ŚLĄSKIE STUDIA HISTORYCZNO-TEOLOGICZNE

The History of Relics of Venerable Euphemia the Piast, Dominican nun of Racibórz. Summary
Daughter of Przemysł of Racibórz and duchess of Upper Silesia, Euphemia was one of the holy women of the Piast dynasty. At the age of fourteen, she entered the convent founded by her father, the Racibórz Dominicans, where, with time, she became a prioress. Shortly after her death on January 17, 1359, she became famous for miracles. A strong though local cult soon started to grow around her relics, causing her to be called blessed as early as the 16th century. Today, the Diocese of Opole, in conjunction with the unwavering cult of Eufemia, is seeking the beatification of this holy Piast duchess to officially sanction her holiness.
It is frequently the case with many holy royalty, such as Hedwig of Silesia, Cunegund or Yolande, that many posthumous remains undergo an evolution. They start with the typical royal funeral, yet end up buried in shrines dedicated to the veneration of saints. So it was with Euphemia. Initially, as a former prioress, she was buried in a chapel crypt in the church of the Racibórz Dominicans. According to the original plans, the chapel was designed as a mausoleum of the Racibórz line of Piasts; hence Euphemia belonged there by birth. At the end of the 16th century, the existing cult transformed the burial chapel into a shrine, particularly after 1738 when the tomb of Euphemia was adopted to the public cult. The relics of the Piast duchess remained in the crypt until 1821. During the secularization of the convent, they were moved to the church of the Assumption of our Lady. In 1930, thanks to the pastor, Georg Schulz, a neo-baroque burial altar was built for Euphemia. Finally, in the spring of 1945, Euphemia’s altar shared the fate of the entire city and was burned by the soldiers of the Red Army.
On one hand, the history of Euphemia’s relics testifies to the intensity of the religious cult she received over centuries; on the other, it places her in the burial tradition of the Piast holy women. The story of Euphemia becomes unique in 1821 when her relics were removed from the shrine destroyed by its new protestant owners and were moved to the church of the Assumption. Today the memory of Euphemia continues to grow.

PRINCIPI DELL'ORDINE SOCIALE SECONDO IL "TYGODNIK KATOLICKI" ("SETTIMANALE CATTOLICO") PIEKARY 1948-1850
Sommario
La prima meta del ottocento nel continente europeo viene caratterizzata dai cambiamenti radicali e drammatici che fanno un'eco lontano alle due rivoluzioni, una francese ed un altra industriale. La terza rivoluzione - scoppiata nel 1848 cosidetta Primavera dei Popoli - ha messo la Chiesa cattolica davanti alla necessita di ridefinizione chiara del suo atteggiamento di fronte alle questioni sociali e politiche piu urgenti. La Chiesa cattolica, in modo particolare in Francia ed in Germania, ha cominciato allora una ricerca dei modi e delle forme per far fronte alla "questione sociale" sempre piu emergente. Cosi e nato il movimento sociale ispirato "dal basso" che col passare del tempo sarebbe stato chiamato il "cattolicesimo sociale".
Su tale sfondo viene descritto il contenuto del primo settimanale cattolico apparso in Alta Slesia in lingua polacca. "Tygodnik Katolicki" ("Settimanale Cattolico") naque nel 1848 a Piekary - centro religioso e culturale di grande importanza nella regione che apparteneva allora alla Prussia. L'analisi degli articoli, che rappresentano le opinioni e convinzioni sociali dei redattori legati con don J. Fiecek (1790-1862), si concentra sulle questioni sociali, riguardanti il modo in cui si dovrebbe rifare l'ordine sociale dopo le sopranominate rivoluzioni. I redattori credono che sarebbe stato possibile ricrearlo ritornando all'oramai scordato ideale della vita familiare, all'onestà del lavoro professionale ed all'armonia della vita parrocchiale. Tali tre sfere della vita sociale: famiglia, lavoro e parrocchia, che - secondo l'ottica della Chiesa in Slesia - dovrebbero riformare il fondamento dell'ordine sociale dopo la rivoluzione del 1848.