Abstract

Bishop Józef Sebastian Pelczar was the first co-originator of the salesian educational and pastoral establishment in Przemyśl. He was at the same time a great benefactor of the Salesians. He donated 33 thousand of krones, then the vicar of the Przemyśl cathedral – father canon Karol Krementowski – offered 15 thousand krones, for which a plot of 5 hectares land with a bungalow and agricultural property were bought on the left-hand side riverbank part of Przemyśl. This landed property gave the above mentioned bishop to the Salesians settling on the River San in Przemyśl in the year 1907. Father August Hlond was the first promoter and director of the place for the youth, he became later provincial of the Polish Salesians in Vienna. He was also the Apostolic Administrator and Bishop of Katowice Diocese, the Archbishop of Gniezno and Poznań, the Primate of Poland, the Cardinal and Archbishop of Gniezno and Warsaw. Some distinguished salesian confreres were linked with the house in Przemyśl like: provincial Fr Antoni Hlond (Chlondowski) and Fr Adam Cieślar; martyrs of Auschwitz: venerable Fr Józef Kowalski and Fr Jan Świerc, director of the “House of Care of St. Joseph” Fr Wiktor Zdrzałek, founders of new churches and organizers of new salesian establishments – Fr Walenty Kozak and Fr Jan Symior, chaplain to the Forces Fr Władysław Dec, and distinguished musicians, teachers in the School for Organists Fr Zdzisław Kasprzak (Idzi Mański) and Fr Jan Bednarz. Therefore within the hundred-year presence of the Salesians in Przemyśl, many eminent and distinguished priests from different orders and the diocese of Przemyśl were connected with the place.