Kłopoty proboszcza Szmitta. Epizod z dziejów parafii w Skwierzynie na przełomie XVIII i XIX w.

The article presents an episode of the history of the parish in Skwierzyna at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. Rev. Chrystian Szmitt (Schmidt, Smitt) was a parish priest at the time. Although he was an honest man, he proved to be quite inept and passive. The parish church in Skwierzyna was destroyed during the fire in 1794. Rev. Szmitt was unable to handle its reconstruction, nor did he want to relocate parish services to other churches in the area, even though he was recommended to do so by the Church and state authorities. He did not manage to systematically teach the truths of faith. He could not find a suitable place for the cemetery either. The parishioners accused him of squandering church money. He, however, expected that the diocesan authorities would increase his income from the parish through joining the surrounding villages. It was not until 1817 that a new assistant curate came to the parish – a Cistercian, Fr Wawrzyniec Franke, who managed to put administrative and pastoral affairs in order.