Służba Wydziału Teologicznego Kościołowi w Polsce

For almost two centuries the Faculty of Theology in Warsaw has been actively serving the Catholic Church in Poland. In its beginning, as a unit of the Royal Faculty of Theology (from 1816), next separated and functioning under the name of Main Seminary (from 1823) and later as the Clerical Academy of Warsaw (from 1837). As part of the repressions after the uprising, the Academy was moved to St. Petersburg in 1867. By establishing the Faculty of Theology, the invader authorities wanted to take control of the higher education of the clergy, make it subordinate to the state and (in the later period) make it the object of russification. This aim was not fully realized. Most of the educated clergy had a patriotic spirit and were loyal sons of the Catholic Church. After the regaining of independence in 1918, the Faculty of Theology was part of the University of Warsaw until 1953. A sudden change took place in 1954. The communist authorities, in the period of strong Stalinism, decided to close the theological faculties of the University of Warsaw and the Jagiellonian University and created the Academy of Catholic Theology in Warsaw. The Academy had three faculties: Theology, Canon Law and Christian Philosophy. Probably, as in the period of the partitions, the intention was to exercise complete control and surveillance of the education of the Polish clergy. In this context, the Polish bishops began to withdraw priest and seminary students from the Academy. Only when relations between Senate Academy and the Primate of Poland, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński, were begun, the recognition of the theological faculties as canonical was possible and the crisis ended. Since then, the Academy trained more and more priests and religious for the needs of the Catholic Church in Poland. Educated theologians took up functions in the structures of the Church. The opening of Consultation Sites in other towns significantly facilitated access to the acquirement of academic degrees and titles. An important event was the establishment in 1999 of the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University on the basis of the Academy. The number of faculties was increased. The Faculty of Theology increased the number of institutes, increased the number of specializations, integrated into its structures several seminaries. Since that time the number of students, especially form lay people, has increased. Publications – research achievements of the professors of the Faculty of Theology of the University – are highly noted in Poland and abroad. Their service to the Church and to Poland is a valuable contribution to the development of science and culture.