Mariavite Church

The Mariavite Church is an independent Catholic and Christian church that emerged from the Polish Roman Catholic Church at the turn of the 20th century. Initially, it was an internal movement leading to a reform of the Polish clergy, but after a conflict with Polish bishops it became a separate and independent denomination. Currently the Mariavite denominations have around 28,000 believers in Poland and 5,000 in France.

The Mariavite Church is one of very few religious movements that developed in Poland or among Polish communities abroad after the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. The other example is the Polish National Catholic Church that was founded in the United States. The reasons behind the establishment of these two churches are different. The leaders of the Polish National Church fought for the equal treatment of Polish immigrants in the Irish- and German-led Roman Catholic Church in the U.S. of that era. The leaders of Mariavite movement were trying to reform the clergy and Catholic communities spiritually in Poland, which at this time was divided into three countries (see: partitions of Poland). Although at the beginning the Mariavite Church had no connection with Protestantism, there are now what some see as fairly minor commonalities with Protestantism that are more fully discussed below.

History

Situation of the Roman Catholic Church in Poland under Russian Empire

File:Feliksa Kozlowska.png

Feliksa Kozłowska (ca 1910)

The history of the Mariavite movement dates back to the second half of the 19th century. In 1887 Feliksa Kozłowska established the religious order for women according to the Rule of Saint Clare. This order would later be called the Order of the Mariavite Sisters, but at the time it was one among many Roman Catholic religious communities. Feliksa had earlier been in another Roman Catholic order since 1883, one established by the Capuchin friar, Blessed (Father) Honorat Koźmiński. All of these religious organizations were illegal according to the laws of the Russian Empire. In this part of Poland, divided between three neighbouring countries, the situation of the Roman Catholic Church was the worst. After the January Uprising in 1863, tsarist authorities forbade the establishment of Polish-national organisations, including religious ones. Many cloisters were dissolved. The Catholic clergy in the Russian-dominated area, in contrast to the priests in Austrian and Prussian partitions, was not well educated. The only theological academy was in Saint Petersburg. The priests were often criticized for their inappropriate behaviour and exploitation of the peasants. The Mariavite movement emerged in this difficult situation.

Revelation of Feliksa Kozłowska - 1893-1903

In 1893 Feliksa Kozłowska, also known by her convent name, Maria Franciszka, had her first vision (revelation). The date of 2nd August 1893 is said to be the date of founding of the new religious movement of "Mariavitism", which later became a separate and independent church. The name "Mariavite" comes from Latin words: Mariae vitam (imitans) – '(following/imitating) the life of Mary'. Several visions of Kozłowska between 1893 and 1918 were gathered in 1922 in the volume entitled Dzieło Wielkiego Miłosierdzia – The Work of Great Mercy, which is the most important religious source for the Mariavites beside the Bible. In her revelation Kozłowska received an order to fight with the moral decline of the world, especially with the sins of the clergy. In her first vision she was told to organize the order of the priests-Mariavites. The aim of this order was to promote the renewal of the spiritual life of the clergy. The most important purpose was to spread the perpetual adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament and the cult of the Perpetual Help of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In their everyday life they returned to the Franciscan tradition of an ascetic life – fasting, modesty and simplicity in clothes and life. They recommended frequent confession and communion for the people. It has to be underscored that they represented the elite of Polish clergy of that time – they were young priests who had finished theology studies at the Saint Petersburg Clerical Academy; they were often professors and lecturers at the seminary schools, and held positions as seminary Rectors or as chancery officials.

Attempt to legalize the movement - 1903-1906

For Kozłowska and the Mariavite priests the newly established movement was to be a means for an internal mission and reform within the Church. The initial purpose was not to create a different denomination. The Polish bishops tried to maintain that they were ignorant of the Mariavites' activities, mostly out of fear of punishment by the Russian authorities. Until 1903 the existence of the movement was not officially recognised by the Roman Catholic authorities in divided and occupied Poland. It was in this year that the provincials of the Mariavite order decided to present the texts of the revelations and the history of the movement to the bishops of three concerned dioceses: Płock (where Feliksa Kozłowska lived), Warsaw and Lublin. The latter two refused to accept these documents. Only the bishop of Płock, afraid of the rapid and spontaneous development of the movement, accepted them and started the canonical process. The leaders of the movement were interviewed and the documents were sent to the Holy See. One month later the delegation of the Mariavites went to Rome to convince the pope to recognise the order. They had to wait for the conclave and the election of a new pope. During this time they chose the Minister Generalis (Minister General) of the order – Jan Maria Michał Kowalski, who was then the most important person of the movement. Finally, after two weeks of waiting, they presented their case to Pope Pius X.

