Parafia św. Izydora w Topólczy – parafia rzymskokatolicka znajdująca się w dekanacie Szczebrzeszyn, w diecezji zamojsko-lubaczowskiej. In 1919, the recently erected brick edifice was turned over by the Austrians to the Catholic Church
After the failure of the revolution (1864) the Romanov Tsar- Alexander II- abolished the Union, forcing the Greek Catholics to convert to Orthodoxy in 1875. This was part of a strict Russification policy...the weak slowly gave up, giving in to the Orthodox priests, gendarmes, and the border police,,,
the persecution of the Uniates took on dramatic forms...
Timofey Tracz, arrived as rector in Szczebrzeszyn, It was a sad chapter for the Polish Catholics, especially for the Uniates. The priest was once a Uniate. He had freely converted to the Orthodox belief and became an ideological Russifier ...his activities took on a fanatical character...
He instilled fear in everyone in the Zamosc area. No one opposed him. It must be said that he made great strides in spreading Orthodox beliefs. He carried out his mission without too many reservations: with promises, harassment, threats, and force....The number of adherents to the Orthodox parish grew relatively quickly and consisted of 486 souls at the time.
In 1905, in the first two months after the declaration of the Tolerance Manifesto, the region saw 4195 people convert from the Orthodox to the Roman Catholic religion, of which 402 were from Szczebrzeszyn and Zamosc environs...
During World War I, when the Russians left Szczebrzeszyn, both churches were closed. The entire Orthodox parish disappeared instantly. In order to wipe out any trace of their former beliefs, families changed the inscriptions of their kin on their tombstones from Russian to Polish...
My grandmother, Eugenia Panuciak was born in 1893 and was thus baptized in the Orthodox Church in Topólcza. She was among those who converted to Catholic religion after the declarartion of the Tolerance Manifesto.
My grandmother, Eugenia Panuciak was born in 1893 and was thus baptized in the Orthodox Church in Topólcza. She was among those who converted to Catholic religion after the declarartion of the Tolerance Manifesto.
Below are a few of the Greek Catholic and Orthodox Chruch records for my grandmother's family who lived in Turzyniec and moved to the neighboring village of Topolcza sometime between 1853 and 1882.
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It took place in city Szczebrzeszyn on April 21, 1873 at 4 p.m. Appeared Jan Panuciak,the child's father, peasant, living n village Topólcza, 50 years old in the presence of Michał Bogdzieszowicz 32 years old and Tomasz Gurma, 24 years old, peasants from Topólcza and presented us male child and said that the child was born in Topólcza on 17 April 1873 at 4a.m. from his legal wife Tekla maiden name Chorzempa, 40 years old.
-----------The following is the baptismal os my grandmother's sister MARIA PANUCIAK identifying my great grandmother KATARZYNA FERENC (from another parish which is unknown at this time)
No. 30
It came to pass in the village of Topolcza on August 5, 1888, at 4:00 PM. Appeared in person Wojciech Panuciak, 25, farmer residing in Topolcza, in the presence of Jan Lipec, 35, and Tomasz Gucki, 36, farmers residing in Topolcza, and presented us with a female infant, declaring that she was born in Topolcza on the third of this month and year at 8:00 AM of his legal wife Katarzyna nee Ferenc, age 29. At holy baptism and anointing today by Fr. Ioann Gregoriewski, the child was named MARIA. Godparents were Jan Lipec and Maria Rusiak. This act read aloud to the illiterate and signed only by me. Administrator and registrar.
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1886 Michal 6 years old, son of Piotr and Antonina née Dulembuvcho died
1893 Maria, 5 y old dtr of Wojciech Panuciak and Katarzyna Ferenc died http://regestry.lubgens.eu/viewpage.php?page_id=766
1893 Jan Panuciak 72 farmer widower died...(therefor born c 1821- no more info noted).
In the village Topolcza appeared on March 27th, 1899 at 3 p.m, Nikolay Cielica (40 year old) and with present wittnes ... and showed us a newborn female , that he was born in the village Turzniec on March 25th this year at 9 p.m from wife Ekaterina maiden family Mazur (35 year old). The child was baptized by priest Ioan Grigorevski and give name Stachiy, godparents were Feodor
Kнorzemna with Antonina Сhernecka.
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