„Przez abstynencję kapłanów do wstrzemięźliwości ludu”. Związek Księży Abstynentów (1902-1914)

The article presents the reasons for the creation of the Association of Teetotal Priests-one of the most successful temperance societies- and presents its activities from 1902. The main character of the Association for teetotal priests was Rev. Kazimierz Niesiołowski, a long-standing president of this society in the Archdiocese of Gniezno and Poznań. The aim of the Association of Teetotal Priests was to combat alcoholism. The society tried to fulfil this task by raising awareness, especially among children and young people about the dangers of consuming alcoholic beverages. They supported other temperance organizations. Above all, they wanted to win over the biggest possible number of the clergy, including teetotal seminarists- members of their own associations. Initially, the Association of Teetotal Priests operated in the Archdiocese of Gniezno and Poznań, and the Diocese of Chełmno. The priests from Galicia followed the example of Great Poland and Pomerania, and they set up the Association of Teetotal Priests for Galicia and Bukovina, which embraced mainly the Catholic clergy of the Archdiocese of Lviv, Tarnów and Przemyśl.