In June 1904 the second delegation travelled to Rome to convince the Roman Curia of the importance of their mission. The pope again blessed them and promised to fulfill their requests. The final decision was taken by the Roman Inquisition (now the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith) in August, one month after the Mariavite audience before the pope, and announced in December 1904. It was very unfavorable to the Mariavites. The ruling dismissed Feliksa Kozłowska's revelations as mere "hallucinations", ordered the movement dissolved, and forbade any further contact between the priests and Kozłowska. All modern writers and scholars agree it was the Polish upper hierarchy that played the most important role in bringing about this decision. They were strongly opposed to the Mariavite movement, and the bishop of Płock was in Rome shortly before the Holy Office of the Inquisition arrived at its decision. Following announcement of the decision, another two Mariavite delegations were sent to the Vatican. The first, including the Mariavite priest Skolimowski, asked the pope to allow the Mariavites to gather once a month for their spiritual exercises. The second, a delegation of the "Mariavite people" (the peasants from the parishes where Mariavites were priests), praised the values of the Mariavite priests and complained about the Roman Catholic clergy and their lack of concern for those living in poverty.

The attitudes of Mariavites changed over time. They altered from obeying the recommendations of the Holy See to rebelling against them. Feliksa decided to cut off all contact with other nuns and priests and obeyed all the decisions of the bishops and the pope. But the patience of the Mariavites was exhausted. They could not hide their complete loss of trust after countless misleading promises. They justly blamed the Polish bishops for the failure of their activities in Vatican City and felt helpless in reforming the structure. In February 1906 they informed the Holy See that they were separating from the bishops, because they felt persecuted by them. During the meeting with the pope they were reprimanded, and they promised again their obedience. The situation of the Mariavites was for a considerable time quite unclear. On the one hand they had hope that their case would finish successfully in Rome; on the other hand the Roman Catholic authorities in the country began the realization of the decision of the Holy Office of the Inquisition. The conflict between the Mariavite priests and the bishops had become more and more serious. The Mariavite priests decided to separate themselves from the religious structure in Poland, but they were still expecting a decision from Vatican proving that the bishops in Poland were wrongfully supporting depraved diocesan clergy. The bishop of Płock for the first time called Mariavites heretics, though the Vatican did not yet share such opinion. This led to many anti-Mariavite events, including violence directed at the Mariavites and laughter at the Mariavites and their foundress Kozłowska. Many of their priests were suspended. Nevertheless many believers decided to support their priests and also separated themselves from the Roman Catholic structure. Mariavites arranged to have frequent contacts among themselves again.

In their last letter to Archbishop of Warsaw, in March 1906, the Mariavites asked for all of the decisions that had been made against them to be vacated. But the ultimate answer of Rome was "no". In April 1906, Pope Pius X prepared the encyclical Tribus circiter (Around three years ago) where he sustained the decision of the Holy Office of the Inquisition. He criticised strongly Feliksa Kozłowska and the attitude of the priests toward her, seeing them as treating her as a saint and as a near equal to Our Lady. This position of the Holy See was again a surprise for the Mariavites. This time they decided not to change their mind and not to obey the pope. In December 1906 Feliksa Maria Franciszka Kozłowska and Jan Maria Michael Kowalski were excommunicated. All their followers, priests and faithful, were condemned and not regarded as members of the Holy Roman Church anymore. Kozłowska was the first woman that had been personally excommunicated by the Vatican in the entire history of the Church (as opposed to females who in the past had been excommunicated by virtue of their membership in groups declared to be heretical).

The Mariavite Church - first period (1906-1921)

The Mariavite movement was legalised by the Russian authorities as a "tolerated sect" in November 1906, when conflict with Roman Catholic hierarchy was at its most violent point. Six years later they were officially recognised as a separate and independent church. In 1906 there were about 50-60 thousand Mariavites in 16 parishes. Five years later historical sources mention the number of 160 thousand believers. It shows the great popularity of the movement at the time, which had no precedent in the history of Polish Roman Catholic Church. This mass conversion was also a result of a decision of the bishops, who had sent many Mariavites to the villages which led to them reaching many believers. This was previously impossible when they were staying as professors, Rectors or chancery officials in urban centers. It is because of this that the Mariavite Church is now so spread throughout much of Poland and has a lot of centers creating the Mariavite islands on the Roman Catholic sea.

