Diocese of Tarnów, Poland

Special Churches

Cathedral, Minor Basilica: Bazylika Katedralna Narodzenia NMP, Tarnów, Małopolskie
Minor Basilica: Bazylika Kolegiacka św. Małgorzaty, Nowy Sącz, Małopolskie
Minor Basilica: Bazylika Matki Boskiej Bolesnej, Limanowa, Małopolskie
Minor Basilica: Bazylika Mniejsza św. Mateusza Apostoła i Ewangelisty, Mielec, Podkarpackie
Minor Basilica: Bazylika Nawiedzenia NMP, Tuchów, Małopolskie
Minor Basilica: Bazylika św. Katarzyny Aleksandryjskiej, Grybów, Małopolskie
Minor Basilica: Bazylika św. Marii Magdaleny i św. Stanisława BM, Szczepanów, Małopolskie
Minor Basilica: Bazylika św. Mikołaja, Bochnia, Małopolskie
World Heritage Site: Cerkiew św. Jakuba, Powroźnik, Małopolskie
World Heritage Site: Cerkiew św. Michała Archanioła, Brunary Wyżne, Małopolskie
World Heritage Site: Cerkiew św. Paraskewy, Kwiatoń, Małopolskie
World Heritage Site: Kościół św. Leonarda, Lipnica Murowana, Małopolskie
Shrines in the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy

Kraków (←), Kielce (↑), Sandomierz (↗), Rzeszów (→), Košice (↓), Spiš (↓)

Present Prelates

Bishop (2012.05.12 – ...):	Bishop Andrzej Jeż (60)
Auxiliary Bishop (2013.12.14 – ...):	Bishop Stanisław Salaterski (68) Titular Bishop of Tigillava
Auxiliary Bishop (2015.12.19 – ...):	Bishop Leszek Leszkiewicz (53) Titular Bishop of Bossa
Auxiliary Bishop (2020.12.12 – ...):	Bishop Artur Ważny (56) Titular Bishop of Mazaca

Ordinaries

Bishops of Tarnów (Roman Rite)

Bishop Andrzej Jeż (60)
(2012.05.12 – ...)

Bishop of Tarnów (Poland)

Born:	1963.05.03 (Limanowa, Poland)
Ordained Priest:	1988.06.12
Consecrated Bishop:	2009.11.28

Priest of Tarnów (Poland) (1988.06.12 – 2009.10.20)

Titular Bishop of Tigillava (2009.10.20 – 2012.05.12)

Auxiliary Bishop of Tarnów (Poland) (2009.10.20 – 2012.05.12)

Bishop of Tarnów (Poland) (2012.05.12 – ...)

Bishop Wiktor Paweł Skworc (75) (later Archbishop)
(1997.12.13 – 2011.10.29)

Metropolitan Archbishop emeritus of Katowice (Poland)

In Spiritu Sancto

Born:	1948.05.19 (Ruda Śląska, Poland)
Ordained Priest:	1973.04.19
Consecrated Bishop:	1998.01.06

Priest of Gniezno (Poland) (1973.04.19 – 1997.12.13)

Bishop of Tarnów (Poland) (1997.12.13 – 2011.10.29)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Katowice (Poland) (2011.10.29 – 2023.05.31)

Bishop Józef Mirosław Życiński (later Archbishop)
(1990.09.29 – 1997.06.14)

In spiritu et veritate

Born:	1948.09.01 (Poland)
Ordained Priest:	1972.05.21
Consecrated Bishop:	1990.11.04
Died:	2011.02.10 († 62)

Bishop of Tarnów (Poland) (1990.09.29 – 1997.06.14)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Lublin (Poland) (1997.06.14 – 2011.02.10)

Archbishop Jerzy Karol Ablewicz
(1962.02.26 – 1990.03.31)

Born:	1919.11.01 (Poland)
Ordained Priest:	1943.03.05
Consecrated Bishop:	1962.05.20
Died:	1990.03.31 († 70)

