The Polish Association of Catechists as a Promoter of the Progress of Professional Competencies in Religious Education in Galicia in the First Decade of the 20th Century

Abstract

At the end of the 18th century, due to the neighbouring states of Austria, Prussia, and Russia, Poland lost its independence. Despite not being represented on the political maps of Europe, its citizens embarked on numerous initiatives that fostered their sense of belonging to the Polish national community. This was achieved, among other things, through various organisations that promoted Polish culture, language, customs, and faith. Additionally, a space was created for organic efforts aimed at individual and social development, ultimately intended to lead to the regaining of independence. One of the organisations involved in these activities was the Catechists’ Association, which sought to develop the professional qualifications of its members through various initiatives. This, in turn, was expected to enhance the level of education and religious formation within Polish society, particularly concerning children and youth. The article aims to define and characterise the activities of the Catechists’ Association in Galicia that were aimed at advancing professional competencies in the first decade of the 20th century in the territories annexed by the Habsburg Monarchy.

1. Introduction

At the beginning of the 20th century in Galicia—in the former Polish lands annexed in the 18th century by the Austrian Empire (which remained occupied until 1918)—numerous Polish organisations were established to represent various professional groups’ interests and nurture national identity. One such organisation was the Polish Association of Catechists, which, following its formal establishment on 20 November 1899, quickly commenced its public activities. The Association was directed towards Catholic clergy, including catechists and pastors, involved in the children and youth’s education and spiritual formation. Its headquarters were located in the capital of Galicia, Lviv, where the organisation and its statutory work were coordinated. Within the Union of Catechists, local circles (field branches) were established by priest catechists and pastoral workers at their places of employment, collectively forming their professional organisation, which was the first of its kind in Polish territories during the partitions. The Statute of the Catechists’ Association emphasised the importance of members engaging in all forms of activities that would contribute to developing their professional competencies, aiming for continuous improvement and expansion of knowledge, skills, and attitudes, thereby ultimately influencing the effectiveness of religious teaching and upbringing. Members were to determine their internal activities and be an integral part of their professional development, understood as a purposeful and planned process of enhancing and modifying the professional competencies of religious teachers by the needs of the school. The most important of these, based on the statutory provisions and the practices adopted over time by the members of the Association of Catechists, are discussed in the following sections. These sections present, in a sequential manner, the forms that significantly influenced their progression of professional competence at that time.

The primary source of information in this thematic area, during the discussed period, is not essentially archival materials, but the press releases (selected periodicals); and this is because the former were destroyed or lost as a result of military actions (World War I and II). Searches of libraries and archives in Austria, Poland, and Ukraine have only led to individual documents that do not contribute significant content to the essence of the issue at hand. As far as the press is concerned, some magazines have survived to this day, although compiling them is quite a challenge due to the dispersion of individual volumes and issues across many Polish libraries and archives. Considering the issue at hand, two Catholic periodicals in Galicia from this period should be mentioned: “Dwutygodnik Katechetyczny i Duszpasterski” and “Gazeta Kościelna”, which were the only ones to discuss matters relating to the establishment and activities of the Polish Association of Catechists, numerous reports, communiqués, and articles on this organisation pages. One reason these two magazines took an interest in the Association of Catechists was that their editors were also presidents of the Association, and many of their members were either on the editorial board or were authors. The material extracted from these journals became the subject of research; it was subjected to critical analysis as a source document, making a description and interpretation of it and verifying it regarding facts, figures, and chronology to obtain concrete data on how the professional competences of the members of the Catechists’ Union were formed. As a result, a great deal of valuable information has been revealed for the first time, which was previously unknown and had not yet been compiled. These are supplemented by publications (books and periodicals) from German-speaking Europe that documented the catechetical courses from the early twentieth century in which catechists affiliated to the Polish Association of Catechists in Galicia participated.

2. Thematic Papers as a Contribution to the Subject Discussion

The Statute of the Catechists’ Association regarded papers as one of the significant factors influencing the professional competence of its members (Statut 1899). It was generally understood to be a public lecture on scientific or popular science content, prepared for delivery to a group of interested individuals to present knowledge on a selected topic. The presentations were given by successive religion teachers affiliated with the Catechists’ Association or by invited speakers from outside the organisation. A logical continuation of this was a discussion focused on the subject of the presented speech, concluding with the formulation of conclusions or proposals for implementation in schools (Ze Związku 1900; Związek 1900a, 1900b).

