as missionaries or priests of the Church, and still others connected their lives and creative activities with this region. All of them became the pride and decoration of these lands, and over the past millennium, there were a total of 30 people: 13 saints, including 6 missionaries, 10 blesseds and 7 God&rsquo;s servants. In the Middle Ages, the First Polish Martyrs &ndash; Jan, Benedykt, Mateusz, Isaak and Krystyn &ndash;stayed in Międzyrzecz for less than 2 years, dying as martyrs in 1003. The Apostle of Pomerania, Bishop Otto of Bamberg (1061&ndash;1139), spent 17 months here during two missionary expeditions in the years 1124/1125 and 1128, Prince Canute Lavard (1096&ndash;1131), remained in friendly relations, over the years 1114&ndash;1129, with the first Pomeranian Prince Warcisław I (&dagger;1135). Father Sirad (1150&ndash;1230), at the request of Princess Anastasia of Greater Poland, sent his monks from distant Frisia to today&rsquo;s Trzebiat&oacute;w (1208&ndash;1230). Duchess Hediwg of Silesia (1178/80&ndash;1243) often stayed with her husband Henry I the Bearded at the castle in Krosno upon the Oder River (1201&ndash;1238), and also took refuge here with her daughter-in-law and the nuns of the Trzebnica convent during the Tatar invasion of Poland in 1241. In 1387 &ndash; twice, and once in 1388, a recluse, Blessed Dorota of Mąty (1347&ndash;1394), stayed in the chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Mount Chełmska. In modern times, two people who were previously Protestants wrote their beautiful pages: Bishop Nicolaus Steno (Niels Stensen, 1638&ndash;1686), who during the Catholic Diaspora served in the area of today&rsquo;s Mecklenburg, on the borders of the former Diocese of Kamień, and Sister Maria Teresa Tauscher van den Bosch of Saint Joseph (1855&ndash;1938), who lived for ten years in the area of today&rsquo;s Szczecin-Kamień Metropolis &ndash; seven years in Sandow, today Sąd&oacute;w near Słubice (1855&ndash;1862) and three years in Arnswalde, today Choszczno (1862&ndash;1865). In the Kostrzyn fortress, from June 24 to July 17, 1808, the great missionary of Warsaw, Father Klemens Maria Hofbauer (1751&ndash;1829), stayed together with 27 fellow Redemptorist brothers. It was in the Pomeranian land, in Słupsk, that on 11 March 1915, Bronisław Jerzy Kostkowski (1915&ndash;1942), a martyr of Dachau, was born, who later became a blessed cleric; he stayed in this city until 19 December 1919. Also Fr. Kazimierz Rolewski (1887&ndash;1936), associated with Greater Poland, mainly Poznań, worked in Saxony in the years 1911&ndash;1916, and for some time served in the parish of Saint Mainulf in Kostrzyn upon Oder (Kostrzyń nad Odrą). During World War II, the following were forcibly transported to these areas: Father Maksymilian Maria Kolbe (1894&ndash;1941) with 27 monks to Dulag D Amtitz &ndash; today Gębice near Gubin, where he stayed from 24 September to 9 November 1939 (murdered in 1941 in KL Auschwitz) and Msgr Dr. Karol Lampert (1894&ndash;1944) to Szczecin, where he stayed from 16 August 1941 to 6 December 1943 (he was arrested on 4 February 1943, and on 13 November 1944 executed by guillotine in the prison in Halle). During this terrible time, two Saint Elizabeth&rsquo;s sisters were martyred by Soviet soldiers: Maria Sapientia Heymann (1875&ndash;1945) in Nysa on 24 March 1945 and Maria Edelburgis Kubitzki (1905&ndash;1945) in Żary on 20 February 1945; the latter served in Żary from 1932 (except for 1935&ndash;1936) until her martyrdom. Also in post-war times, the mentioned area became a space of holiness. A great worshiper and preacher of God&rsquo;s mercy, Fr. Michał Sopoćko (1888&ndash;1975) stayed here several times, visiting mainly Myślib&oacute;rz, but also Szczecin, Białogard and Słubice. And the Saint Elizabeth&rsquo;s sister Maria Iwona Kr&oacute;l (1908&ndash;1990) lived most of her religious life, over 46 years, in Wschowa. Primate of Poland, Cardinal August Hlond (1881&ndash; 1948), concerned about the Church in Gorz&oacute;w after 1945, personally visited