In February 1981 prelate Teofil Bogucki started celebrating Mass for the Homeland in the church of St. Stanislaus Kostka.

Dating from the 28th of February 1981 the mass was said on regular basis on the last Sunday of each month. It was also at that time that prelate Teofil Bogucki charged Father Jerzy with the mass celebration.

On the last Sunday of each subsequent month more and more people from Warsaw and other parts of the country gathered in the church of St. Stanislaus Kostka, located in the Żoliborz district, to pray for the Homeland. This specific congregation was composed of representatives of various social, professional and religious backgrounds. It even comprised non-believers. What brought them together was the pain and worry about the political situation as well as sheer hope that Truth would ultimately win.

Eyewitnesses recall an unusual atmosphere of these prayer meetings. People felt united in the joint responsibility for their Homeland. Unfortunately the feeling of threat dominated in the 1980s. People feared provocation or activities that the Secret Service officials could undertake to hinder the prayer meetings or even to get an excuse for police intervention. The feeling of threat called for a need to guarantee perfect organisation of the gatherings. For this sake the Church Organisation Service was created.

Father Jerzy carefully set up an artistic program for each ceremony. He designed decorations in reference to the sermon topics. He often took inspiration from historical anniversaries, biographies of renowned Poles or else from everyday reality. Following the mass, actors from Warsaw theatres performed drama and musical programmes of patriotic style.

In fact, in the 1980s Poles rediscovered the great romantic literature and became its successors anew. We can speak of a purely Polish phenomenon when striking workmen were listening to romantic poems by Juliusz Słowacki, Zygmunt Krasiński and Maria Konopnicka as though it were a contemporary poetry. This mystery play happened on the last Sunday of each month, with outstanding actors reciting literary masterpieces.

Father Jerzy’s religious and patriotic sermons were first and foremost about preaching the Gospel Truth. In his sermons everything was called with its proper name, good was good, and evil was evil, truth was truth and a lie was a lie. The preaching pinpointed the elementary truths about Man and the world based on Christ’s Good News and the Church’s teaching. It was the truth they heard that gave the listeners strength and courage. It was the same truth that was the source of faith, hope and love and gave rise to spiritual fortitude. For these reasons Father Jerzy’s sermons became the target of scathing attacks launched by state authorities.

After Father Jerzy’s death prelate Teofil Bogucki continued celebrating Mass for the Homeland. As a matter of fact, the tradition has prevailed until today.

On the last Sunday of every month at 6 p.m. Mass for the Homeland is said in the church of St. Stanislaus Kostka.