Published : 2025-12-21

Pastoral Letters of Bishop Jan Stepa on the Education of Youth

Abstract

 Bishop Jan Stepa was a representative of the academic community of the Faculty of Theology at the Jan Kazimierz University in Lviv, making a significant scientific contribution to the development of Christian philosophy in Poland during the interwar period. After the end of World War II, in 1946, he became the diocesan bishop of the Tarnów diocese, serving in this capacity until his death in 1959. This article analyzes six pastoral letters by Bishop J. Stepa from 1946–1957, concerning the moral and religious formation of the young generation of Poles, as well as the accessibility of religious education and the right of Catholic students to attend catechesis within the public school system of the People's Republic of Poland. The first group of letters (three in number) was framed by the author as messages, and the bishop made the educational model of Saint Stanislaw Kostka, the patron saint of youth, the cornerstone of their message. The second group, in turn, comprises three letters containing formal and moral guidelines for youth and parents, reminding them of their responsibility and obligation related to young Catholics attending religious classes. These letters are set within the socio-political context of the People’s Republic of Poland, whose state and educational authorities combated the influence of the Catholic Church in its impact on the education and upbringing of children and youth.

The research objective of the analysis conducted in the article was to understand the general assumptions of Bishop J. Stepa's pedagogical thought, aimed at the young generation of Catholics, as well as to indicate the significance of the form of selected letters and their relationship with the presented content, and to identify the main themes and messages addressed to young people. The research methods used include analysis of content, historical-critical analysis, and synthesis.

Keywords:

Bishop Jan Stepa, Diocese of Tarnów, pastoral letters , education of youth , cult of Saint Stanislaw Kostka, religious education in People's Republic of Poland



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Juśko, P. (2025). Pastoral Letters of Bishop Jan Stepa on the Education of Youth. Biografistyka Pedagogiczna [Biographical Studies in Education], 10(3), 415–441. https://doi.org/10.36578/BP.2025.10.49

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"Biografistyka Pedagogiczna" received funding for the years 2022-2024 from the funds of the Minister of Education and Science under the programme „Rozwój Czasopism Naukowych”.

Project duration: 2023-2024.

The amount of co-financing is 65 992,00 PLN

Contract number: RCN/SP/0434/2021/1