The organization of the Mariavite community somewhat resembles Protestant communities, where each member has a right to speak about its problems. Mariavites were not only active on religious grounds, but they operated many cultural, educational and social activities. They were soon organizing their own schools, kindergartens, libraries, kitchens for the poor, shops, printing houses, poorhouses, orphanages and factories. Very quickly they built a lot of new churches, which made the Roman Catholic Church look at them with heightened suspicion and contempt. In 1911 they finished their main church in Płock called the Sanctuary of Mercy and Charity. They bought also 5 km² of land near Płock that they named after Kozłowska – Felicjanów. Another thing that took them closer to what Protestant tradition had was the language of the liturgy, which was since 1906 Polish. Separated from the Roman Catholic Church, they desired reintegration into the historic apostolic succession and their own legitimate bishop. They got into contact with the Old Catholic Church in Utrecht through the efforts of General Kireev. In 1909 the first Mariavite bishop was consecrated to the episcopate in Utrecht. In 1919 they officially changed the group's name to the Old Catholic Church of the Mariavites.

The death of Feliksa Kowalska in 1921 closed the first era of the Mariavite movement, when the internal reformation movement changed, involuntarily at first, into the creation of a new denomination. This period was the most successful time for the Mariavites. They developed a lot of activities for the believers. However, gradually the number of the adherents was decreasing and in 1921 there was officially 43 thousand Mariavites. Nevertheless, the number of institutions they created, the buildings they constructed and magazines and books they published were very impressive.

Under the rules of Archbishop Kowalski (1921-1935)

After the death of its foundress the head of the Mariavite Church became Bishop Kowalski (later he called himself the Archbishop). He was the closest associate of Kozłowska, staying under her strong influence until her death. The respect for "Mateczka" passed on Kowalski and very quickly he became the one and only authority of the Mariavites. He initiated a lot of changes within the church, which aimed to make it differ from Roman Catholicism. His innovations were called far-reaching theological and dogmatical modernism. However, these innovations were very controversial, not only to the Roman Catholics, but for the Mariavites themselves. Introduction of the marriages between priests and nuns (1924) and the priesthood of women (1929) were disputed the most. Kowaliski's changes disrupted the contact with the Old Catholics. In the 1920s and 1930s Kowalski was searching for an ecumenical dialogue with other churches. He first proposed union with the Polish National Catholic Church, then to deepen contacts with Eastern Orthodox Church and other Eastern-tradition churches. In the early 1930s he sent letters to Roman Catholic bishops with proposals of reconciliation. None of these attempts succeeded.

The opposition against "the dictatorship" of Archbishop Kowalski arose in the Mariavite Church in the 1930s. In October 1934 the bishops and priests demanded changes in the teachings and rules of administration in the Church, but Kowalski refused to do so. In January 1935 the General Chapter of the Mariavite Priests (Synod) decided to remove Kowalski from his position. The Archbishop still had some supporters and refused to accept the decision of the General Chapter. It led to the division of the Church that was to be the completion of Kozłowska's prophecy that Mariavite Church was to experience a schism as Christianity had earlier in its history. During this time around 30 per cent of believers left the Mariavite Church and converted back to Roman Catholicism.

After the division in 1935

Archbishop Kowalski withdrew from Płock to Felicjanów with his followers. This village is now the headquarters of the Catholic Church of the Mariavites with perhaps about 3,000 believers. This denomination confirmed all the decisions of Archbishop Kowalski and introduced the public cult of Feliksa Kozłowska, the Mateczka, the Spouse of Christ and new Redemptrix of the world. Its doctrine is far removed from the original Roman Catholic doctrine of the foundress. It is more insular and does not take part in the ecumenical movement. Archbishop Kowalski died during World War II in the concentration camp at Dachau. His successor was his wife, Bishop Izabela Wiłucka. Since 1946 the head of this Church has been Bishop Józef Maria Rafael Wojciechowski, who died in April of 2005 and was succeeded by Bishopess Beatrycze Szulgowicz.

The opposition led by bishop Feldman gathered the majority of the Mariavites. They decided to remove the greater majority of innovations Kowalski had made while retaining some minor changes and to return to the original ideas and rules from before the death of Kozłowska. This branch of the Mariavite Church is the larger one and has now around 25,000 believers in Poland and 5,000 in France (mostly Paris). A major problem shared by both churches is the lack of clergy, as the most of the priests are aged. The Old Catholic Church of the Mariavites started many activities in the post-war ecumenical movement. Together with other Churches it has established the Polish Ecumenical Council. It renewed its contacts with other Old Catholic churches.