Such meetings of religious teachers could be described—using contemporary terminology—as a type of subject-methodological conference, which aimed to be an effective tool for enhancing their professional competencies. These meetings were of a specialist nature, most often with a monothematic focus, reflecting the interests and expectations of the participants. Not only were they concerned with conveying as much information as possible, but also with providing expert knowledge about the needs of catechetical practice. This was intended to inspire the exchange of experiences in this area, to express assessments and opinions, conduct analysis and interpretation, and draw specific conclusions aimed at increasing the effectiveness of religious education and formation.

The Union’s management sought to ensure that the topics of the papers revolved around issues of theory and practice in catechesis. At the general meetings (8 II 1901, and 4 II 1903), he called for addressing primarily issues related to the didactics and methodology of religious lessons, which was intended to creatively influence the quality and effectiveness of religious education (Ze Związku 1901, 1903). As a result, in Local Circles, papers were presented, and discussions were held on issues that fit the suggested topics in various configurations. An example of this was the submissions concerning, among other things: modern theories of teaching and education in Europe based on foreign literature in the field of pedagogy and catechetics (Z lwowskiego 1909a, 1909c); religious education curricula in various types of schools in Galicia (Ze Związku 1903); selected aspects of didactics and methods in the field of religious education (Ze Związku 1904b); auxiliary materials supporting the process of religious teaching and education (Z lwowskiego 1909d); school pastoral care for students (Ze Związku 1910); current moral and socio-cultural challenges concerning children and youth (Z lwowskiego 1909b); auxiliary materials for religious education and formation (Ze Związku 1910); many other specialised theological issues (from various detailed disciplines) and professional pragmatics (Koło Katechetów 1902; Posiedzenie 1909; Ze Związku 1910).

Some of these meetings—focused on the paper and discussion—were cyclical, presenting a given issue over two or three sessions, highlighting its various aspects and creating an organic whole. On the other hand, others were merely episodic, discussing the issues raised only once.

The great importance attached to this form of professional development is evidenced by the fact that the management of the Catechists’ Association created a catalogue of speakers and a list of topics presented at meetings in Local Circles, providing this data during the report for the current year at the general meeting. It is worth mentioning that in the very Society in Lviv, between 1907 and 1909, as many as 52 papers were presented, which means that essentially every meeting contained this element in its internal structure (Ze Związku 1909, 1910). Over the years, their number increased even more, as the Catechists’ Association placed greater emphasis on the training aspect, and less on the organisational issues that dominated in the initial period of its activities.

3. Open Lessons and Class Observations

In continuous education related to raising and modifying professional competencies, open lessons held great significance. These classes, typically structured in a classroom lesson format, allowed a large number of religious teachers to participate as observers, alongside the one leading the catechesis. Their undeniable asset was the demonstration of mastery in the teaching workshop and the structure of religious lessons, the presentation of innovative methodological and organisational solutions, as well as the development of self-control skills and the ability to self-assess one’s work.

The complement to the conducted classes included a discussion of their course and an examination of the educational and upbringing activities undertaken during the lesson. These internships had a training dimension and were highly valued within the Association of Catechists due to their practical nature. The first president, Father Alojzy Jougan, claimed that open lessons testify to the vitality and sensibility of the organisation established by the catechists. For this reason, they were to be organised by each Local Circle in Galicia and led by its successive members (Ze Związku 1903).

The selection of topics for open lessons was an individual matter for each instructor. Nevertheless, there were situations where, at the request of some catechists, those more talented and with more extended work experience would take on the issues suggested by younger catechists, usually concerning complex catechetical topics arising from the religious education curriculum that needed to be presented to students in class. In this way, they sought professional guidance regarding implementing a given topic, the possibilities of selecting methods and teaching aids, and organisational forms. An example of such planned and conducted open lessons is the Circle in Krakow, which entrusted their conduct in 1904 to outstanding catechists—Father Franciszek Gołba and Father Marceli Ślepicki (Ze Związku 1904a).

