On Sunday, June 9, 2024, the Conventual Franciscan church in Głowienka, Poland, celebrated the 50th anniversary of its founding. The church is located near Krosno, in Poland’s Subcarpathian Region.
A Mass of Thanksgiving was celebrated at the church, presided over by the Minister Provincial of the Province of St. Anthony and Bl. James of Strepar in Poland (Cracow), Friar Mariusz KOZIOŁ. Friar Mariusz addressed those present saying: “In today’s solemnity, we give thanks to God for this brick church, but we also thank Him for the faith, for the faith of those who built it and for the desire to live daily life with God….As disciples of Christ, we come here, to this church, to meet Jesus. We listen to His Word. May we receive it in Holy Communion. Then, we will look at what we cannot see and not give in to doubt.”
Other participants at the ceremony also spoke of the unshakable faith of the people of Głowienka half a century ago. The Vice-Mayor of Krosno, Andrzej GUZIK, said that he first heard about Głowienka as a child. Then, he repeated what his relatives had told him about it: “Valiant and righteous people live here, because they built the church in one night.” The sacrifice these people made, their dedication and toil, their great and heroic act of courage, set us an example of how to defend the cross and the faith. They should be an inspiration for all who are facing today’s challenges.
The Mayor of Miejsce Piastowe, Wiktor SKWARA, expressed his appreciation for the uncompromising attitude of the people who built the church. He thanked the Conventual Franciscans for demonstrating how strongly linked they have been to this community over the last fifty years.
Iwona TOPOLSKA, the Director of the local primary school, also spoke on behalf of the people of Głowienka. “Our hearts are today filled with joy and gratitude for all the gifts and graces we have received from the hand of God over the last fifty years here in Głowienka. In a special way however, we want to thank you dear Franciscan fathers here in this place. With our hearts and our memories we embrace all the fathers who have worked in the parish since its foundation, those alive and those whom the Lord has already called to Himself. We thank you for all the good we have experienced from the Order over the years. Thank you for your Franciscan outlook, for your testimony of faith, for bringing God to Głowienka. Thank you for your Franciscan spirituality, which for fifty years has formed children, youth and the elderly. Thank you for caring about our faith, our hearts and our consciences. The fruits of your ministry are many. One of these, for example, are the vocations to religious life that arose in this community.”
During the Mass, the faithful prayed for the church’s builders, benefactors and donors. They also prayed for the parishioners and priests, as well as for those whose faith has grown cold.
According to some sources, the village of Głowienka was founded at the beginning of the 13th century. In July of 1970, the village was incorporated into the new Conventual Franciscan parish in Krosno. A house was soon purchased in the village to be used as a pastoral and catechetical center. On September 1, 1971, after some careful renovation, Friar Jan Stanisław GÓRNY took up residence in one of the newly build rooms and began catechizing. A few days later, on September 5, the Most Reverend Ignacy TOKARCZUK, Bishop of Przemyśl, visited Głowienka, blessed the local faithful and gave permission to celebrate Sunday Mass in the house. However, the house was too small for the needs of the faithful. Led by Friar Jan Stanisław GÓRNY, the people of Głowienka, going against the communist authorities and working under the cover of night, built the church and covered it with sheet metal. Over time they expanded it. On May 26, 1974, the first Mass in the new church was celebrated and the following day, Bishop TOKARCZUK blessed the church and named it after the then Blessed Maximilian M. KOLBE. The first patronal festival was organized there on August 14, 1974. On January 30, 1975, the church in Głowienka was erected as a parish.
To find out more about the extremely interesting history of the church, parish and friary go to: https://glowienka.franciszkanie.pl/parafia/historia-parafii/.
Friar Jan M. SZEWEK