Relations between Mariavites and Roman Catholics

Since the 1970s one can observe the reconciliation efforts and process between the Roman Catholic and Old Catholic Mariavite churches. The Polish bishops apologized for the problems which had occurred in the beginnings of the Mariavite movement. Also their attitude toward Kozłowska changed and they affirmed she was a woman of great piety and religiosity. In 1972 the Jesuit priest Stanisław Bajko, the secretary of the Polish Episcopate Commission for Ecumenism, made theological research on the revelations of Kozłowska. He did not find any traces of theological discordance with Roman Catholic doctrine. The Mariavites wanted also to use the fact that the Holy See recognised as true the revelation of Faustyna Kowalska about the Lord's Grace, and that nota bene took place in Płock, which was for the Mariavites a clear sign that God has repeated this message to the people.

The change in the attitude of the Polish Roman Catholic Church was connected with the reforms of Vatican II. This time the Church became more open and recognised some of its mistakes from the past. Some authors and scholars claim that what had happened with the Mariavite movement in the beginnings of the 20th century would not have been possible after Vatican II. Earlier, the Roman Catholic Church was a very conservative structure. Reforms could not be made from "beneath", proposed by believers and simple priests or nuns, but only from above. Thus, it was the upper hierarchy and the pope that were the sole authorities and decision-makers about any kind of reform. Anyone else that was trying to do something on his own was perceived to be overbearing and insubordinate. Making any criticisms of the bishops or the pope was regarded as totally unacceptable. The Roman Catholic Church in Poland did not like the idea of the internal movement leading to the reform of the church. Though nowadays it is hard to understand many of the decisions made by the upper hierarchy in the first decade of the 20th century, we should also take into account the situation of Poland in that era. Bishops were pushed and limited by the Russians. But the insufficient educational system for the clergy and the insecurity this caused in many priests was also an important factor in the hostile approach against the Mariavites.

Many commentators see also a reason for the hostile attitude toward the Mariavite movement in the role that was played by Feliksa Kozłowska. It was a consequence of the perceived role of women in then-contemporary society and the Church, where it was thought women should be modest and subordinate to the men leading the faithful. The influence of Kozłowska was seen to be too strong; this is why she was usually the victim of the harsh attacks (called often the incarnation of a devil, as in the satiric article "Where the devil cannot go, there he will send a woman" from 1906. Her activities had begun to be criticized by the bishop of Płock as early as 1897. The strongest point of this accusation was that she was treated by many Mariavites as a living saint. This accusation is not totally groundless, as she was treated by Mariavites as a very good and pious person even before the unjustified condemnation of the pope, but this situation was far from unique in the annals of Christianity. It is also true that her biography was shaped into a hagiographical style by Archbishop Kowalski, when finally he called her the incarnation of the Holy Spirit on earth in his writings.

The first activities against the movement and its development were taken in 1903, after an official presentation of its existence. The Archbishop of the Warsaw diocese had forbidden the observance of some otherwise approved devotions of the Roman Catholic rite (e.g. the Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament and the Perpetual Help of Our Lady) that were perceived as the most important for the Mariavite faction, whose devotion to them was found to be "excessive" and unnecessary.

After coming into view the movement was very quickly a target for many attacks. The newspapers were publishing a number of satiric articles and the cabarets were laughing at the Mariavites in their songs and plays. This led to the more violent acts against the Mariavite churches and chapels. The most difficult year was 1906, when in a few places riots and even the murder of Mariavites took place. They were generally connected with the problem of ownership, because in many places Mariavite priests with the majority of believers of the parishes wanted to take over the churches, which in many cases the Mariavite believers had built, while according to the law applied they were confiscated and claimed to belong to the Roman Catholic Church.