It is also worth noting that some members of the Catechists’ Association had an excellent understanding of how to apply critical apparatus in analysing the open lessons conducted. This was due to the fact that some of them had completed higher education, gaining professional knowledge in this field, or they were academic lecturers in catechetics at the Jagiellonian University or Lviv University, where they conducted classes with students or participated in international pedagogical and catechetical courses that included open religion lessons, thereby broadening their competencies in this area (Kurs 1905; Z II. Kursu 1908).

It is therefore not surprising that comments appeared in catechetical periodicals, such as those by Fr. Walenty Gadowski (a prominent Polish educator and catechist), that approached the methodology of conducting observations of catechesis with a degree of distance, for example, during the course in Vienna (13–25 February 1905). A drawback in his assessment was that before the lesson began, there was no proper introduction for the students to receive the catechesis, which would have provided them with important information about the outline of the conducted classes, the intended goals and methods, and the class group. This could have enabled more active and focused tracking of the catechesis process and allowed the confronting of observations with previously acquired knowledge. On the other hand, after the lesson ended, there was no self-assessment from the person conducting it, lacking any reference to its course and discussion regarding the degree of implementation of the previously accepted assumptions, which was supposed to introduce the discussion—analysis and interpretation of the lesson content, with particular emphasis on the issues of interest to catechists (fZ kursu 1905a). The experiences gained in this field during courses in Vienna and Munich were later utilised in the first catechetical course in Lviv (4–9 February 1907), organised by the Association of Catechists, which emphasised a critical assessment of the quality of the conducted open lessons (Szydelski 1907). All this was done to enrich the catechetical workshop and to permanently shape skills and competencies in the teaching and methodology of religious lessons.

4. Centre for the Provision of Catechetical Assistance

An extremely interesting initiative of the Catechists’ Association in Galicia was the activities related to providing its members with teaching materials for education and religious formation. These materials were developed to serve as an effective tool in enhancing professional competencies and the effectiveness of catechetical work in schools. The Catechists’ Association aimed for its members to not only understand this matter but also to acquire the appropriate skills and utilise them optimally in school settings. They recognised that professional knowledge and skills in this area would enable them to harness the potential of teaching resources during lessons with students as motivational (arousing interest in the subject of study), cognitive (direct acquaintance with a specific reality), and educational (developing cognitive abilities and shaping appropriate competencies) skills).

At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, institutions engaged in collecting and lending aids to facilitate the teaching–learning process were referred to as school museums, and those focused on catechesis and teachers of this subject were known as catechetical museums (Roczne 1905).

The first such centre for providing catechetical aids was established in Lviv in 1905. It was located in the headquarters of the Association of Catechists, where meetings of the Association’s authorities and the Local Circle took place. The initiator of this undertaking was Father Feliks Józefowicz—a member of the Union’s board. It had been established that the catechetical museum would be financed from membership fees, half of which would come from the headquarters (management) of the Union, and the other half from the Circle in Lviv. This division of funds resulted from the fact that it was to be accessible to all registered with the Union. However, it was anticipated from the outset that its primary target would be the Lviv catechetical environment due to the museum’s location, hence the co-financing by the Local Circle in Lviv.

To acquire as many exhibits as possible for the emerging centre with catechetical aids, a petition was sent to the clergy in Galicia. It was hoped that pastors and catechists would share their private resources related to the work of catechesis to serve a wider audience. This includes materials such as school textbooks for religious education (both past and present); catechisms and biblical histories; prayer books and religious songbooks for students; school sermons; maps and atlases for the study of geography and the history of the church; biblical images and other exhibits used for visual learning; religious education programmes and episcopal regulations related to them and other school matters; works in the field of catechetics and methodology, biblical archaeology and church liturgy; catechetical and biblical commentaries; biographies of distinguished catechists, along with photographs (Roczne 1906; Ze Związku 1905).

