Czeladź is one of the oldest towns in the Dąbrowa Basin. In ecclesiastical administration, Czeladź has always belonged to the Kraków archidiaconate and the Bytom deanery. While the exact date of the parish’s establishment in Czeladź cannot be pinpointed, it is presumed to have occurred after the canonization of St. Stanislaus, the Bishop of Kraków from Szczepanów, which took place in Assisi on September 17, 1253. The canonization was carried out by Pope Innocent IV.
In 1260, in a document by Duke Władysław of Racibórz regarding the acquisition of Czeladź, the name Stefan, chaplain in Czeladź, is mentioned. From this, it can be inferred that the parish was established that year. It is no surprise that the patron was the newly canonized Polish saint, patron of Poland and Kraków, and revered by the faithful since his death, St. Stanislaus, Bishop of Kraków from Szczepanów.
The 1440 record in Jan Długosz’s Liber beneficiorum mentions a parish church in Czeladź dedicated to St. Stanislaus the Bishop and Martyr, under the jurisdiction of the Kraków bishops. It was built from larch wood. There are indications that the very zealous pastor, Bishop Stanislaus of Kraków, might have been known to the residents of Czeladź during his lifetime. From the beginning, the church in Czeladź honored an image of St. Stanislaus. The city used a coat of arms and seal featuring St. Stanislaus until 1792. In 1495, Czeladź was burned along with the wooden first church.
In 1515, under Andrzej of Koprzywnica, construction began on a second church. In 1522, the renowned doctor of both laws, archdeacon, and Kraków canon, Father Stanisław Borek, became the parish priest. The church’s construction was completed in 1529 during his tenure. From 1606 to 1650, the parish priest was Father Andrzej Skarżyński, dean of Bytom. In 1649, he introduced the veneration of the Image of Our Lady of Consolation, which was officially recognized by the Kraków bishop Piotr Gembicki on May 5, 1651. Numerous votive offerings testify to the graces received by the faithful through the intercession of Our Lady of Consolation. King John Sobieski, on his way to Piekary and the relief of Vienna, stopped at the Czeladź church before Our Lady of Consolation. It should be noted that four of the parish priests during this period were never present in Czeladź, as they were custodians of the cathedral at Wawel.
Recent History
During the tenure of Pastor Ludwik Satalecki (1864-1908), a young, dynamic, and wise vicar, Father Bolesław Pieńkowski, arrived in Czeladź in 1899. He began implementing the 1890 architectural project by architect Hugo Kubera for the new Czeladź church in 1904. The construction was completed under Pastor Antoni Bożek in 1913, who left Czeladź immediately after the work was finished. His successor, Father Mieczysław-Maria Rogójski, on September 13, 1913, solemnly transferred the faithful from the old church to the new, impressive neo-Romanesque temple. In 1923, a fire broke out in the church, destroying the miraculous image of Our Lady of Consolation and causing the veneration to cease for many years. On October 28, 1925, by the bull of Pope Pius X, Vixdum Poloniae Unitas, the Diocese of Częstochowa was established, including Czeladź, separated from the Diocese of Kielce. During this time, numerous beautification works were carried out on the church.
One of the most significant events was the restoration of the veneration of Our Lady of Consolation, which, after preparations by the parishioners under Pastor Canon Mieczysław Oset, was accomplished by Bishop Stanisław Nowak of Częstochowa on May 8, 1988.
Source: Dąbrowa-Górnicza.pl