The situation of the Church in inter-war period was still troublesome, especially if we consider the relations with the dominant religious group in Poland being of Roman Catholics. Mariavites were still the victims of many prejudices. Even some so-called "Mariavite pogroms" happened. In these days the leaders of the Mariavite Church were very often sued in court, in large purpose to discredit them as a religious organization and in the hope to annihilate them. Archbishop Kowalski had to appear in front of the tribunal in 20 cases; among them he was accused for blasphemies against God, the Bible, the Church, and theSacraments, betrayal of the country (implicit treason), of socialism, communism, theft, frauds, lies, etc. In the most important process, he was blamed for sexual abuses that had taken place in the Płock cloister. In 1931 he was found guilty and finally sent for two years to prison between 1936 and 1938 even though no tangible evidence was produced and the triers of the case were all Roman Catholics. There were many articles in the press demanding the criminalization of the Mariavite Church; these were proven to emanate from Roman Catholic sources and with the approval of the Roman Catholic Bishops of Poland.

Very often Mariavites were said to be pro-Russian and pro-socialist. Their legalisation by the tsarist authorities was for their accusers an evident proof that they were collaborating with the occupiers, even though it was the only way the organisation could function normally and legally. (There is no evidence that the group received special privileges, beyond the right to exist as a legal religious organisation, from the tsarist authorities.) It is true that the very early Mariavites became aware of the problems among the workers and they were directing many social activities. But the feelings that this aroused were connected with their religious doctrine rather than any particular political ideology or agenda. From the beginning they had to fight with the popular image that they betrayed their homeland. For many Poles, "Polishness" was strongly connected with the Roman Catholic faith. Rejection of the faith was equivalent with rejection of nationality. Of course, the Mariavites felt very strongly attached to Poland, though they were victims of countless violent acts. The reason they had decided to leave the Roman Catholic Church was that they had a very strong conviction what they were doing was really good and right. The charismatic personality of Kozłowska helped them in taking this decision and resisting the most difficult of moments. They were very disappointed about the Roman Catholic hierarchy's attitude toward their Divine mission as commanded by Our Lord. Both sides were steadfast in their position and eventually became almost totally inflexible. The deep belief of the Mariavites became much stronger than the fear they would be insulted and accused as traitors. Later the movement lost much of its initial enthusiasm and some of the believers left it – many of them during the crisis in 1935.

The history of relations between the Mariavites and Roman Catholics could be divided into two periods. The first was when the Mariavite Church was emerging and forming its institutional shape. This period was full of mutual distrust, suspicions and insults. The worst time was between 1906 and 1911, shortly after separation of the Mariavites, and between 1923 and 1937, when Polish nationalism was very ardent. The second was the post-war period, which was affected by two events: the difficult situations of all churches in communist Poland and the decisions of Vatican II. Those circumstances led to the opening of dialogue and closer connections between Christian denominations. The progress in ecumenical reconciliation between the Old Catholic Mariavite Church and Roman Catholic Church in Poland is now an indisputable fact. (However, the Felicjanów denomination stays intransigent and rejects any possibility of the rapprochement with Catholics.) Nevertheless the attitudes of the believers from both sides are still constructed on the basis of stereotypes and prejudices. And the Mariavites are still full of distrust and suspicion. They perceive the Roman Catholic documents as meaningless gestures that do not actually change anything, as there are still some unpleasant incidents to this day, as when in the recently published Catholic Encyclopaedia the Mariavites were called "the only Polish heresy" even though the publishers sent an apology and stated a future correction and deletion of this would be made. Much remains to be done to reconcile the two churches.

It should be noted that at the location of the papal residence at Castel Gandalfo where there is located a noted observatory, that little known ecumenical activities have taken place. In the 1980s observations at Castel Gandalfo were led by a Polish astronomer, who at the same time is a priest and professor of the Old Catholic Church of the Mariavites, Rev. Konrad Maria Pawel Rudnicki. The late Pope John Paul II – a fact without precedence – allowed Rev. Rudnicki to celebrate the Mariavite Mass in his private chapel.

Mariavite Old Catholic Church - Province of North America

The third currently existing Mariavite faction is the Mariavite Old Catholic Church - Province of North America, presently under the direction of Archbishop Robert Ronald John Maria Zaborowski, which numbers according to its own sources, over 300,000 faithful.

The actual number is less, despite those who provide erroneous and misleading statistics that have no substance in fact. In truth, there are less than a hundred members.

"A number of factors have raised doubt about the accuracy of the facts and figures reported by the Mariavite Old Catholic Church. In spite of its reported growth from 1972 to 1975, observers have been unable to locate any of the congregations affiliated with the church except in the small chapel in Archbishop Zaborowski's residence in Wyandotte, Michigan. Zaborowski has consistently refused to share with inquirers the names and addresses of any of the claimed parishes or their priests. Doubts have also been raised about Archbishop Zaborowski's ordination and consecration. During the early 1970s he circulated copies of his ordination (1968) & consecration (1972) certificates. More recently, Zaborowski has circulated a different set of certificates... The signatures on the two ordination certificates do not resemble each other in the least..."