The organisers of this centre for catechists intended to establish two departments: historical and contemporary. The Association of Catechists aimed to document and archive the history of religious education and moral upbringing, while providing those interested, with current teaching materials necessary for conducting catechesis in an interesting and engaging manner for students (II. Sprawozdanie 1907; Pechnik 1906). It was envisioned to comprise not only a thematic library but also various catechetical aids that support the educational process. The responsibility for collecting, inventorying, and cataloguing the submitted materials was entrusted to Fr. Feliks Józefowicz, Fr. Józef Krechowicz, and Fr. Aleksander Moszczyński (Ze Związku 1905).

Thanks to the ongoing information and promotional campaign, and with the support of the Lviv Ordinariate calling on the diocesan clergy to back this idea, materials for the aforementioned museum began to be provided gradually (II. Sprawozdanie 1907; III. Sprawozdanie 1908; Sprawozdanie 1909). Expanding its collections was crucial for the Association of Catechists, as it led to the accumulation of valuable archival materials and the creation of a teaching base, serving both self-improvement and enhancing the attractiveness and effectiveness of religious lessons. By 24 February 1909, a total of 992 exhibits had been collected, along with monetary donations for the operation of the museum and the purchase of additional teaching materials (Ze Związku 1909).

5. Domestic and Foreign Catechetical Courses

In developing professional competencies that enabled members of the Catechists’ Association to fulfil their official duties more effectively and perform their chosen work, pedagogical and catechetical courses played a crucial role. During the discussed period, they often had a theoretical (scientific) and practical (training) nature, combining elements of knowledge transfer and skill development related to catechesis.

The courses helped improve the catechetical message based on new assumptions in the fields of pedagogy, didactics, and methodology. Consequently, greater attention was paid to the person being catechised and to new teaching and learning methods. They enabled joint searches for the best possible ways of teaching religion and conducting educational work with children and young people, as well as confronting acquired experiences with the achievements of contemporary science. They served as a space for shared exploration in content, methods, and teaching aids aimed at increasingly fulfilling the goals of catechesis. Undoubtedly, they were a fundamental element in raising the professional competencies of religious teachers and Catholic educators in schools.

The Catechists’ Association in Galicia generally benefited from the offers proposed by other catechetical associations, particularly foreign ones such as the Austrian and German Catechists’ Associations. However, over time, it aspired to organise these associations within Galicia itself.

Pedagogical and catechetical courses were initiated on a large scale in the Austrian Empire in Salzburg (10–23 November 1903) (Danner 1903). Since then, they have also begun to be organised in other cities of the Habsburg monarchy, especially in Vienna. Following this example, other countries, such as the German Empire, organised these courses in Munich. Polish catechists—the Catechists’ Association members in Galicia—participated in them.

They had already participated in the first catechetical course in Vienna (13–25 February 1905) (Pädagogisch-katechetischer 1905), led by the president of the Association, Father Alojzy Jougan (Ze Związku XX. 1905). The course content focused mainly on the methodology of religious lessons, especially the Munich method (Offele 1961). It was based on a new teaching theory developed by Johann Friedrich Herbart and introduced several formal stages (steps) according to which lessons were to be conducted. The Munich method was brought to catechesis by Fr. Antoni Weber, who elaborated on its basic theoretical assumptions, and Fr. Henryk Stieglitz, who dedicated himself to implementing the method in catechetical practice (Z kursu 1905a, 1905b).

The discussion on applying this method in religious education was also taken up at the first catechetical course in Munich (10–16 September 1905). Fr. Walenty Gadowski, a member of the Catechists’ Association and president of the Local Circle in Tarnów, was heavily involved in the process. In his presentation, he referred to the Munich method of catechising, noting certain shortcomings and proposing ways to improve it, taking into account not only methodological issues but also psychological ones—specifically, considering the child’s level of mental development, which was intended to yield more significant effects in religious education (Göttler 1906). Fr. W. Gadowski implemented this method in the field of Polish catechesis, particularly in relation to elementary teaching, making modifications that over time were recognised by theorists and practitioners of catechesis in Europe, leading to the emergence of a new variant of this method, which was named “Gadowskische Methode” after his surname (Kubik 1987).

