Charges against Fr. Józef Misiński, a parish priest of Stawiszyn (1828–1839). A contribution to the biography

Abstract

The article provides a summary of the pastoral work of Rev. Józef Misiński in Stawiszyn (1824–1839). The article consists of two substantial parts and it does not delve into meanderings of civil and canonical processes taking place in the Kingdom of Poland. The first part of the article shows the background and professional profile of the priest. The beginning of his career in cancelariae episcopalis in 1822, established by a religious protector Bishop Józef Koźmian, was promising and it lasted until the death of the Bishop in 1830. Meantime, in 1824, Rev. Misiński also became the parish priest in Stawiszyn and the dean of the Stawiszyn deanery. The second part of the article is devoted to the period of his work in the parish. At the beginning, his pastoral service seemed to be pleasant, however, it finished in 1832 when the major family of Leopold and Salomea Grabiński appeared in Stawiszyn. The Grabiński family together with the collator of the church and Stawiszyn heir Jan Łubieński as well as with Długa Wieś heir Sylwester Strzeszewski made the life of the priest miserable by using different staratagems. A number of court cases, which eventually cleared the priest of charges, exhausted the priest so much that he moved to the town of Krzepice where he was appointed for the post of the parish priest.