The Pastoral Tasks Entrusted to Religious Parishes by the Bishop of the Bydgoszcz Diocese

Abstract

The subject of this article is to present the pastoral tasks entrusted to the religious parishes by the Bydgoszcz diocesan bishop. The historical evaluation of the concept, the organization and development of the religious life were concisely presented. It was pointed out that the Evangelical counsels, a gift from God, became a measure of the lives of people who would like to follow the Christ. It has been shown that the form of life of these people has changed over the centuries. The role of the parish was emphasized as a special form of the Church’s presence in the world. The general and theoretical problem concerning entrusting a parish and related tasks to a religious institute was presented. The tasks of the religious pastor were presented and the essential difference between a diocesan pastor and an episcopal pastor was highlighted. Religious parishes and their specific tasks in the Diocese of Bydgoszcz were analyzed in detail. Particular attention was paid to the role of religious orders in pastoral work. All the considerations highlighted the fact that the Bishop of the Bydgoszcz Diocese, Jan Tyrawa, did not legally entrust the parish to any order. In this context, it was emphasized that the present day requires greater cooperation between religious orders and local bishops and the joint implementation of specific tasks.