Bishop of Tarnów (Poland) (1962.02.26 – 1990.03.31)

Archbishop ad personam (1987.06.10 – 1990.03.31)

Bishop Jan Stepa
(1946.03.04 – 1959.05.28)

Born:	1892.06.24 (Poland)
Ordained Priest:	1915.06.27
Consecrated Bishop:	1946.05.19
Died:	1959.05.28 († 66)

Bishop of Tarnów (Poland) (1946.03.04 – 1959.05.28)

Bishop Francis Lisowski
(1933.01.27 – 1939.06.04)

Born:	1876.10.01
Ordained Priest:	1900
Consecrated Bishop:	1928.10.07
Died:	1939.06.04 († 62)

Titular Bishop of Mariamme (1928.07.20 – 1933.01.27)

Auxiliary Bishop of Lviv (Ukraine) (1928.07.20 – 1933.01.27)

Bishop of Tarnów (Poland) (1933.01.27 – 1939.06.04)

Bishop Leo Walega (later Archbishop)
(1901.04.15 – 1932.05.04)

Born:	1859.03.25 (Poland)
Ordained Priest:	1883.03.24
Consecrated Bishop:	1901.05.12
Died:	1933.03.23 († 73)

Bishop of Tarnów (Poland) (1901.04.15 – 1932.05.04)

Titular Bishop of Tlos (1932.05.04 – 1933.03.13)

Titular Archbishop of Oxyrynchus (1933.03.13 – 1933.03.23)

Bishop Ignazio Łobos
(1886.01.15 – 1900.04.15)

Born:	1827.08.16
Ordained Priest:	1851.09.07
Consecrated Bishop:	1882.04.16
Died:	1900.04.15 († 72)

Titular Bishop of Leuca (1882.03.27 – 1886.01.15)

Auxiliary Bishop of Przemyśl (Poland) (1882.03.27 – 1886.01.15)

Bishop of Tarnów (Poland) (1886.01.15 – 1900.04.15)

Bishop Józef Alojzy Pukalski
(1852.03.15 – 1885.01.05)

Born:	1798.03.16
Ordained Priest:	1821.09.22
Consecrated Bishop:	1852.05.23
Died:	1885.01.05 († 86)

Bishop of Tarnów (Poland) (1852.03.15 – 1885.01.05)

Bishop Józef Grzegorz Wojtarowicz
(1840.07.13 – 1850.07.15)

Born:	1791.03.10
Ordained Priest:	1817.08.24
Consecrated Bishop:	1840.11.22
Died:	1875.05.03 († 84)

Bishop of Tarnów (Poland) (1840.07.13 – 1850.07.15)

Bishop Franciszek Ksawery Zachariasiewicz
(1836.02.01 – 1840.07.13)

Died:

1845

Bishop of Tarnów (Poland) (1836.02.01 – 1840.07.13)

Bishop of Przemyśl (Poland) (1840.07.13 – 1845)

Bishop Franciszek de Paula Pisztek (later Archbishop)
(1832.02.24 – 1835.07.24)

Born:	1808.08.21
Ordained Priest:	1824.11.14
Consecrated Bishop:	1824.11.14
Died:	1846.02.01 († 37)

Titular Bishop of Azotus (1824.09.27 – 1832.02.24)

Auxiliary Bishop of Praha (Czechia) (1824.09.27 – 1832.02.24)

Bishop of Tarnów (Poland) (1832.02.24 – 1835.07.24)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Lviv (Ukraine) (1835.07.24 – 1846.02.01)

Bishop Ferdinand Maria von Chotek (later Archbishop)
(1831.09.30 – 1832.02.24)

Born:	1781.09.08 (Austria)
Ordained Priest:	1805.12.29
Consecrated Bishop:	1817.06.01
Died:	1836.09.05 († 54)

Titular Bishop of Ptolemais (1817.04.14 – 1831.09.30)

Auxiliary Bishop of Olomouc (Czechia) (1817.04.14 – 1831.09.30)