Fr. W. Gadowski also participated in another course organised outside the borders of Galicia, specifically in Częstochowa (18–19 April 1906), which, after the partition of Poland, became part of the territory annexed by Russia. The organisers focused on the widely understood issues of religious education in secondary schools, placing particular emphasis on the methodology of religious lessons, including the increasingly popular Munich method.

His presence at the course was also important because the catechist priests working in schools in the Russian partition planned to establish their professional association based on the one already operating in Galicia and to create a trade magazine, in which Fr. W. Gadowski could assist them. As a co-founder of the Catechists’ Association in Galicia and the founder of the “Catechetical Biweekly” (a magazine for catechists in Galicia), he was able to share his experience in this area and provide valuable advice on organisational matters. Because he was an outstanding catechist and teacher, he was also invited to the third catechetical congress in Warsaw (24–26 August 1907). Unfortunately, this time, Fr. W. Gadowski, being a citizen of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (Galicia was part of this empire), did not receive permission to come to Warsaw, which (like Częstochowa) was under the rule of another power—Russia. In these circumstances, he merely sent his paper by post to be read at the course (Ceglarek 2022).

He acted similarly in the case of the second consecutive catechetical course in Munich (1–7 September 1907) (Göttler 1908). Since he could not participate in it physically, he decided—by preparing an article, to engage in the catechetical debate preceding the course. The organisers of the course created such an opportunity, treating the submitted publications as a voice in an open discussion. Fr. W. Gadowski published his methodological remarks on the conduct of catechesis and the arrangement of religious education programmes in the “Christlich-pädagogische Blätter” (a journal for catechists in Munich) (Gadowski 1907a).

In the following year, a second catechetical course was organised in Vienna (16–29 II 1908) (Der zweite 1908), which numerous Polish catechists attended, including members of the Association of Catechists in Galicia and its vice-president—Father Adam Gerstmann. The course was designed to address the issues of religious education and upbringing in secondary schools during its first week, and in primary schools during the second (Gerstmann 1908; Kurs 1908). A prominent theme of the course was the issue of moral education in religious lessons and the Christian formation of children and youth, as well as the role of the catechist as a school pastor. This last topic was also covered in a lecture by Archbishop Józef Bilczewski, the metropolitan bishop of Lviv, who was invited to participate in the course (Der Religionslehrer 1909).

Representatives of the Catechists’ Union also participated in the third catechetical course in Munich (30 August–3 September 1909) (Göttler 1910; Walne 1910). Similar to the course in Vienna, the guiding idea was the religious upbringing of children and youth. For this reason, there was a strong emphasis on the need to shape will and character, which led to a deepening of piety and Christian maturity. Additionally, there were calls for structuring religious education programmes in such a way that they provided not only knowledge but also opportunities for its practical application in the life of a young Catholic (Gerstmann 1909).

The participation of members of the Polish Association of Catechists in foreign catechetical courses inspired them to organise this type of course in Galicia. A strong advocate for this initiative was Father W. Gadowski, who recognised significant benefits in the exchange of pedagogical ideas and the adoption of new methodological and didactic solutions in religious education. The Board of the Association of Catechists in Lviv delegated all powers to the organising committee (Fr. Feliks Józefowicz, Fr. Aleksander Pechnika, and Fr. Szczepan Szydelski), which developed a detailed course programme, secured accommodation and housing facilities, and requested from the state authorities of Galicia a circular addressed to school directors urging them to facilitate the participation of catechists in the course by granting them leave. (Pechnik 1907; Program 1907).

The course was held from February 4 to 9, 1907, at the seminary in Lviv (Gadowski 1907b; Kurs 1907). The course programme included speeches by honorary guests, thematic papers (14), demonstration catechesis (4), as well as services and a commemorative exhibition. The presentations covered a broad range of topics; however, two key issues can be highlighted: the methodology of teaching religion (dogmatics, ethics, the Bible, the history of the church, and catechism) and teaching aids in catechesis (secular literature, catechisms, textbooks, and modern aids such as models, boards, and projectors). After their submission, discussions took place, proposals were put forward, and questions were directed to the speakers (Gadowski 1907b; Szydelski 1907). Following the example of foreign catechetical courses, the Association of Catechists published a commemorative book containing papers or their summaries, some of which appeared in Polish social and church magazines. This was the first and, at the same time, the last catechetical course organised by the board of the Catechists during the period discussed Association.

