Bishop Leon Wałęga, Organizer of Emigrant Pastorate in the Tarnów Diocese (1901-1933)

Abstract

In the period of greatest intensity of Polish emigration before World War I, bishop Leon Wałęga (1901-1933) distinguished himself among the Galician episcopate. He was one of the most outstanding bishops of Tarnów, owing to his significant achievements in organizing the emigrant pastorate, especially for seasonal emigrants. Bishop Wałęga’s work in this respect in the Tarnów diocese went in three directions: to find out what the dimensions of this movement were and what its influence on the emigrants’ life was; to find the ways of sanitating its negative results, and to work out special pastoral care practices for emigrants. Special questionnaires of the Consistory (1907, 1910), congresses of the decans (1903, 1911). decanal congregations of priests (1911), pastoral letters to the faitful (1906) and to the clergy (1910), resolutions of the diocese synod (1928), organizing closed recollections for seasonal emigrants (1910-1914), and sending prests to work among Polish emigrants served this purpose. The Tarnów diocese had the largest economic emigracy in Galicia (44 729 persons in 1907). To minimize the negative effect of emigration on the religious-moral life of the diocese, bishop Wałęga took special care about the emigrants. Special services for emigrants before their leaving the country and after their return as well as correspondence with emigrants were worked out and practiced in the diocese. Bishop Walęga’s pastoral letter to the faithful, and especially to the young, entitled Archanioł Rafał (Archangel Raphael - 1906) soon became a handy catechism of emigrants. The pastoral letter to the clergy gave a detailed programme of pastoral care of emigrants and encouraged the priests to holiday pastoral undertakings among seasonal emigrants abroad. The Diocesan Protection Council for Emigrants, which was established in 1911, coordinated those actions. The closed recollections for seasonal emigrants conducted by Missionaries in Tarnów, gathered 4231 persons in 11 series. The diocesan synod (1928) defined in detail the duties of priests with respect to emigrants. During bishop Wałęga’s rule altogether 37 diocesan priests worked among Polish emigrants, 25 of them overseas (USA, Brasil) and 12 among the seasonal emigrants (Germany, France, Switzerland). These proceedings of the bishop constitute a significant contribution to the work of emigrant pastorate.