Bishop of Tarnów (Poland) (1831.09.30 – 1832.02.24)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Olomouc (Czechia) (1832.02.24 – 1836.09.05)

Bishop Gregorius Thomas Ziegler, O.S.B.
(1826.04.23 – 1827.06.25)

Born:	1770.03.07
Ordained Priest:	1793.05.25
Consecrated Bishop:	1822.06.29
Died:	1852.04.15 († 82)

Bishop of Tyniec (Poland) (1822.02.05 – 1826.04.23)

Bishop of Tarnów (Poland) (1826.04.23 – 1827.06.25)

Bishop of Linz (Austria) ([1827.04.13] 1827.06.25 – 1852.04.15)

Bishops of Tyniec (Roman Rite)

Bishop Gregorius Thomas Ziegler, O.S.B.
(1822.02.05 – 1826.04.23)

(see above)

Bishops of Tarnów (Roman Rite)

Bishop Florian Amand z Janówka Janowski
(1786.04.03 – 1801)

Bishop of Tarnów (Poland) (1786.04.03 – 1801)

Fr. Jan Duwall
(1783 – 1785 not possessed)

Bishop of Tarnów (Poland) (1783 – 1785 not possessed)

Former Prelates

Auxiliary Bishop: Bishop Jan Piotrowski (70) (2013.12.14 – 2014.10.11)
Auxiliary Bishop: Bishop Andrzej Jeż (60) (2009.10.20 – 2012.05.12)
Auxiliary Bishop: Bishop Wiesław Lechowicz (60) (2007.12.22 – 2022.01.15)
Auxiliary Bishop: Bishop Stanisław Budzik (71) (later Archbishop) (2004.02.24 – 2011.09.26)
Auxiliary Bishop: Bishop Jan Styrna (1991.06.22 – 2003.08.02)
Auxiliary Bishop: Bishop Władysław Bobowski (91) (1974.12.23 – 2009.10.20)
Auxiliary Bishop: Bishop Józef Gucwa (1968.12.21 – 1999.12.11)
Auxiliary Bishop: Bishop Piotr Bednarczyk (1968.02.21 – 1991.06.22)
Auxiliary Bishop: Bishop Michel Blecharczyk (1958.07.06 – 1965.11.10)
Auxiliary Bishop: Bishop Karol Pekala (1946.12.14 – 1968.08.14)
Auxiliary Bishop: Bishop Edward Komar (1921.06.16 – 1943.09.29)

Contact Info

Website:

Statistics

Area: 7,566 km²

Population: 1,105,524 Catholics (99.4% of 1,111,907 total) (2021)

Statistics: 454 parishes, 11 missions, 1,415 priests (1,285 diocesan, 130 religious), 1,100 religious (170 brothers, 930 sisters), 98 seminarians (2021)

Celebrations

Patron Saint: Narodzenie Najświętszej Maryi Panny (September 8), Saint Stanislaus da Szczepanów (May 8), Saint Andrew Zorard and Saint Benedict of Szkalka (July 13), Saint Kinga (July 24)

Cathedral Dedication Anniversary: January 29

Liturgical Calendar 📅

History

1786.03.13: Established as Diocese of Tarnów / Tarnovien(sis) (Latin) (from Diocese of Kraków and became suffragan of Lviv)
1805.09.24: Suppressed (to Diocese of Kraków and Diocese of Przemyśl)
1821.09.20: Restored as Diocese of Tyniec (from Diocese of Kraków and became suffragan of Lviv)
1826.04.23: Renamed as Diocese of Tarnów / Tarnovien(sis) (Latin)
1880.01.20: Lost territory to Diocese of Kraków
1886.03.27: Lost territory to Diocese of Kraków
1925.10.28: Lost territory to Metropolitan Archdiocese of Kraków, exchanged territory with Diocese of Przemyśl and became suffragan of Kraków
1992.03.25: Lost territory to establish Diocese of Rzeszów

Papal Visits

Pope John Paul II (1987.06, 1999.06)