Parafie Kościoła rzymskokatolickiego w Katowicach

Abstract

The symbol and guarantee of stability of the parish community — permanently established — are the founding decree of the diocese bishop, congregation connected with a given territory either permanently or temporarily, their own priest and a proper holy place devoted to conducting the cult of God. The area where the districts and settlements were developing within the borderline of Katowice was always cloze to a parish and its residents belonged to one of the parish churches in Bogucice, Czeladz, Michałkowice, Chorzów Stary, Mikołów and Tychy. The borderlines of some parishes in Katowice were formerly determined by rivers, and streams and currently also interchanges. By observing the process of creating new parishes in Katowice the question arises on the origin of initiatives and their formation. The answer to the question lies in the analysis of the archive sources and that conclusion that the inventions were initiated either by the local people or the parish priest of the home parish or by the Curia in Wrocław or Katowice. The dwellers of Katowice usually were in favour of shortening the way to church and participating in a full parish life. The motive raised by parish priests was their willingness to increase the level of a religious life of the congregation. To the occasional motives belong places of tragedy, for example in “Kleofas” and “Wujek” mines and the willingness to build a substitute temple to create the centre of the cult of Saint Anna in Katowice diocese. Currently 37 parish communities of the Roman-Catholic Church located in 22 Katowice districts belonging to four decanates: Katowice Bogucice, Katowice Panewniki, Katowice Sródmieście and Katowice Załęże have a legal stabilization. Over 300 thousand of the congregation among whom 276 clerics conduct pastoral services live there.