these lands on 15&ndash;30 October 1947. Fr. Ignacy Posadzy (1898&ndash;1984), as Superior General of the Society of Christ and founder of the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of Christ the King for the Polish Community Abroad, often visited individual facilities in Pomerania, strengthened priests and sisters in their service and enjoyed their fruits. Also the Primate of the Millennium, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński (1901&ndash;1981), during his 33-year service as a primate, visited the area of today&rsquo;s Szczecin-Kamień Metropolis as many as 19 times in the years 1950-1977. The founder of the Oasis Movement, Fr. Franciszek Blachnicki (1921&ndash;1987), connected through his Silesian origins with the bishops of the Gorz&oacute;w Church, was hosted in Paradyż and Gorz&oacute;w Wielkopolski at the invitation of Bishop Wilhelm Pluta, and in Koszalin &ndash; at the invitation of Bishop Ignacy Jeż; he also visited Świnoujście. Bishop Wilhelm Pluta (1910&ndash;1986) was associated with this land for 28 years. Also the chaplain of Solidarity Trade Union, Fr. Jerzy Popiełuszko (1947&ndash;1984), on his way to Germany in June 1974, stopped for a few days in Sarbinowo, near Dębno Lubuskie, also visiting Chwarszczany. Also, a former prisoner of Dachau, a priest from the eastern part of Poland, Fr. Kazimierz Aleksander Hamerszmit (1916&ndash;1996) visited the parish of Witkowo near Stargard several times, meeting with the priests of this archdiocese. Of course, the greatest event for this land were the pilgrimages of John Paul II (1920&ndash;2005) to: Szczecin (11 June 1987), Koszalin (1 and 2 June 1991) and Gorz&oacute;w Wlkp. (2 June 1997). It should be emphasised that the Pope stayed in the area of today&rsquo;s Szczecin- Kamień Metropolis as many as 19 times: as a priest &ndash; 2 times, as a bishop &ndash; 7 times, as a cardinal &ndash; 7 times and 3 times as the Vicar of Christ. To Szczecin, to the parish of Saint Stanisław Kostka, Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1910&ndash;1997) arrived on 10 June 1987, a day before John Paul II&rsquo;s visit to this city; the next day, early in the morning, she left the city and went to Warsaw. Therefore, among the people presented here are: the Pope, two Primates of Poland, three bishops, seven diocesan priests &ndash; including two founders of new religious communities, three religious order priests, five hermit monks &ndash; including one cook, one cleric, five nuns &ndash; including two founders of new religious communities, a recluse, a duchess and a prince. This group included 12 martyrs, including 10 men and 2 women &ndash; nuns. Three people were born on this land: Sister Maria Teresa Tauscher van den Bosch of Saint Joseph in Sąd&oacute;w near Słubice, Sister Łucja Maria Sapientia Heymann in Lubiesz near Wałcz and cleric Bronisław Jerzy Kostkowski in Słupsk. During the Catholic Diaspora, there were two conversions to Catholicism &ndash; Bishop Nicolaus Steno and Sister Maria Teresa Tauscher van den Bosch of Saint Joseph. The people presented here left a clear Gospel message. Although their cult varies in scope and intensity, being usually small, and this results from the poor awareness of the faithful about their life and activities. Of course, the dominant cult is that of Saint John Paul II, Blessed Stefan Wyszyński, the Polish Martyr Brothers, Saint Otto of Bamberg, Blessed Jerzy Popiełuszko, Blessed Karol Lambert, and the memory of God&rsquo;s servants - Cardinal August Hlond and Bishop Wilhelm Pluta, lasts here. The author is aware that the topic has not been fully exhausted, and most of the mentioned characters deserve a separate study in the context of these lands, especially when it comes to their cult. However, anniversaries always trigger new initiatives. May they also bring the expected fruit, and may the inhabitants gain a new spirit according to the words of Saint John Paul II said in Gorz&oacute;w Wielkopolski on 2 June 1997: &ldquo;Do not be afraid of holiness&rdquo;. &nbsp;</jats:p>