The Religious Education of Students at the Higher Catholic School of Social Studies in Poznań (1928–1939)

Abstract

The subject of the article is the Higher Catholic Social Studies School in Poznań, which operated between 1928 and 1939. This educational center trained the staff of care facilities and social institutions, primarily those affiliated with the Church. The aim of the study is to identify the elements of religious education within the formal school curriculum, their presence in the requirements for candidates, students, and graduates, as well as the role they played in shaping the students of the Poznań institution. The available source material on this institution is limited due to wartime losses; it consists mainly of archival and printed materials related to the organizational foundations of the school, the lives of its students and graduates, memoirs written by some former students since the 1970s, and short press articles promoting the program. Supplementary sources include scholarly literature concerning the broader context of the institution’s operations and its faculty.

The findings indicate that the school’s Catholic character necessitated the inclusion of religious and worldview elements in the curriculum, while maintaining a high standard of education and fulfilling its statutory objectives. At the same time, the school did not organize basic religious practices for students, who worshiped independently, but it did require their participation in activities that were an integral part of shaping Catholic intellectuals. Therefore, lectures in general religious studies were complemented by weekly exegesis of the Holy Scriptures, annual multi-day formation retreats, and the presence of a spiritual director.