The catechetical courses also include meetings convened in various cities of Galicia. However, the direct organiser was not the management of the Catechists’ Association, but the Local Circles, which prepared such meetings for the catechists of a given region (diocese). During the discussed period, they took place in Przemyśl (29 April 1907) (Zebranie 1907), Rzeszów (4 May 1909) (Drugi Zjazd 1909), and Sambor (2 May 1910) (Zjazd 1910). They also contributed to the professional development of catechists in the scientific and training dimension by addressing issues related to methodology and didactics of religious lessons, analysing existing religious education programmes and creating improved versions, discussing textbooks for religious education and advocating for changes in them, addressing current challenges in the moral–religious education of students, as well as matters of professional pragmatics and legal regulations concerning education and religious formation.

6. Contact with Professional Literature and Self-Education

Self-directed acquisition of new knowledge, along with the development of mental abilities and practical skills based on the information gained, plays a fundamental role in enhancing professional competencies. The members of the Catechists’ Union were aware of this and eagerly referred to specialised domestic and foreign publications. These included both books and magazines that assisted them in their ongoing pedagogical and catechetical formation. According to the statute of the Association, its activities focused on expanding the subject knowledge of its members; therefore, the management informed them about publications, encouraged reading, and promoted subscriptions to magazines and the exchange of individual catechetical and pedagogical periodicals among themselves (Ze Związku 1910).

Polish catechists associated with the Association of Catechists in Galicia read foreign pedagogical and catechetical periodicals such as: “Catechetical Papers” (established in 1875, the organ of the Catechists’ Association in Munich) (Zenner 1975) and “Christian Pedagogical Papers” (established in 1878, the organ of the Catechists’ Association in Vienna) (An unsere 1878). These periodicals were dedicated to religious education, theory and practice in teaching, upbringing, and pastoral work, as well as pedagogical, theological and catechetical issues. During this period, they constituted a valuable source of knowledge necessary for effective teaching and religious education, taking into account the current achievements in the fields of pedagogy and psychology, whose accomplishments increasingly influenced the style of catechetical work in Western Europe. Appreciating their value in the process of self-education, the Catechists’ Association called for interest in them, thorough reading, and analysis of selected topics at meetings in Local Circles. An example of this can be seen in the Circle in Lviv, where during meetings, journals published in Polish, Latin, French, and German were reported (Walne 1910).

The subscription to foreign professional periodicals and reading them inspired the establishment of a domestic specialist theological–catechetical magazine. This notably includes the “Catechetical Biweekly” (published as the “Catechetical and Pastoral Biweekly” since 1900). Its initiator was Fr. W. Gadowski (president of the Circle in Tarnów), who as early as 1895 urged catechists and educators to enhance their professional qualifications by engaging with professional literature (Bukowski 1896). The aforementioned “Catechetical Biweekly” began publication on 5 January 1897, in Tarnów, created and edited by Fr. W. Gadowski. The periodical included practical materials such as catechetical and school sermon scripts, critical assessments of catechesis, articles on catechetics and pedagogy, reviews of its distribution, reviews of publications for students, interpretations of school legislation, and a section dedicated to brief notes from various fields (miscellanea) (Niparko 2007).

A few years later, he made slight changes to the profile of the magazine, expanding its themes to include pastoral content. Consequently, alongside publications related to catechesis, materials such as a section on liturgical information, a catechetical and pastoral guide, a review of Catholic publications, school sermons published alternately with parish sermons, and preparation for First Holy Communion also emerged. This reorganisation brought with it a new name from 5 January 1900—“The Catechetical and Pastoral Biweekly” (Niparko 2007). It should be emphasised that this was the first magazine of its kind in Polish lands that were then under partition, discussing ex professo issues of religious and moral education.

