The Forge of Character and Roots of Holiness: The Village of Zuzela, the Place of Birth and First Years of Life of Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński

Abstract

The authors focus on the analysis of Stefan Wyszyński’s childhood – the years 1901-1910, spent in the village of Zuzela. They reconstruct the place of his birth and the first years of his life as a unique place in the life of the future Primate of Poland, where he experienced the benefits of having a full family – maternal and paternal love. They influenced his later life choices, so important for the fate of the Church in Poland. In retrospect, Zuzela appears as a kind of lost paradise, especially in the context of his later move to Andrzejewo, where his mother died soon – he was only nine at this time. The article also describes contemporary initiatives undertaken to commemorate the Primate of the Millennium. The sketch uses both published materials and sources developed during the field research. For the purpose of the article, interview were made with Fr. Jerzy Krysztopa, the pastor of Zuzela, and Andrzej Karp, a relative of Wyszyński’s mother.