The North American Province, which has been effectively autocephalous since 1953, differs from the Bishop Feldman Group which had rejected some of Kowalski's innovations, in that it rejects Kowalski's innovations in totality and insists on preserving and maintaining Mariavitism as it existed during the lifetime of its foundress.

The priests are celibate, and the liturgical languages are Latin, Polish and English. The ritual is strictly Tridentine without alteration.

The North American Province began to separate near the end of the 1920s under the influence of a group of priests and faithful of the Polish Catholic Church (a concurrent group with the Hodur PNCC), which from the death of Bishop Stefan Kaminski in 1911, was left without a bishop.

The first bishop of the North American Province, Francis Ignatius Maria Boryszewski was consecrated to the episcopate by the then Vicar General of the Polish Old Catholic Mariavites, Bishop Jakub Prochniewski.

From the 1960s to the present countless former Roman Catholics and Anglicans (the former disenchanted with the Vatican II reforms) have entered this Mariavite Church, being particularly attracted by the traditional liturgy.

However, Mariavites in the diaspora, or outside Poland, are not only individuals of Polish descent - The current Mariavite Bishop of Paris is, for example, French-born.

The Administrative Center of the Mariavite Old Catholic Church - Province of North America is located at Wyandotte, Michigan

Structure of the Mariavite Churches (Feldman Group)

Old Catholic Church of the Mariavites

Leaders:

Jan Maria Michał Kowalski (1907-1935)
Klemens Maria Filip Feldmann (1935-1942)
Roman Maria Jakub Próchniewski (1945-1953)
Wacław Maria Bartłomiej Przysiecki (1953-1957)
Jan Maria Michał Sitek (1957-1965)
Wacław Maria Innocenty Gołębiowski (1965-1972)
Stanisław Maria Tymoteusz Kowalski (1972-1997)
Zdzislaw Maria Wlodzimierz Jaworski (1997- )

Administration:

3 dioceses with 38 parishes:
- Warsaw-Płock diocese with bishop in Płock
- Podlasie-Lublin diocese with bishop in Cegłów near Siedlce
- Silesia-Łódź diocese with bishop in Łódź
- the French Province since 1988

Official site

Catholic Church of the Mariavites (Felicjanów Group)

Leaders:

Jan Maria Michał Kowalski (1935-1942 died in Dachau)
Antonina Maria Izabella Wiłucka-Kowalska (1940-1946)
Józef Maria Rafael Joseph Eugen Wojciechowski (04.10.1949-2005)*

Konsekrator Maria Paulus Norbert Maas 25.11.1956 Felicjanow

at the same day Rafael consecrated Maria Natanael Colacik Felicjanow

Beatrycze Szulgowicz (2005- )

Administration:

two custodies with 16 parishes

French area of jurisdiction Mariavite Church

Mgr André Le Bec (1992-)

Order of the Mariavite Church in Germany - exterritorial jurisdiction

This jurisdiction is not yet recognized by the contemporary leaders of Płock and Felicjanow in spite of one of its past leader's (Archbishop Maas) efforts to unify all sections into one church again by returning the ashes of church founder Kowalski to Płock - which brought back the church's roots to Płock - and by consecrating bishop Józef Maria Rafael Joseph Eugen Wojciechowski - which brought back the apostolic succession to Felicjanow.

Maria Marc Paulus Fatome (1938-1951)

consecrated by Jan Maria Michaeł Kowalski 4 Sept. 1938 Felicjanow, Poland

Maria Paulus Norbert Maas (1951-1988)

consecrated by Maria Marc Paulus Fatôme 9 Oct. 1949 Mannheim, Germany

Norbert Udo Maria Szuwart (1988-

consecrated by Maria Paulus Norbert Maas 31 Oct. 1987 Cologne, Germany

elected as archbishop, coadjutor and successor by Maria Paulus Norbert Maas 8 Dec. 1988

Literature

Peterkiewicz, J. The Third Adam, London: Oxford University Press, 1975. A book which specifically relates to the period following the death of the foundress to the deposition of Kowalski from office in 1935.

Pruter, Karl and J. Gordon Melton. The Old Catholic Sourcebook, New York: Garland Publishers, 1983.

External links