The second significant journal for Polish catechists and pastors in Galicia was the “Church Gazette”, which began publication on 3 February 1893 in Lviv. Its editor was Fr. A. Jougan. Generally speaking, it was a weekly magazine focused on social, church, and philosophical–theological issues, which over time began to aspire to the status of a publication with catechetical inclinations. The first president of the Catechists’ Association and also the editor-in-chief of the “Church Newspaper”—Fr. A. Jougan—significantly influenced this state of affairs. He modified the weekly magazine’s offerings, expanding them to include catechetical topics. In the new edition, the magazine featured a special section containing reports on the functioning of the Association of Catechists in Galicia; furthermore, the editorial team added extra pages and inserts concerning this organisation and increased the number of articles dedicated to religious education and upbringing. Despite these efforts, the weekly did not become a professional catechetical journal like the periodical of Fr. W. Gadowski; however, due to the inclusion of information about the activities of the Catechists’ Association and articles on religious education and formation, it was eagerly read by catechists and pastors, particularly in the Lviv church community.

The coexistence of these two journals has undoubtedly contributed to the popularisation of issues related to religious education and upbringing. Because new publications and numerous reviews of foreign and Polish-language works appeared in their pages, catechists gained a strong understanding of the specialised literature, allowing them to access the best and most current catechetical and educational resources. Often, the authors of the reviews were members of the Catechists’ Association, including Fr. A. Jougan, Fr. W. Gadowski, and especially Fr. A. Pechnik, who prepared over 2000 of them (Stach 1935).

Some members of the Association of Catechists also published their own scientific and practical works (in Galicia and abroad) related to education and religious formation, as well as the profession of catechist. Based on their analysis, it can be stated that they had a solid grasp of both Polish and foreign professional literature, which ensured a high level of professional knowledge necessary for competently conducting school classes and enhancing their effectiveness.

7. Conclusions

Research conducted using the figures from the “Church Newspaper” and the “Biweekly Catechetical and Pastoral Journal”, published between 1900 and 1910, as the primary source texts, revealed that promoting the development of professional competencies among the members of the Catechists’ Association was one of its leading tasks. It is beyond discussion that the challenges of that time, related to the teaching and upbringing of children and youth in religious matters, called for the development and implementation of a modern doctrine of education, as well as the enhancement of catechists during their professional activities, to elevate religious education and formation to a higher level of effectiveness. This improvement became an essential link in the work and was directly embedded in the organisational structures of the Catechists’ Association as a vital element that fosters actions to achieve the best possible results in catechization, given the existing conditions and possibilities.

It was primarily aimed at raising the teaching and practical qualifications (skills) and improving the substantive qualifications (complementing, enriching, and updating knowledge) of all members of the Catechists’ Association. They were aware that enhancing professional competencies is not a privilege, but rather a duty of the catechist, as it ultimately affects the effectiveness of education and religious formation. The analysis of the studied materials demonstrates that the enhancement of the professional competencies of catechists, related to deepening and broadening subject knowledge and the didactic–methodological sphere, primarily involved initiatives such as thematic papers and discussions, demonstration lessons using critical apparatus, national and international catechetical courses, reading industry periodicals as well as literature on the subject, both domestic and foreign, and the establishment of a centre providing professional aids necessary for self-education and enriching educational and upbringing work.

At the beginning of the 20th century, there was no institutional form of further education for Polish catechists in Galicia. The space was attempted to be developed by the Association of Catechists, which, despite the national captivity related to Austria’s occupation of these territories, the lack of sovereignty, and the independence of the Polish state, undertook a valuable initiative aimed at promoting the idea of professional development and organising various forms of it. In a certain simplification, one can assume, relating those actions to contemporary realities, that they were initial seeds for creating a model of something that today functions as a permanent formation of catechists and is a shared obligation arising from educational and ecclesiastical law. Although they were not yet fully developed during the discussed period, they were the first impulses that were to take on a broader scale in the future. At that moment in the history of the Polish nation, it was crucial not only for the catechists themselves but also for the students, as the essence of raising professional competencies was to have the best possible educational and formative impact on children and youth, leading to a deepening of their religious knowledge and the formation of attitudes based on evangelical values. As a result, all actions taken were intended to prepare a mature Catholic for a conscious religious and social life with the hope of existing in a reborn Polish state.